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Nakajima Ki-4 (九四式偵察機)
The Nakajima Ki-4 is a Japanese reconnaissance aircraft developed in 1934. A total of 383 Ki-4s were produced by Nakajima (200 aircraft), Tachikawa (57 aircraft), and the Manchuria Airplane Manufacturing Company (Manshū) (126 aircraft). The Ki-4 was produced in the Ko version (mainly by Nakajima) and the Otsu version (by Tachikawa and Manshū). There were also prototype Ki-4s equipped with floats. The Nakajima Ki-4 was operationally used from 1935 to 1943, although some Ki-4s were probably used until the end of the war. To wrap up this long introduction, I want to state that due to a lack of data, the suggestion is a general one about the Ki-4, but it will mention the differences between the Ki-4 Ko and Otsu as well as the float versions (suggestion moderators, please don’t take offense, this is a general suggestion about the Ki-4, not about a few of its variants).
History
In 1932, after the reconnaissance aircraft Mitsubishi Type 92 entered service and units, it turned out that this plane wasn’t as effective as expected. Because of this, in 1933, the Japanese Army Command tasked Nakajima with developing a prototype of a light and maneuverable reconnaissance aircraft, which was supposed to reach a top speed of 300 km/h, be better than designs from other countries, and be as agile as fighters. The main designer of the new reconnaissance plane at Nakajima was engineer Shigejiro Owada, working under the supervision of army engineer Shigeo Ando. Work on the Ki-4 prototype went very well, and by March 1934 the first Ki-4 prototype was ready. The test pilot was Kiyoshi Shinomiya, who noted that the first prototypes needed the fuselage to be lengthened (prototype 2 was ready in April, and the third in May 1934). After the fuselage was lengthened in the fourth prototype, the Nakajima Ki-4 was accepted into service in July 1934 as the Type 94 reconnaissance aircraft (九四式偵察機). Nakajima Ki-4 planes were initially mainly produced at the Nakajima factories. These were Ki-4 Ko version planes, which had separate exhaust pipes, wheel covers, and at first did not have the ability to mount bombs under the wings. These planes were delivered to units in 1935, where they quickly replaced Mitsubishi Type 92 planes in the reconnaissance role. Based on operational experience in 1937, the Nakajima Ki-4 Otsu went into production. Planes in this version lacked wheel covers to make them easier to use in rough terrain, had mounts for bombs under the wings from the start, and additionally had integrated exhaust pipes. Production of the Nakajima Ki-4 continued until February 1939 and ended with 383 planes being built. At the Nakajima factories during production, it was noted that it was worth trying to create a Ki-4 in a seaplane version, to be able to operate on lakes and rivers in China and beyond. At first, it was decided to use a single large float under the fuselage and two small floats under the wings (a similar solution was known in the Nakajima E8N). For this modification, 6 Nakajima Ki-4 prototypes were used, which were tested on Lake Kasumigaura, but they turned out to be unstable on water. The second attempt at a seaplane involved using two large floats under the fuselage (a similar solution was known in the Kawanishi E7K). For this, a Nakajima Ki-4 Otsu airplane was used, and it was also tested on Lake Kasumigaura and turned out to be much better than its predecessor, but the Japanese army was not interested in this aircraft. The Nakajima Ki-4 Ko and Otsu planes actively participated in the first and middle phases of the Sino-Japanese War, and from 1938 they were gradually replaced in service by the Tachikawa Ki-36. The Ki-4 planes were slowly retired from combat units, but even after the outbreak of the war in the Pacific, Ki-4s could still be seen as liaison and training aircraft.
Photos of the Nakajima Ki-4 seaplane
Construction description
The Nakajima Ki-4 is a reconnaissance aircraft in a biplane layout with a fully metal fuselage and wood-metal wing construction. The plane has fixed landing gear with wheels under the wings and a tail skid (in the seaplane version, floats under the fuselage). The Nakajima Ki-4 is a two-seater with a crew consisting of a pilot and an observer/rear gunner. The Ki-4 is powered by a Nakajima Ha-8 Hikari engine, an air-cooled, nine-cylinder radial engine with a takeoff power of 477 kW (750 hp) that drives a two-bladed metal propeller with a diameter of 2,900 mm. The aircraft is armed with two fixed Type 89 7.7 mm machine guns in the nose and a single or double Type 89 7.7 mm machine gun in the rear gunner position. The Nakajima Ki-4 can carry up to 50 kg of small bombs under the wings.
General characteristics
- Crew: 2
- Length: 7,73 m
- Wingspan: 12,00 m
- Height: 3,50 m
- Wing area: 29,7 m2
- Empty weight: 1615 kg
- Gross weight: 2474 kg
- Maximum Take-off Weight: 2616 kg
- Powerplant: 1 x Nakajima Ha-8 Hikari engine, an air-cooled, nine-cylinder radial engine with a takeoff power of 477 kW (750 hp)
- Propellers: Two-bladed metal propeller with a diameter of 2,900 mm.
Performance
- Maximum speed: 283-300 km/h
- Cruising speed: 200-240 km/h
- Range: ?
- Maximum Range: 1200 km
- Service ceiling: 8000 m
- Climb Rate: ?
- Rate of climb: 9 min to 3000 m
Armament
- Guns:
- 2 × Fixed Type 89 7.7 mm machine guns in the nose
- 1 × Type 89 7.7 mm machine gun in the rear gunner position ,or
- 2 x Type 89 7.7 mm machine gun in the rear gunner position
- Bombs
- Up to a 50 kg bomb under the wings
Summary
The Nakajima Ki-4 is an interesting plane for Japan in War Thunder. This reconnaissance aircraft has very good gun armament, which allows it to be an effective fighter, and its small bomb load can be used to destroy unarmored vehicles and those with open tops. In the future, the Nakajima Ki-4 could serve as a reconnaissance plane. This plane can be added to the game as a tech tree plane, premium, or event vehicle (a good idea for a Ki-4 seaplane). 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
九四式偵察機 - Wikipedia
Nakajima Ki-4 - Wikipedia
Nakajima Ki-4 - reconnaissance
WildEagles: J X-planes: Nakajima Ki-4 with floats
Nakajima Ki-4
Nakadžima Ki 4 : Nakadžima
Уголок неба ¦ Nakajima Ki-4
WildEagles: Nakajima Ki-4
陸軍九四式偵察機
94式侦察机（Ki-4）：日本陆军双翼战术侦察机的收官之作 - 今日头条
Book sources
- 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 71
- 野沢正『日本航空機総集 中島篇』(Masaru Nozawa ‘Comprehensive Collection of Japanese Aircraft: Nakajima Volume’) page 68-72
Thank you for reading the suggestion, see you in the next one. Good luck pilots
