Japanese fighter aircraft Kawasaki KI-61-I Hien (Tony) COBI 5740 - World War II

You know that:

• The prototype Ki-61, called 飛燕 by the Japanese, first flew in December 1941 from an airfield near Kagamigahara.
• If the Japanese name 飛燕 amused you, know that it means nothing but Swallow :-) .
• The development of the Ki-61 was not without its problems. The original design of the aircraft was too heavy and not powerful enough, so several design modifications had to be made. This led to delays in aircraft production and high development costs.
• The Japanese Empire was developing fighters for the upcoming war campaigns and the new aircraft had to be fully competitive with the enemy's machines. Kawasaki's Kōkuki production plant assembled twelve prototypes in all. In addition to the standard approval tests, comparative tests were conducted with the Curtiss P-40, the Lavochkin LaGG-3 and the Messerschmitt BF-109E. According to the final report of the Ordnance Commission, the Kawasaki fighters proved superior to the machines being compared.
• What was interesting about the airframe design was the combination of metal on the nose section and wood with canvas covering on the tail section.
• The Ki-61 was a fairly high quality machine for its time, but even this one was not entirely without flaws. Ki-61 pilots complained about the handling of the aircraft, especially the lack of response of the control surfaces. The steering response problem could not be completely eliminated even by slimming the wings. 
• The Kawasaki fighter had virtually no passive pilot protection features. In the era of Japanese war fanaticism, such measures were considered a weakness.
• Production of 3,078 units was carried out under wartime conditions. Due to shortages of materials and manpower, the planned monthly production was never achieved. 
• Another interesting feature was the Ha-40 engine developed specifically for the Ki-61. At the time of its creation, it was the most powerful Japanese twelve-cylinder engine ever.

Technical parameters:

• dimensions: wingspan 12.00 m, length 8.75 m, height 3.7 m
• empty weight 2 210 kg
• take-off weight 2 630 kg
• maximum take-off weight 3 250 kg
• power unit 12-cylinder Kawasaki Ha-40 engine with an output of 864 kW
• maximum speed 592 km/h
• maximum flight level 11 600 m
• climb speed 15,2 m/s
• range 580 km
• fuel tank capacity 550 l 
• armament 2x MG 151 20 mm cannon and 2x HO-103 MG machine gun + 500 kg suspension bomb or additional fuel tank
• crew 1

From the memoirs of Japanese pilot Saburo Sakai:

"When I first saw the Ki-61, I thought it was a strange aircraft with a strange silhouette. But as soon as I sat in the cockpit, I immediately felt comfortable. The aircraft was very stable and fast, but at the same time it handled well. The first time I took off in the Ki-61, I felt my spirit soar to the sky."