Kawasaki Ki-61

Kawasaki Ki-61
Paese	Giappone
Ruolo	Caccia
Primo volo	Dicembre 1941
Numero costruito	3075

Le Kawasaki Ki-61 Hien Il 飛燕 è un caccia giapponese della seconda guerra mondiale utilizzato dall ' Imperial Japanese Army Air Service. La designazione dell'esercito giapponese era "Caccia di tipo 3 dell'esercito" (in giapponese闘ラ). L'intelligence alleata inizialmente credeva che i Ki-61 fossero Messerschmitt Bf 109 e successivamente un Macchi C.202 italiano, che portò gli Alleati a riportare il nome di "Tony", assegnato dal Dipartimento della Guerra degli Stati Uniti. Fu l'unico caccia giapponese prodotto in serie della guerra ad utilizzare un motore V in linea raffreddato a liquido. Furono prodotti oltre 3.000 Ki-61. I prototipi iniziali videro l'azione su Yokohama durante il Raid di Doolittle il 18 aprile 1942, e continuarono a volare missioni di combattimento per tutta la guerra.

fonte: Kawasaki Ki-61 su Wiki

Kawasaki Ki-61
Fotografi	Inconsapevole
Localizzazione	Inconsapevole
Foto	301

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General Characteristics

The Kawasaki Ki-61 Hien (Flying Swallow) was a fighter aircraft used by the Imperial Japanese Army Air Service during World War II. It was designated the “Army Type 3 Fighter” and was notable for being the only mass-produced Japanese fighter of the war to utilize a liquid-cooled inverted V-12 engine, a design unique among its contemporaries which predominantly used air-cooled radial engines. Allied forces initially misidentified the Ki-61 as a German or Italian fighter, assigning it the reporting name “Tony.” Its liquid-cooled engine, relatively high speed, and robust construction (including self-sealing fuel tanks and armor protection) set it apart from other Japanese fighters optimized for pure maneuverability.

Property	Typical Value (Ki-61-I Kai Hei)
Ruolo	Single-Seat Fighter / Interceptor
National Origin	Giappone
Produttore	Kawasaki Kokuki Kogyo K.K.
First Flight	Dicembre 1941
Service Entry	1943
No. Built	Over 3,000 (all variants)
Equipaggio	1 (Pilot)
Lunghezza	8.94 m (29 ft 4 in)
Apertura alare	12.00 m (39 ft 4 in)
Max Takeoff Weight	3,470 kg (7,650 lb)

Powerplant and Performance

Engine: 1 x Kawasaki Ha-40 (Army Type 2) inverted V-12 liquid-cooled piston engine (a license-built version of the German Daimler-Benz DB 601A).
Power Output (Ha-40): 877 kW (1,175 hp).
Power Output (Later Ha-140 in Ki-61-II): 1,119 kW (1,500 hp) (though Ha-140 had reliability issues).
Maximum Speed (Ki-61-I at 5,000 m): Approx. 580 km/h (360 mph).
Maximum Speed (Ki-61-II at 6,000 m): Approx. 610 km/h (379 mph).
Service Ceiling: 10,000 m (32,810 ft) (Ki-61-I).
Time to 5,000 m: Approx. 7.0 minutes.

Armament and Variants

Armament Varied Significantly by Sub-Variant:
- Ki-61-I-Ko/Otsu: Early versions typically carried two 12.7 mm Ho-103 machine guns in the fuselage and two 7.7 mm (or later 12.7 mm) machine guns in the wings.
- Ki-61-I Kai Hei: Equipped with two 12.7 mm Ho-103 machine guns in the fuselage and two imported German 20 mm Mauser MG 151 cannons in the wings.
- Ki-61-I Kai Tei/Ki-61-II KAI: Later versions standardized on the Japanese 20 mm Ho-5 cannon (two in the nose, two in the wings) for a significant firepower increase.
External Stores: Could carry two drop tanks (e.g., 200 L) or two 250 kg (550 lb) bombs on wing racks.
Key Development: When the problematic Ha-140 liquid-cooled engine was no longer available due to factory destruction, Kawasaki adapted the airframe to use the reliable Mitsubishi Ha-112 radial engine, creating the highly successful Ki-100 fighter.

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