Originally posted by Stoney74
Well, just about every U.S. fighter at the beginning of the war shared the same design characteristics--no armor, no self-sealing tanks, etc. The early wildcats and jugs are good examples. They didn't even deploy the P-47B for combat as a result.
There's a story about a Ki-43 shooting down 2 B-24s in a mission in the CBI. That's like an early zeke without the cannon.
They were often mistaken for the Navy Type 0 model 11 Fighter (A6M Zero-sen) Allied code name "Zeke".
Army Type 1 Fighter Model 1A and was named Hayabusa (Peregrine Falcon) Allied code name "Oscar".
Specification of Ki-43-Ia:
One Army Type 99 (Nakajima Ha-25) fourteen cylinder air-cooled radial rated at 980 hp for takeoff and 970 hp at 11,555 feet driving a two-bladed propeller.
Performance: Maximum speed 308 mph at 13,125 feet, climb to 16,405 feet in 5 minutes 30 seconds. Service ceiling 38,500 feet. Maximum range 745 miles.
Weights: 3483 pounds empty, 4515 pounds loaded, 5695 pounds maximum. Dimensions: wingspan 37 feet 6 5/16 inches, length 38 feet 11 3/4 inches, height 10 feet 8 3/4 inches, wing area 236.81 square feet. Armament: Two 7.7 mm Type 89 machine guns in the engine cowling. Two 33-pound bombs could be carried underwing. Two 44-imp-gall drop tanks could be carried.
The next version was the Ki-43-Ib which differed from the Ia in having a heavier armament in which one of the Type 89 machine guns was replaced by a 12.7-mm Type 1 (Ho-103) machine gun.
The Ki-43-Ic which followed it had two 12.7-mm Type 1 machine guns, and was the major production variant of the Model 1 series.
Ki-43-II
Nakajima_Ki-43-IIa
In pursuit of better performance, five Ki-43-I airframes were modified in February of 1942 to be powered by the 1150-hp Type 1 engine (which was the Nakajima Ha-115, a development of the earlier Ha-25).
This engine had a two-speed supercharger and drove a three-bladed constant-speed metal propeller.
The supercharger air intake was moved from underneath the cowling to its upper lip, with the carburetor intake remaining underneath the cowling.
The wingspan was decreased by two feet and the wing area by 6.46 square feet to improve speed at low and medium altitudes.
The windshield and cockpit canopy were raised slightly and a new reflector gunsight was fitted.
The wing attachment points were strengthened to carry 551-pound bombs. In response to complaints from the field that the Hayabusa was too vulnerable to superficial combat damage, some rudimentary armor protection was provided for the pilot and self-sealing tanks were installed in the wings.
The improved Hayabusa model entered production as the Army Type 1 Fighter Model 2A (Ki-43-IIa). As the Model 2A entered production, the earlier Model 1 was progressively phased out, until the 716th and last Model 1 left the line in February 1943.
Specification of Ki-43-IIb:
One Army Type 1 (Nakajima Ha-115) fourteen cylinder air-cooled radial rated at 1150 hp for takeoff and 980 hp at 18,375 feet driving a three-bladed propeller.
Performance: Maximum speed 329 mph at 13,125 feet, climb to 16,405 feet in 5 minutes 49 seconds. Service ceiling 36,750 feet. Normal range 1095 miles. Maximum range 1990 miles.
Weights: 4211 pounds empty, 5710 pounds loaded, 6450 pounds maximum. Dimensions: wingspan 35 feet 6 3/4 inches, length 29 feet 3 5/16 inches, height 10 feet 8 3/4 inches, wing area 230.34 square feet.
Armament: Two 12.7-mm Type 1 machine guns in the engine cowling. Two 66-pound or 551-pound bombs could be carried underwing. Two 44-imp-gall drop tanks could be carried.
Specification of Ki-43-IIIa:
One Army Type 1 (Nakajima Ha-115-II) fourteen cylinder air-cooled radial rated at 1300 hp for takeoff and 1230 hp at 9185 feet driving a three-bladed propeller.
Performance: Maximum speed 358 mph at 21,920 feet. Climb to 16,405 feet in 5 minutes 19 seconds. Service ceiling 37,400 feet. Normal range 1320 miles. Maximum range 1990 miles.
Weights: 4233 pounds empty, 5644 pounds loaded, 6746 pounds maximum. Dimensions: wingspan 35 feet 6 3/4 inches, length 29 feet 3 5/16 inches, height 10 feet 8 3/4 inches, wing area 230.34 square feet.
Armament: Two 12.7-mm Type 1 machine guns in the engine cowling. Two 66-pound or 551-pound bombs could be carried underwing. Two 44-imp-gall drop tanks could be carried.
