Kawasaki Ki-100-Ia Type 5 Fighter (Tony)

From The Air Combat Wiki

Contents 1 Fighter Ace Screenshots 2 Fighter Ace Ratings 3 Fighter Ace Performance 4 Historical Statistics 5 Strengths 6 Weaknesses 7 History 8 Sources 9 See Also

Fighter Ace Screenshots

Fighter Ace museum screenshot by Doug@HQ	Fighter Ace museum screenshot by Doug@HQ	Fighter Ace museum screenshot by Doug@HQ	Fighter Ace museum screenshot by Doug@HQ
Fighter Ace museum screenshot by Doug@HQ	Fighter Ace museum screenshot by Doug@HQ	Fighter Ace museum screenshot by Doug@HQ

Fighter Ace Ratings

Durability: 2

Speed: 6

Maneuverability: 6

Firepower: 4

Climb Rate: 4

Ground Attack: 3

Fighter Ace Performance

Top Speeds						Climb Rates
	Sea Level	4921' 1500m	9843' 3000m	19685' 6000m	Best Speed	Best IAS	to 1000m	to 3000m	to 6000m
mph	304	323	331	361	364@ 22966'	165 mph	1:19	3:28	7:11
mph WEP	311	329	337	367	367@ 19685'
kph	489	519	532	581	585@ 7000m	265 kph
kph WEP	500	530	543	591	591@ 6000m

Historical Statistics

Service Date: April 1945

Primary Guns: 2x Ho-103 Type 1 12.7 mm machine guns with 250 rpg in wings

Secondary Guns: 2x Ho-5 Type 1 20 mm cannon with 200 rpg in cowl

Ordnance: 2x 220 lb (100 kg) 2x 550 lb (250 kg) bombs or 2x 317 lb (144 kg) drop tanks under wings

Engine(s): 1x Mitsubishi Ha.112-II Type 4 radial rated for 1,500 hp at sea level (1,600 hp with WEP)

Int Fuel Capacity: 837 lbs (380 kg)

Ext Fuel Capacity: 634 lbs (288 kg)

Maximum Speeds: 360 mph (579 kph) at 19,685 ft (6,000 m)

Ceiling: 36,090 ft (11,000 m)

Loaded Weight: 7,705 lbs (3,495 kg)

Wing Area: 215.3 sq ft (20 sq m)

Wing Loading: 35.8 lbs/sq ft (174.8 kg/sq m)

Strengths

Guns: The non-converging Ho-5s in the cowl are very accurate up to maximum range and combined with the 12.7 mm guns in the wings give the Tony a good anti-air capability.

Weaknesses

Performance: By the time it reached front-line service, it was totally outclassed by Allied fighters at all altitudes.

History

Seeking to upgrade the output of the 1,100 hp Ha-40 engine, Kawasaki started working on a 1,500 hp replacement, the Ha-140. This new engine was intended to be used in an upgraded version of the Ki-61 with larger wings for improved maneuvering. However, the engine encountered terrible teething problems, including a weak crankshaft and the wings were subject to failure during high-performance altitude testing.

With improvements to the wing and an increase in fuselage length, the Ki-61-II-KAI was ready for production, but the engines were still having problems. However, the Ministry of Munitions was confident that the engine problems would be solved and ordered Kawasaki to start building airframes.

By June 1944 the problem of home defense was becoming acute and while good engine-less airframes were sitting unused at the factory, operational Sentais were being forced to use older, less capable planes. Finally, in November 1944 the Munitions Ministry instructed Kawasaki to search for a suitable replacement for the ill-fated Ha-140.

Being designed around an inline engine, the Ki-61-II airframe was only 2í9î in diameter where the engine was mounted. All other engines of similar size were already spoken for and the only engine of even similar diameter and power output was the 4 foot diameter Ha-112-II radial engine then being used for bombers. After studying the FW-190A engine mount, which also married a large engine to a small airframe, work began on three Ki-61-II-KAI airframes. The result was called the Ki-100 and first took flight on February 1, 1945.

Due to the lighter weight of the engine, the plane came in at about 800 lbs. less than the Ha-140 powered Ki-61. The power output was the same and performance was identical in all respects except top speed, which was reduced somewhat due to the additional drag of the radial engine. Eventually 271 Ki-61-II airframes would be converted to Ki-100s with the remainder Ki-100s being purpose-built.

The appearance of the new Tony came as a complete and unpleasant surprise to Allied aircrews and Japanese pilots hailed it as the best and most reliable fighter they had. Its easy handling characteristics were particularly welcome to the Army as younger pilots often had less than 100 hours total flight time before being assigned to combat units.

Sources

Francillon, Rene J.; Japanese Aircraft of the Pacific War; Naval Institute Press, Annapolis, MD; 1979.

Green, William; Warplanes of the Second World War, Fighters, Volume Three; Hanover House, Garden City, NY; 1960.

Green, William; Famous Fighters of the Second World War; Hanover House, Garden City, NY; 1960.

See Also

Kawasaki Kokuki Kogyo K.K.

Aircraft Manufacturers During World War II

Japanese Aircraft Designation System

Fighter Ace Planes Inventory