- Yes
- No
- Armed with 2 Ho-155 cannons and 2 Ho-5 cannons
- Armed with 4 Ho-5 cannons
- Interchangeable armament as in the Ki-43
- No
Nakajima Ki-201 Karyū (Fire Dragon)
At the outset, I must emphasize that this is not a fictional aircraft, because the engines for it were created.Both engines (Ne-130 and Ne-230) were built, and parts from the Ne-230 engine have recently been found.The Ki-201 was a Japanese jet fighter based on the Me 262.
history
The history of the Ki-201 begins with the first flight of the Me 262 aircraft, i.e. at the beginning of 1944. At first, the Germans did not want to boast about their achievements until April 1944, when, due to the worsening war situation, they agreed to three things:
1.Send Messerschmitt Jet Technicians to Japan
2.Permit to train Japanese technicians in Germany
3.Permission to purchase the rights to the licensed production of the Me 163 B and Me 262 A-1.
Along with the approval of the license production of the Me 262, sketches and diagrams of the BMW 003 engines and these aircraft were sent to Japan by the Ro-501 and I-29 submarines. Neither of these submarines reached Japan, both were intercepted and sunk along the way. Only a small amount of technical data has survived for Commander Eīchi Iway, who later left I-29 during a stopover in Singapore and arrived in Japan in mid-July of the same year.It was also planned to send one Me 163 B and one Me 262 A to Japan, but this decision was rescinded by Adolf Hitler.Thanks to Commander Eīchi Iwaya, an inconspicuous drawing of the BMW 003 reached Japan, which revolutionized the Japanese jet program and led to the creation of engines:
- Ishikawajima Shibaura Ne-130 turbine: 908 kgf thrust.
- Ne-230 Nakajima Aircraft and Hitachi Aircraft: thrust 885 kgf.
- Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and Japan Steelworks’ Ne-330: 1320 kgf of thrust.
A basic outline of Japanese turbojet engines.
With the creation of these engines, the design of the aircraft that was to use them immediately began. Work on the project was delayed due to long negotiations on the Me 262. Although the project was initially to be handled by Kawasaki, in January 1945 the project was handed over to Nakajima, which had experience with jet engines and jets (Nakajima J9Y Kikka).At this point, it was given the design name Ki-201 and the nickname Fire Dragon. It was also required to be a twin-engine attack fighter, capable of engaging enemy jet fighters, rocket planes and high-altitude bombers. The performance requirements are a maximum speed of 800 km/h or more, a practical ceiling of 12,000 m or more and a cruising range of 800 – 1,000 km or more.
Karyuu's syllabus, June 1945, highlighting the initial requirements and many detailed specifications.
Due to delays, the planned completion of the basic design was set for June 1945, the first prototype reverted to the original December 1945 schedule, and the first 18 production aircraft were to be delivered by March 1946. Nakajima began the basic design process of the Ki-201 in April 1945.In its original design, the Karyū had a conventional airwing with airframe dimensions of 12.56 m and a length of 10.55 m, which was almost identical in size to the Me 262. In the end, however, the airframe design opted for a shape that looked very similar to the Me 262, with a longer span of 13.7 m and a length of 11.5 m (a size exceeding the Me 262, with a span of 12.6 m and a length of 10.6 m). As a result, the wings were swept and the fuselage cross-section was distinctly triangular in the central part. A three-wheeled type chassis configuration is adopted. The Ne-230 turbine rocket engine or the slightly more powerful Ne-130 was chosen, and one engine was suspended under each wing.The basic design drawings for the Ki-201 were finalized in June, almost perfectly on schedule.At the end of the basic stage, work on the detailed design began. At this point, the aircraft was very similar to the Me 262, although it had larger dimensions and was to be made of different materials. Nakajima’s original designs were applied in areas including the canopy, lateral shape, and vertical tail.Work on the detailed design was completed in July, at the same time as the end of aerodynamic tests of the scale model. Immediately afterwards, preparations for the construction of the first prototype began. At this point, five years have passed since the start of the project, which shows the extraordinary work and dedication of the engineers working on this project.Unfortunately for Japan, six days after work on the prototype began, an atomic bomb fell on Hiroshima, and another one fell on Nagasaki three days later, leading to Japan’s surrender on August 15 and the end of this ambitious project.
Structure description
The Nakajima Ki-201 was intended to be a single-seat, low-wing monoplane powered by two jet engines housed in underwing nacelles. A free-supporting tail with a horizontal rudder located at 1/3 of the height of the vertical tail, a semi-monocoque fuselage. Three-support retractable chassis with front support. The front leg is retractable into the recess in the fuselage, the main one into the recesses in the wings. It was to be powered by two Ne-130 or Ne-230 turbojet engines.As in the Me 262, the airframe structure is semi-monocoque, and the wings are single-spar (with an “auxiliary” spar) with slotted flaps and leading edge rails separating the engines. The two main 1200-liter fuel tanks were located front and behind the cockpit, and the 600-liter auxiliary tank was located behind the rear tank for a total capacity of 3,000 liters.All fuel tanks were self-sealing, and the main tanks were equipped with automatic fire extinguishers. An 8 mm thick steel plate is located at the front of the cockpit, with 8 mm at the rear and 12 mm at the head of the seat. The windshield consists of 70 mm bulletproof glass.The main material of the aircraft was the lightweight duralumin alloy SDH, and other materials such as silicon-manganese steel, carbon steel, and tin were used in various components on a smaller scale.
Armament
The aircraft was to be armed with two 30 mm Ho-155 cannons and two 20 mm Ho-5 cannons. Although there are reports that it was to be armed with four Ho-5 cannons. Ammunition is 200 rounds for each Ho-5 cannon and 120 rounds for each Ho-155 cannon .The small arms were located in the nose of the aircraft.It could have been equipped with a 500 kg or 800 kg bomb, although some sources say a maximum load of 1000 kg.
Engines
Ne-130
This engine was developed at the Ishikawajima plant in 1944. Its technical specifications are:
- Length: 3,850 mm
- Diameter:850 mm
- Weight: 900 kg
- Thrust: 908 kgf
- Revolutions: 9,000 rpm
- Pressure Ratio: 3,56
- Configuration: 7 stage axial compressor ,annular combustion chamber ,1 stage axial turbine
- Fuel Consumption: 1.39 kg/hr/kgf
The first Ne-130 engine was ready at the end of May 1945. During testing, it was brought to 8000 rpm which caused hairline cracks in the structure of the compressor blades that caused the blades to splinter during heavy load operations. Undeterred, Tachikawa began production of the second engine, which was ready in early July. Tests were started on it, which were successful and the engine reached 9000 rpm. However, during repeated tests on 16 August, the day after the end of the war, the engine was damaged by the intake of foreign objects. A third engine was also built, but it was destroyed on August 2 when the Tsurumi factory was bombed.
Photos and sketches of the Ne-130 engine
Ne-130 side cutaway diagram.^
Ne-130 annular combustor.^
Ne-130 axial 7-stage compressor.^
Ne-130 single-stage axial turbine.^
Ne-130 on the test stand, looking at the exhaust nozzle.^
Ne-230
This engine was developed by Hitachi in 1944.Its technical specifications are:
- Length: 3.430 mm
- Diameter: 762 mm
- Weight: 870 kg
- Thrust: 885 kgf
- Revolutions: 8 100 rpm
- Pressure Ratio: 3.6
- Configuration: 7 stage axial compressor ,annular combustion chamber ,1 stage axial turbine
- Fuel Consumption: 1.39 kg/hr/kgf
The first Na-230 engine was ready in March 1945, followed by May and June. Testing of the No. 1 engine began immediately at the test site set up at the Takahagi plant, which was completed in May after satisfactory results. Unfortunately, not long after the last test engine was completed, an American raid destroyed all three engines. The parts found in 2015 were probably never fitted to these engines because they have no signs of use.
Photos of engine parts found in June 2015
- Ne-130 engine
- Ne-230 engine
- No
General characteristics
- Crew: 1
- Length: 11.50 m (37 ft 9 in)
- Wingspan: 13.70 m (44 ft 11 in)
- Height: 4.05 m (13 ft 3 in)
- Wing area: 25.0 m2 (269 sq ft)
- Empty weight: 4,500 kg (9,921 lb)
- Gross weight: 7,000 kg (15,432 lb)
- Max takeoff weight: 8,500 kg (18,739 lb)
- Powerplant: 2 turbojet engines × Nakajima Na-230 or 2 × Ishikawajima-Shibaura Ne-130 jet engine
Performance
Version with Ne-230 engine
- Maximum speed: 812 km/h (505 mph, 438 kn)
- Range: 980 km (610 mi, 530 nmi)
- Service ceiling: 12,000 m (39,000 ft)
- Rate of climb: 12.9 m/s (2,540 ft/min)
- Wing loading: 280 kg/m2 (57 lb/sq ft)
Version with Ne-130 engine
- Maximum speed: 852 km/h (530 mph, 460 kn)
- Range: 980 km (610 mi, 530 nmi)
- Service ceiling: 12,000 m (39,000 ft)
- Rate of climb: 12.9 m/s (2,540 ft/min)
- Wing loading: 280 kg/m2 (57 lb/sq ft)
Summary
The Ki-201 is a very early prototype fighter that would have been a great addition to the Japanese aviation tree. It will allow you to move the Kikke to the light bomber line, where it should have been from the beginning, as it was created as an attack aircraft. The Ki-201 will provide Japanese players with a fighter-bomber very similar to the Me 262, which will allow for more variety in the 5th Aviation Era. This aircraft with its powerful fighter and bomber armament would be a very useful addition for Japan.This aircraft is a prototype on par with the R2Y2 and a better option than the paper F-16AJ. I encourage you to express your opinion in the comments.
Finally, I apologize for the linguistic and logical errors because unfortunately English is not my main language and I had to use google translator.
Source
【フォトギャラリー】【軍事のツボ】国際基督教大に眠る幻のジェットエンジン「ネ２３０」 - zakzak：夕刊フジ公式サイト
Japanese Jet Engines of WWII | Secret Projects Forum
Japanese Jet Engines | Aircraft of World War II - WW2Aircraft.net Forums
Ki-201 ‘Karyū’: The Me 262 Domestic Production Plan (karyu.org)
10.ガスタービン(内燃機関展望) (jst.go.jp)
Nakajima Ki-201 - Wikipedia
キ201 (航空機) - Wikipedia
Nakajima Ki-201 - Academic Kids
Nakajima Ki-201 «Karyū»: ο Ιάπωνας δίδυμος αδελφός του Μe 262 - Military History (military-history.gr)
Nakajima Ki-201 Karyu vs Nakajima J9Y Kikka / Kitsuka (Orange Blossom) Comparison (militaryfactory.com)
Japanese jet engines (airpages.ru)
橘花と火龍 (www.ne.jp)
Nakajima Ki-201 Karyu Jet-Powered Fighter / Fighter-Bomber Specifications and Pictures (militaryfactory.com)
Уголок неба ¦ Nakajima Ki-201 Karyu (airwar.ru)
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Nakajima Ki-201 Karyu and “J9N/J9Y” Kikka | Secret Projects Forum
Nakajima Ki-201 Karyu (j-aircraft.org)
Kanyu (tripod.com)
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Nakajima KARYU2 (www.ne.jp)
＜旧陸軍ジェット戦闘機＞幻のエンジン部品発見 ＩＣＵ構内 （毎日新聞） - Yahoo!ニュース (archive.is)
Kōgiken-IST Ne-130: Doprowadzony do zniszczenia po wojnie (karyu.org)
