https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kawasaki_Ki-45
The Kawasaki Ki-45 Toryu (??, "Dragon Slayer") was a two-seat, twin-engine
fighter used by the Imperial Japanese Army in World War II. The army gave it the
designation "Type 2 Two-Seat Fighter"; the Allied reporting name was "Nick".
In response to the rapid emergence in Europe of twin-engine heavy fighters such
as the Messerschmitt Bf 110, the army ordered development of a twin-engine,
two-seat fighter in 1937, and assigned the proposal by Kawasaki Shipbuilding the
designation of Ki-38. This only went as far as a mock up, but by December of
that year, the army ordered a working prototype as the Ki-45, which first flew
in January 1939. Results from the test flights, however, did not meet the army's
expectations. The Ha-20 Otsu engine was underpowered and failure-prone, while
the airframe suffered from nacelle stall.
The Ki-45 did not enter service, but the army, insistent on having a working
twin-engine fighter, ordered Kawasaki to continue development. Kawasaki
responded by replacing the engines with the proven Nakajima Ha-25. Flight tests
were promising.
In October 1940, the army ordered continued improvements such as switching to
805 kW (1,080 hp) Mitsubishi Ha-102 engines. This craft, designated Ki-45 Kai,
was complete in September 1941 and was officially adopted for use by the army in
February 1942 as the "Type 2 Two-Seat Fighter".
Role
Heavy fighter/night fighter
Manufacturer
Kawasaki Kokuki Kogyo K.K.
Designer
Takeo Doi
First flight
May 1941
Introduction
October 1941
Retired
1945
Primary users
Imperial Japanese Army Air Force
People's Liberation Army Air Force
Number built
1,701
The Ki-45 was initially used as a long-range bomber escort. The 84th Independent
Flight Wing (Dokuritsu Hiko Chutai) used them in June 1942 in attacks on Guilin,
where they encountered, but were no match for Curtiss P-40s flown by the Flying
Tigers. In September of the same year, they met P-40s over Hanoi with similar
results. It became clear that the Ki-45 could not hold its own against
single-engine fighters in aerial combat.
It was subsequently deployed in several theaters in the roles of interception,
attack (anti-ground as well as anti-shipping) and fleet defense. Its greatest
strength turned out to be as an anti-bomber interceptor, as was the case of the
Bf 110 in Europe. In New Guinea, the IJAAF used the aircraft in an anti-ship
role, where the Ki-45 was heavily armed with one 37 mm (1.46 in) and two 20 mm
cannons and could carry two 250 kg (550 lb) bombs on hard points under the
wings. 1,675 Ki-45s of all versions were produced during the war.
Soon after entering service, the Ki-45 was assigned to home defense, and several
were dispatched against the Doolittle raid, though they did not see action. The
craft's heavy armament proved to be effective against the B-29 Superfortress
raids which started in June 1944. However, its performance was insufficient to
counter B-29s flying at 10,000 m (32,800 ft). Modifications such as reduction of
fuel and ordnance were attempted to raise performance to little avail, and in
the end aircraft were used effectively in aerial ramming attacks. They were also
used in kamikaze attacks, such as the attack on USS Dickerson on 2 April 1945
off Okinawa. The commanding officer and 54 crew were killed when a Toryu clipped
the stacks from astern, and rammed the bridge. A second Toryu hit the foredeck,
opening a 7 m (23 ft) hole in the deck. The ensuing fires demolished the ship,
and after the surviving crew was rescued by fellow fast transports and
ex-destroyers Bunch and Herbert, the ship was towed out to sea and scuttled.
Specifications (Ki-45 KAIc)
General characteristics
Crew: Two
Length: 11.00 m (36 ft 1 in)
Wingspan: 15.02 m (49 ft 4 in)
Height: 3.70 m (12 ft 2 in)
Empty weight: 4,000 kg (8,820 lb)
Loaded weight: 5,500 kg (12,125 lb)
each
Performance
Maximum speed: 540 km/h (292 kn, 336 mph)
Range: 2,000 km (1,081 nmi, 1,243 mi)
Service ceiling: 10,000 m (32,800 ft)
Rate of climb: 11.7 m/s (2,300 ft/min)
Power/mass: 0.26 kW/kg (0.16 hp/lb)
Armament
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