- Yes
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Nakajima Ki-43-IIIa (キ43-III甲)
The Nakajima Ki-43-IIIa is a Japanese fighter produced since May 1944. Over 1000 aircraft in this version were built, which served from mid-1944 until the end of the Pacific War. Some Ki-43-IIIa served in the French Air Force and the Chinese Air Force after the war.
History
At the end of 1943, the Japanese were looking for a way to increase the performance of the army’s basic fighter - the KI-43. In December 1943, a decision was made to equip the aircraft with a new, more powerful Ha-115-II engine, which was to allow it to fight Allied fighters. The prototype Ki-43-III was created from a modified Ki-43-II aircraft, in which the Ha-115-II engine was mounted. A tank for the water-methanol mixture was installed behind the remote control. The aircraft made in this way was tested at the beginning of 1944, during which an increase in speed to 568 km/h at 6000m was shown, but there were problems with too much oil pressure, exhaust damage and vibrations. One solution to this problem was to replace a single exhaust pipe with fourteen separate ones around the engine cover. Other problems were also solved during the production of the first 10 prototypes (designated Ki-43-III) and the Japanese Army Air Command decided to introduce the new version into service as the Ki-43-IIIa. Production began in May 1944, initially at the Nakajima and Tachikawa plants, but at this point the Ki-84 aircraft had a higher priority, so the Nakajima plant stopped production of the Ki-43 aircraft. Despite the fact that the war situation was becoming more and more difficult for Japan, more than 1000 Ki-43-IIIa aircraft were produced by the end of the war. The Ki-43-IIIa aircraft were delivered to units in mid-1944, where they got under the skin of Allied planes due to their high speed and excellent maneuverability. After the war, a few Ki-43-IIIa planes went to the USA, and others went to the French, Chinese and Indonesian air forces.
Construction description
The Japanese Ki-43-IIIa is very similar to the Chinese Ki-43-IIIa, but there is a difference between them. This difference is the self-sealing fuel tanks, which are able to self-seal when hit by 12.7 mm rounds.
Construction details
General characteristics
- Crew: 1
- Length: 8.92 m
- Wingspan: 10.84 m
- Height: 3.27 m
- Wing area: 21.4 m2
- Empty weight: 2,040 kg
- Gross weight: 2,725kg
- Max takeoff weight: 3,060kg
- Powerplant: 1 × Nakajima Ha-115-II air-cooled two-cylinder radial fourteen-cylinder engine with a take-off power of 875 kW (1,190 hp)
- Propellers: Tri-bladed propeller with constant speed of rotation with a diameter of 2,800 mm
Performance
- Maximum speed: 560 km/h
- Cruising speed: 442 km/h
- Range: 1360 km
- Maximum Range: 2120 km
- Service Ceiling: 11,400 m
- Time to Climb: 5 minutes 19 seconds to 5,000m
Armament
- Guns:
- 2 x 12.7 mm Ho-103 machine guns in the nose (with a supply of 270 rounds per machine gun)
- bombs
- 2 x 30 kg under the wings
- 2 x 50 kg under the wings
- 2 x 100 kg under the wings
- 2 x 250 kg under the wings
- Rocket
- 4 x rocket Ro-3
- 4 x rocket Ro-5 (?)
- 2 x rocket Ro-7 (?)
- Fuel dump tanks
- 2 x 215 l in additional tanks
Armour
- 12 mm pilot seat and headrest
- Self-sealing fuel tanks
Special thanks
- @skultew1234
- @Rowiek
- @神風_000
Summary
The Nakajima Ki-43-IIIa is a very interesting aircraft for Japan in War Thunder. This is the last mass-produced model of the Ki-43 fighter, which is also only in the Chinese tech tree for now. This aircraft, although poorly armed, has a good payload against ground cells (by Japanese standards) and Ro-3/5 missiles (a suggestion came). 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
一式戦闘機 - Wikipedia
【キ43】一式戦闘機『隼』/中島Nakajima Ki-43 | 大日本帝国軍 主要兵器
Уголок неба ¦ Nakajima Ki.43 Hayabusa
Nakajima Ki-43 Hayabusa - Wikipedia
Joe Baugher’s Hayabusa files
Nakajima Ki 43-IIIa Hayabusa [Oscar] : Nakajima
https://weaponsandwarfare.com/2015/10/26/nakajima-ki-43-hayabusa/
Nakajima Ki-43 - TracesOfWar.nl
Imperial Japanese Aviation Resource Center - A Warbirds Resource Group Site
Book sources
- Japanese Aircraft of Wolrld War II : 1937-1945 ,Thomas Newdick, Edition 2 2017, page 36-37
- Japanese Aircraft of the Pacific War page 211-214
- La Aviación Japonesa en la Segunda Guerra mundial (Japanese aviation in World War II) page 363-366
Aviones Japonese | PDF | Fuerzas aéreas del ejército de los Estados Unidos | Avión de combate - Nakajima Ki-43 Hayabusa “Oscar”
(Seria “Pod Lupą” No.11) Nakajima Ki-43 Hayabusa “Oscar” | PDF - Schiffer Nakajima Ki-43 Hayabusa in JAAS
Schiffer Nakajima Ki-43 Hayabusa in JAAS (1995) | PDF | Monoplane | Aircraft - Aero Detail Dainippon Kaiga Nakajima Ki-43 Oscar Hayabusa (2000) | PDF
Additional sources
Thank you for reading the suggestion, see you in the next one. Good luck pilots
