Nakajima Ki-43-II Type 1 Fighter Hayabusa (Oscar)

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: 5

Maneuverability: 9

Firepower: 2

Climb Rate: 5

Ground Attack: 2

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	294	307	321	324	331@ 14764'	155 mph	1:17	3:28	7:16
kph	473	494	516	521	532@ 4500m	250 kph

Historical Statistics

Service Date: October 1942

Primary Guns: 1x Ho-103 Type 1 12.7 mm machine gun with 270 rpg in cowl

Secondary Guns: 1x Ho-103 Type 1 12.7 mm machine gun with 270 rpg in cowl

Ordnance: 2x 220 lb (100 kg) or 2x 551 lb (250 kg) bombs or 2x 317 lb (144 kg) drop tanks

Engine(s): 1x Nakajima Ha.115-1 radial rated for 1,150 hp at sea level

Int Fuel Capacity: 855 lbs (388 kg)

Ext Fuel Capacity: 634 lbs (288 kg)

Maximum Speeds: 331 mph (532 kph) at 13,120 ft (4,000m) and 324 mph (522 kph) at 19,680 ft (6,000 m)

Ceiling: 36,800 ft (11,217 m)

Loaded Weight: 5,320 lbs (2,413 kg)

Wing Area: 232 sq ft (21.6 sq m)

Wing Loading: 22.9 lbs/sq ft (111.7 kg/sq m)

Strengths

Maneuverability: Though not in the class of the A6M2 or I-16, the Oscar can turn inside of any contemporary plane.

Weaknesses

Durability: As with most Japanese fighters, the Oscar is easily downed by enemy gunfire.

Firepower: A mere two 12.7 mm machine guns leaves the Oscar incapable of doing much damage to enemy planes.

History

By 1937, the Japanese Army had abandoned the use of competitive contracts to obtain aircraft designs and Nakajima was ordered to build a new fighter to replace the Ki-27 then in service. The specifications called for a fighter capable of reaching a top speed of 500 kph (311 mph), a climb rate of 5 minutes to 5,000m (16,405 ft), a range of 800 km, an armament of two 7.7 mm machine guns and maneuverability at least as good as the Ki-27.

Within a year the team of designers, led by Hideo Itokawa, had completed the first prototype, which was rolled out of the factory on December 12, 1938. Over the next several months the company tested the new prototype, which was joined by two others, and a short time later the three prototypes were shipped to the JAAF for Service Trials. The plane met all the requirements except that pilots, still thinking that future combats would be classic turn fights, were unhappy with its maneuverability.

The JAAF decided to test another ten planes and Nakajima was ordered to build them in November 1939. The eighth of these prototypes was fitted with an experimental Nakajima Ha-105 radial engine and a pair of 12.7 mm machine guns in place of the 7.7s. But the next prototype was to see the introduction of butterfly type flaps that could be deployed in combat to improve lift and turn rate. This arrangement proved popular with pilots and following extensive tests, the Koku Hombu ordered the Ki-43 put into production.

The Ki-43-Ia Hayabusa (Peregrine Falcon) was powered by a 950 hp Nakajima Ha-25 radial engine and was armed with a pair of 7.7mm Type 89 machine guns in the cowl. This model was delivered to the 59th and 64th Sentais, which were moved to China shortly before Pearl Harbor. Alternative versions were also coming off the assembly line, the -Ib with a single 7.7 mm and a 12.7 mm machine gun, and the -Ic with two 12.7 mm Ho-103s.

Although it lacked self-sealing fuel tanks or pilot armor and the armament was weak, particularly on the -Ia, the Ki-43 was a shocking success in the early part of the war. When it was seen in the Southwest Pacific it was code-named "Oscar" and when seen in China it was thought to be a different plane and given the code-name "Jim". But the "Oscar" designation was retained when it was learned that the two planes were the same.

Five Ki-43-Is were fitted with the 1,150 hp Ha-115 radial engine in February 1942 and after dealing with a few minor engine teething problems, the upgrade was deemed successful and production of the Ki-43-II was ordered in November. To help improve low altitude speed, the wingspan was reduced by about 2 feet. Additionally, the wing was strengthened to allow a 250 kg. bomb to be carried under each wing outboard of the landing gear legs. Just as important, a rudimentary form of self-sealing fuel tank was installed as well as 13mm armor plate for the pilot.

But by this time, JAAF pilots were facing faster and more heavily armed American and Australian planes and the type was outclassed. However, more Ki-43s served in the JAAF than any other plane and it continued to be improved and produced throughout the war. After the war, salvaged Hayabusas were used by the Indonesian People's Security Force against the Dutch and by the French against Communist inurgents in Indo-China.

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.

Famous Airplanes of the World, No. 65, Army Type 1 Fighter "Hayabusa"; Bunrindo, Tokyo, Japan; 1997.

Military Magazine "Maru" Editorial Desk; Mechanism of Military Aircraft, No. 12, "Hayabusa" / "Shoki" / Type 97 Fighter; Kojinsha, Tokyo, Japan; 2000.

Nozawa, Tadashi; Encyclopedia of Japanese Aircraft 1900-1945, Vol.5, Nakajima Aircrafts; Shuppan-Kyodo Publishers, Tokyo, Japan; 1983.

Human Acts in the History, Pacific War Series, Vol. 52, Type 1 Fighter "Hayabusa"; Gakken, Tokyo, Japan; 2005.

See Also

Nakajima Hikoki K.K.

Aircraft Manufacturers During World War II

Japanese Aircraft Designation System

Fighter Ace Planes Inventory