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Kawasaki Ki-28 (川崎 キ28)
The Kawasaki 28 is a Japanese prototype fighter aircraft created in 1936. The aircraft took part in a competition for a new army fighter in 1936, but due to poor maneuverability. Two prototypes were created.
History
At the turn of 1935 and 1936, the Japanese army decided that the Ki-10 was an insufficient fighter and a new modern fighter was needed. This was also partly due to the fact that all the great armies of the world began to introduce modern monoplane fighters into service. Already at that time, the main manufacturers of Japanese army fighters (Kawasaki and Nakajima) were conducting their own designs of modern fighters (Nakajima Ki-12, Nakajima PE (prototype Ki-27) and preliminary work on the future Ki-28). In December 1935, the Nakajima and Kawasaki plants received the initial requirements for a new aircraft for the army. At the same time, Mitsubishi also joined the competition. In April 1936, Kawasaki, Nakajima and Mitsubishi received the exact requirements of the army, which accelerated the work. From the beginning, Takeo Doi was responsible for the work on the future Ki-28. The Ki-28 was based on the Ki-5 and Ki-10 designs. The work was very fast and on November 11, 1936, the first prototype was created, and in December the second prototype was created. In January 1937, the Kawasaki Ki-28 aircraft, along with the Nakajima Ki-27, Nakajima Ki-12 and Mitsubishi Ki-33 prototypes, were tested by the army. These were some of the most thorough comparative tests in the Japanese army, during which the aircraft were tested very thoroughly. The Kawasaki Ki-28 quickly turned out to be the fastest plane in the competition, but it had a few flaws. It turned out that the plane was not very maneuverable, heavy and there were fears of major problems with engine reliability. Already during the competition, the Japanese army decided to order the Ki-27 before the series, which proved that the Ki-27 was the best choice. When the Second Sino-Japanese War broke out in July 1937, tests continued, but due to the huge demand for modern fighters, it was decided that the winner of the competition was the Ki-27, which was accepted into the service in September 1937. It is not known what happened to the Ki-28 prototypes after the tests. During the Pacific War, the Americans mistakenly thought that the Ki-28 was produced along with the Ki-27 and gave it the code name Bob.
Art about the Kawasaki Ki-28
Construction description
The Kawasaki Ki-28 is a low-wing fighter with a fixed landing gear. The plane is of metal construction, except for the control surfaces covered with canvas. The aircraft is equipped with a Kawasaki Ha-9-II Ko engine, a liquid-cooled V12 engine with a take-off power of 625 kW (850 hp), which drives a two-bladed metal propeller with a diameter of 2,900 mm. The aircraft is armed with two Type 89 7.7 mm machine guns in the nose of the aircraft.
General characteristics
- Crew: 1
- Length: 7,90 m
- Wingspan: 12,00 m
- Height: 2,60 m
- Wing area: 19,0m2
- Empty weight: 1420 kg
- Gross weight: 1760 kg
- Maximum Take-off Weight: ?
- Powerplant: 1 x Kawasaki Ha 9-II Ko, an liquid-cooled twelve-cylinder engine with a take-off power of 850 hp (625kW)
- Propellers: Two-bladed metal propeller with a diameter of 2,900 mm
Performance
- Maximum speed: 485 km/h
- Cruising speed: 406 km/h
- Range: 1000 km
- Maximum Range: ?
- Service ceiling: 11 000 m
- Climb Rate: 16,9 m/s
- Rate of climb: 2,9 min to 3000 m
Armament
- 2 x Type 89 7.7mm Machine Guns in the nose
Special thanks
Summary
The Kawasaki Ki-28 is an interesting aircraft for Japan in War Thunder. This aircraft could be an interesting low-tier fast fighter that could complement the Nakajima Ki-27 Otsu from the game. This aircraft could also be an interesting Premium or event aircraft. I encourage you to discuss in the comments and to share your own knowledge on this subject.
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28 (航空機) - Wikipedia
Kawasaki Ki-28 - Wikipedia
Kawasaki Ki-28 "Bob”－ Japanese Test Fighter in 1936 - Japan - War Thunder - Official Forum
Kawasaki Ki 28 [Bob] : Kawasaki
Kawasaki Ki-28
Airplanes in the skies + FAF history: Kawasaki Ki-28
Уголок неба ¦ Kawasaki Ki-28
experimenteller Jäger Ki-28
worldmilitary.net/2-Aviation/Japan/Kawasaki/Ki.028/index_aviation_data_japan_kawasaki-ki28.html
Book sources
- Mikesh, Robert C.; Abe, Shorzoe (1990).Japanese Aircraft, 1910-1941 page 157-158
- The Xplanes of Imperial Japanese Army and Navy 1924-45 page 29
The Xplanes of Imperial Japanese Army and Navy 1924-45 | PDF - Monografie Nr.11 - Nakajima Ki-27 Nate (Monographs No.11 - Nakajima Ki-27 Nate) page 13-14, 19-20
Monografie Nr.11 - Nakajima Ki-27 Nate | PDF
Thank you for reading the suggestion, see you in the next one. Good luck pilots
