Ki 100

[SirLoin]

Been reading a book on Japanese Army aircraft..This thing was a B29 killer.It looks to have two cowl mgs,two wing cannons AND a hub cannon(dont know what caliber)

Anyone have the specs on this unknown plane?(and wouldn't it make a nice addition to AH?)

<S>

[Lusche]

Hub cannon in a radial engined plane? 

[drkorf]

It's a Ki-61 with a radial engine. So the armament is the same (2x20 in the cowl, 2x0.50 wing). Agreed, it would be a great addition to the game. The J2M Raiden was made in larger numbers and would also be nice to see (armament was same as N1K2).

[crockett]

It's simple to find the specs.. First resualt on google.. 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kawasaki_Ki-100

[Krusty]

Ki100 is almost identical in performance to Ki61. Same weapons, same performance, acceleration, top speed.

It was not re-engined to get more performance. It was re-engined because they had completed airframes but the engines were bombed to hell. They stuck a radial on with some modification to the cowling around it, and viola, production moves along again.

Only has minor differences to the speed and power curves up at about 18k or so. In some areas even worse than the Ki61 due to drag.

All the constantly perpetuated stories about it being super, being a uber bomber killer, about killing 14 hellcats on its first engagement, etc, are all lies, fabrications, and urban myths that have been debunked by folks in the know.


Kind of like having the Fw190A4 and the Fw190A5. What's the difference? About 6 inches longer nose, and nothing else.

[Sincraft]

Krusty when you gonna ditch the knights and come over to the rooks?

[Krusty]

Well, my squaddies are all Knits, so I think I'm staying here for a while.

[SirLoin]

Wikipedia says extensive tests vs a Ki 84 showed the Ki100 was the superior fighter..Still it would be a nice addition imho.

[Widewing]

From the wiki piece:
"An overall assessment of the effectiveness of the Ki-100 rated it highly in agility and a well-handled Ki-100 was able to out-manoeuvre any American fighter including the formidable P-51D Mustangs and the P-47N Thunderbolts which were escorting the B-29 raids over Japan by that time, and was comparable in speed especially at medium altitudes. In the hands of an experienced pilot, The Ki-100 was a deadly opponent and together with the Army's Ki-84 and the Navy's Kawanishi N1K-J the only other Japanese fighters being able to defeat the latest Allied types."

It's a foregone conclusion that any Japanese fighter could out turn a P-51 or P-47. Nothing new there. Out-maneuver is another thing altogether, and I don't believe the author of the wiki piece knows the difference.

Moreover, the statement that the Ki-100 was "comparable in speed especially at medium altitudes" is pure fantasy. Both are no less than 50 mph faster at ALL altitudes. Up high, where the B-29s were flying daylight missions, the P-47N was at least 130 mph faster than the Ki-100.

Had the Ki-100 been introduced in 1942, it would have been seen as formidable fighter. By 1945, it was little more than a target.

That said, I would be quite happy to see the Ki-100 in the game, hopefully with the Ki-61 flap issues resolved too.


My regards,

Widewing

[crockett]

That said, I would be quite happy to see the Ki-100 in the game, hopefully with the Ki-61 flap issues resolved too.

My regards,

Widewing

What's wrong with the ki61 flaps?

[Masherbrum]

What's wrong with the ki61 flaps?

Simplest explanation.   The Ki-61 turned with FM2's in WWII, in here, they don't. 

[crockett]

Simplest explanation.   The Ki-61 turned with FM2's in WWII, in here, they don't. 

Oh.. well the plane turns good enough for me. If it turned any better it would make it another dweeby zeek ride. I love the ki61 just the way it is, so leave it alone. 

The ki84 on the other hand seems to have it's tail feather fall off at the slightest notion of a fast dive.

[Squire]

The Ki-61 is both heavier, and has a smaller wing area than the FM-2.

Ki-61: 215 Sq ft wing and 7650 lbs (100 fuel) for a wing loading of 35.5 ft lbs.

FM-2: 260 Sq ft wing and 7486 lbs (100 fuel) for a wing loading of 28.8 ft lbs.

The much larger wing area of the FM-2 ensures it will out turn a Ki-61, or a Ki-84, but not an A6M5 or a Ki-43 (not in the game).

I even doubt the two ever met in combat often, as the FM-2 was a late 1944-45 CV CAP fighter, and the surviving Ki-61s were almost all used in the defense of Japan in 1945. FM-2s saw most of their action vs Kamikazes and their escorts.

[Krusty]

The Ki-61 is both heavier, and has a smaller wing area than the FM-2.

And that might be enough if wing area and weight alone dictated turn performance.

They're not the final answer.

[1Boner]

The ki84 on the other hand seems to have it's tail feather fall off at the slightest notion of a fast dive.

Yeah it does!! 

I wonder why that is?

I've read about the 84 having trouble with the landing gear, but have never read anything that mentions it shedding parts in a stiff breeze.

Maybe I just haven't read enough about it yet.