- Yes
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Kawasaki Ki-102A ( 五式複座戦闘機)
The Kawasaki Ki-102A is a Japanese twin-engine interceptor that was based on the Ki-102B. About 15 to 25 examples were built, probably these aircraft were used to defend the home islands in the last months of the war.
History
Kawasaki Aircraft began work on the Ki-102A in January 1944, based on the Ki-102B, developed a moment earlier, with Takeo Doi as the chief designer. In April 1944, the design work was completed and the construction of a prototype began, modifying one of the existing Ki-102B aircraft. In June 1944, four prototypes were ready, three of which had the old Ha-112-II engine, and one had the Hа-112-II-Ru engine, which had an additional turbocharger. In November 1944, although tests of the Ki-102A with the Hа-112-II-RU engine were still underway, the Japanese army urgently ordered the start of production of the aircraft due to the increasing air raids on Japan. In order to increase production, it was decided at the Gifu plant to convert the existing Ki-102B aircraft into the Ki-102A version. By the end of the war, about 25 aircraft were built along with the prototypes (sources are given differently). Due to a problem with the engines, the Ki-102A aircraft were delivered to the first unit only in the summer of 1945. The unit was the 28th Air Defense Regiment, which had previously flown armed Ki-46-III aircraft. The Ki-102A planes that went to the unit also struggled with engine problems and were mainly used to patrol the airspace. There is one report that claims that during the raid on Tokyo on the night of March 9/10, two Ki-102A fighters shot down two B-29 bombers, unfortunately it is impossible to confirm this report unequivocally. After the war, a few Ki-102A planes went to the USA for testing, then all Ki-102A planes went to scrap after the war.
Construction description
Modifications made to the Ki-102A compared to the Ki-102B:
- Replacement of the 57mm Ho-401 gun with a 37mm Ho-204 gun.
- Replacement of engines on Ha-112-II with Ha-112-II Ru engines
- Under the wings, outside the engine nacelle, air intakes for the turbocharger were installed
Technical sketches
Comparison of the Ki-102A with other aircraft
General characteristics
- Crew: 2
- Length: 11.45 m
- Wingspan: 15.57 m
- Height: 3.7 m
- Wing area: 34 m2
- Empty weight: 5,150 kg
- Gross weight: 7,150 kg
- Powerplant: 2 × Mitsubishi Ha112-II Ru 14-cylinder air-cooled radial engine, 1,120 kW (1,500 hp) each
- Propellers: 3-bladed constant-speed propellers
Performance
- Maximum speed: 610 km/h
- Range: 2,000 km
- Service ceiling: 12,000 m
- Climbing force: 7 min 30 sec to 5,000 m
Armament
- Guns:
- 1 × 37 mm Ho-204 cannon (35 rounds)
- 2 × 20 mm Ho-5 cannon in the belly (200 rounds per gun)
- 1 × 12.7 mm Ho-103 machine gun ( 200 rounds(?))
- Bombs:
- 2 × 200 L drop tanks;
- 4 × 50 kg bombs
- 4 x Type 2 Ta-Dan bomb
- 1 x 500 kg bomb (?)
- 1 x 800 kg bomb (?)
Summary
The Kawasaki Ki-102A would be a very interesting aircraft for Japan in War Thunder. First of all, it would be a great interceptor with powerful armament, great looks and good speed. Secondly, it gives the possibility of repairing the Ki-102B aircraft, which should be an attack aircraft, not an interceptor. I encourage you to discuss in the comments and to share your own knowledge on this topic.
Finally, I apologize for the linguistic and logical errors because unfortunately English is not my main language and I had to use google translator.
Internet sources
キ102 (航空機) - Wikipedia
Kawasaki Ki-102 - Wikipedia
Kawasaki Ki-102 Randy Fighter-attack Aircraft (airpages.ru)
Kawasaki Ki-102 (Randy) Ground Attack / Heavy Fighter / Night Fighter Aircraft (militaryfactory.com)
Kawasaki Ki 102a [Randy] : Kawasaki (valka.cz)
Imperial Japanese Aviation Resource Center - A Warbirds Resource Group Site
Kawasaki Ki-102 Randy - night fighter, attacker (aviastar.org)
Уголок неба ¦ Kawasaki Ki-102 (airwar.ru)
Kawasaki Ki-102 Otsu (Army Type 4) Randy (wardrawings.be)
Kawasaki Ki-102 (“Randy”) variants and Ki-108 | Secret Projects Forum
【戦闘機】『戦闘機・襲撃機 キ102（五式複戦、五式双発襲撃機）』太平洋戦争中期に完成しながらも不採用となった高性能双発機 : トイレで読む向けブログ (blog.jp)
Ki-102 (nags-gallery.com)
Kawasaki Ki-102 Ko (Ki-102a) - Passed for Consideration - War Thunder - Official Forum
Kawasaki Ki-102 Army Type 4 Assault Plane (historyofwar.org)
Kawasaki Ki-102 Randy (aviationsmilitaires.net)
Kawasaki Ki-102 (Randy): Photos, History, Specification (tvd.im)
Book sources
- “Lotnictwo Numer Specjalny 20” (Aviation Special Issue 20) April 2018 page 43-44
[Lotnictwo Ns 20.pdf](file:///C:/Users/polit/Downloads/Lotnictwo%20Ns%2020.pdf)