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Kawasaki Ki-61-II Kai Ostu with bubble-type cockpit glazing(川崎 キ61-II改乙)
The Kawasaki Ki-61-II Kai Ostu with bubble-type cockpit glazing is a Japanese fighter from 1945. This aircraft is the Ki-61-II Kai Otsu with a bubble canopy and a clipped tail for improved visibility (the same solution as in the Ki-100-I Otsu and Ki-100-II). Only about 5 (?) aircraft of this version were produced, which served in the 55th and 56th Sentai. This plane is often incorrectly referred to as the Ki-61-III.
History
In May 1945, serial production of the Kawasaki Ki-100 fighters with new bubble-type cockpit canopies began, while production of Ha-140 engines and Ki-61-II Kai fighters continued. Both of these fighters (Ki-61 and Ki-100) used the same airframes, which only differed in the nose design, thus Kawasaki created the Ki-61 with improved cockpit visibility based on the newly produced Ki-100-I Otsu. The new variant of the Ki-61 was probably ready by early summer 1945, and since it was a proven design, it did not require complex testing, which allowed for the introduction of the Kawasaki Ki-61-II Kai Ostu with bubble-type cockpit glazing into combat units. However, at this moment, it turned out that the Japanese army needed as many reliable and high-quality Ki-100s as possible rather than the less reliable but faster Ki-61-II Kai. Additionally, there were still problems with the supply of Ha-140 aircraft engines. All of this led to the fact that only a handful (between 5 and 10) of Kawasaki Ki-61-II Kai Ostu with bubble-type cockpit glazing were produced by the end of the war. These aircraft certainly went to the 56th Sentai, where they tried to stop American air raids. During the service, they noticed that the planes equipped with new windows made an alarming noise, which was due to Kawasaki’s lack of experience in cockpit glazing of bomber type, and not everything was perfectly fitted. However, more noise in exchange for better visibility was something to accept. Ki-61-II Kai with bubble-type cockpit also probably went to the 55th Sentai. By the end of the war, only one Kawasaki Ki-61-II Kai Ostu with bubble-type cockpit glazing survived.
Construction description
The Kawasaki Ki-61-II Kai Otsu with a bubble-type cockpit glazing is almost identical to the Ki-61-II Kai Otsu from the game, but there is an important difference between them that I will describe here.
- The airplane has bubble-type cockpit glazing (the same as in the Ki-100-II)
- The airplane has a trimmed fuselage behind the cockpit to improve visibility (as in the Ki-100-II)
Technical sketches
Comparison of Kawasaki Ki-61-II Kai Ostu with bubble-type cockpit glazing with other versions of Kawasaki Ki-61
General characteristics
- Crew: 1
- Length: 9,1565 m
- Wingspan: 12,00 m
- Height: 3,75 m
- Wing area: 20 m2
- Empty weight: 2,855 kg
- Gross weight: 3,495 kg
- Powerplant: 1 × Kawasaki Ha-140 (Ha-60-22) water-cooled inverted twelve-cylinder V-engine with a starting power of 1,103 kW (1,500 hp)
- Propellers: 3-bladed constant-speed propeller, 3,100 mm diameter
Performance
- Maximum speed: 600-610 km/h
- Cruising speed: 450 km/h (?)
- Range: 600 km
- Maximum Range: 1600 km
- Service Ceiling: 11000 m
- Time to Climb: 6 minutes 30 seconds to 6,000m
Armament
- Fixed armament
- 2 × 12.7 mm wing-mounted Ho-103 machine guns (250 rounds per machine gun)
- 2 x 20mm Ho-5 Nose-Mounted Cannons (400 rpg)
- Bombs maximum load 500 kg
- 2 x 30 kg bomb
- 2 x 50 kg bomb
- 2 x 100 kg bomb
- 2 x 250 kg bomb
- Rocket
- 2 x rocket Ro-3 (?)
- 2 x rocket Ro-5 (?)
- 2 x rocket Ro-7 (?)
- Fuel dump tanks
- 2 x 200 l dump tanks
Armour
- Self-sealing fuel tanks
- 16 mm armor plate on the headrest of the seat
- 12 mm armor plate behind the pilot’s seat
Special thanks
Summary
The Kawasaki Ki-61-II Kai Otsu with bubble-type cockpit glazing is an interesting aircraft for Japan in War Thunder. This fighter, thanks to better visibility, will be a pleasant choice for simulator players. This aircraft would be an ideal complement to the Ki-61-II Kai Otsu from the game. Additionally, this aircraft could become a premium or event plane. 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
三式戦闘機 - Wikipedia
Kawasaki Ki-61 - Wikipedia
Kawasaki Ki-61 Hien & Ki-100
Kawasaki Ki 61-III Hien [Tony] : Kawasaki
Kawasaki Ki-61 “Tony” / IJAAF Library / Forums - Axis and Allies Paintworks
Уголок неба ¦ Kawasaki Ki-61 Hien
Ki-61-I KAI Tei - 30 mm Interceptor Variant | Secret Projects Forum
Book sources
- (Monografie Lotnicze No.5) Kawasaki Ki-61 Hien | PDF
- Kawasaki Ki-61 Ki-100 (Aircam Aviation 21) | PDF | Travel
- Kawasaki Ki 61 Hien | PDF
- Technika wojskowa historia 4/2020 (Military Technology: History 4/2020) page 16-17
- Japanese Aircraft of the Pacific War page 112-120
- 日本航空機辞典 1910年(明治43年)～1945年(昭和20年) 上巻 (Encyclopedia of Japanese Aircraft 1910 (Meiji 43) – 1945 (Showa 20), Volume 1) page 108-110
- 野沢正『日本航空機総集 川崎篇』出版協同社, page 142-154
- 世界の傑作機 文林堂1984年5月号★143. 三式戦闘機 飛燕
Thank you for reading the suggestion, see you in the next one. Good luck pilots
