Kawasaki Ki-48-IIb Lilly

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Kawasaki Ki-48-IIb ( 九九式双発軽爆撃機 二型乙)
The Kawasaki Ki-48-IIb is a Japanese light bomber built in mid-1943. In August 1943, it replaced the Ki-48-IIa version in production. About 1420 copies of all versions of the Ki-48-II aircraft were built.
History
In 1943, the Japanese Army Air Command decided that new dive bombers were needed. The Japanese remembered very well the successes of German dive bombers at the beginning of the war. In order to make their work easier, it was decided to build a new model of the existing aircraft rather than build a completely new bomber. It was decided to modify the new version of the Ki-48 bomber (Ki-48-IIa) to the role of a dive bomber. The modifications were simple, probably in the middle of 1943 a prototype of a new model was created, designated Ki-48-IIb. After tests of the aircraft in August 1943, this aircraft replaced the previous model in production. These planes were used by the Japanese army in various places, and due to increasing losses, the Japanese crews introduced an interesting field modification. The Kawasaki Ki-48-IIb aircraft had perforated air brakes fitted at the factory, but most crews removed them to reduce weight. A few Ki-48-IIb aircraft were converted into a test carrier for Ki-148 missiles.

Photos of the Ki-48-IIb

Art about the Ki-48-IIb

Ki-48-II models

Construction description
The Kawasaki Ki-48-IIb aircraft is very similar to the Ki-48-IIa aircraft, but there are a few differences between them.

1. On the front of the wings on the outer side of the engines, perforated aerodynamic brakes are installed
2. The fuselage and wings have been reinforced to withstand diving flight.

Technical sketches

Armament
The Kawasaki Ki-48-IIb is armed with three machine guns. There is a Te-4 or Type 98 machine gun in the nose of the aircraft, a twin Type 89 “Special” rifle or a twin Type 1 machine gun in the rear, and a Te-4 machine gun or a Type 98 machine gun on its belly. In the bomb bay, the Ki-48-II can carry a maximum of 800 kg of bombs, but the normal payload is only 500 kg.

Weapons Photos

Range of fire

General characteristics

• Crew: 4 people
• Wingspan: 17,46 m
• Length: 12,75 m
• Height: 3,8 m
• Wing area: 40m2
• Empty weight: 4,550 kg
• Takeoff weight: 6,500 kg
• Maximum weight take-off: 6,750 kg
• Powerplant: 2 x air-cooled two-star fourteen-cylinder Nakajima Ha-115 engine with a take-off power of 1,130 hp
• Propellers: three-bladed propellers with variable pitch and a diameter of 2.9 m

Performance

• Maximum speed: 505 km/h
• Cruising speed: 390 km/h
• Range: 2050 km
• Maximum Range: 2400 km
• Service Ceiling: 10,100 m
• Rate of climb: 9,83 m/s
• Time to Climb: 8,5 min to 5000 m

Armament

1. Fixed armament

• 1 x Te-4 machine guns (in the nose)( 408 reinforcements in 6 magazines of 68 rounds)
• 1 x Te-4 machine guns (under hull) (612 rounds in 9 magazines of 68 rounds)
• 1 x Type 89 “Special” Machine Gun (upper turret) (900 rounds in 10 magazines of 90 rounds)
  or
• 1 x Type 98 7.98mm machine gun (nose)
• 1 x Type 98 7.98mm machine gun (belly)
• 1 x 7.98mm Type 1 twin machine gun (on the back)

2. Bomb Load

• Standard 500 kg
• Maximum 800 kg

Armour

• armor plates 6.5mm, 12.5mm and 16.5mm thick

Arrangement of armor plates

Summary
The Kawasaki Ki-48-IIb is a very interesting aircraft for Japan in War Thunder. This aircraft would be a perfect complement to the Ki-48-IIb from the game, which is a modified version of this aircraft. In some ways, it’s a simple Copy-Paste for Gajin. 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

九九式双発軽爆撃機 - Wikipedia
Kawasaki Ki-48 - Wikipedia
Kawasaki Ki-48 LILY - light bomber
Уголок неба ¦ Kawasaki Ki-48
Kawasaki Ki 48-IIb Sókei [Lily] : Kawasaki
Kawasaki Ki-48 Sokei Light bomber
【キ48】九九式双発軽爆撃機/川崎Kawasaki Ki-48 | 大日本帝国軍 主要兵器
Kawasaki Ki-48 Army Type 99 Twin-engined Light Bomber ‘Lily’
Typ 99 zweimotoriger leichter Bomber Ki-48
Imperial Japanese Aviation Resource Center - A Warbirds Resource Group Site

Book sources

• La Aviación Japonesa en la Segunda Guerra mundial (Japanese aviation in World War II) page 173-181
• Japanese Aircraft of Wolrld War II : 1937-1945 ,Thomas Newdick, Edition 2 2017, page 19
• Japanese aircraft manual. Report No. 1o(10), USSBS Index Section 2. Frame Number 157-160.
  https://dl.ndl.go.jp/pid/4009755/1/125
• Manual for operating Type 99 (Models 1 and 2), twin-engined light bomber, published by Tokorozawa Army Air Maintenance school, October 1944. Report No. 15n(13), USSBS Index Section 2
  国立国会図書館デジタルコレクション

Thank you for reading the suggestion, see you in the next one. Good luck pilots

You click at your own risk

And at the end good luck pilots, omaneko is counting on you

[jon_man1199]

A +1 from me! We really need a TT version of the Ki-48!

[Noveos_Republic]

We need a TT Ki-48, preferably this one. The Ki-48s don’t really have great defensive armament, nor a higher bombload than other bombers. This one is the best since it can take 800 kg of bombs, and has diving brakes

[Grzegames]

Any Ki-48 would be better than the Ki-48-II ostu, which is currently available behind a paywall.

[侍KAMIKAZE侍]

[Grzegames]

This is in all my new suggestions

[侍KAMIKAZE侍]

You are such bully. XD

[Grzegames]

Only one new suggestion won’t have this. There is a suggestion for a Dutch CW-21B, but it has not been approved yet