Author Topic: Best Japanese Fighter (Read 2736 times)

28sweep · « **on:** July 15, 2002, 11:04:17 AM »

I have a couple sources on this subject. Some say it was clearly the Ki-84 and others say it was the Ki-100 (didn't know there was a Ki-100). Any experts out there got an opinion....I should say that I'm only talking about the ones that saw combat. Oh ya, one more thing, the P-51H see combat in WWII????????

whgates3 · « **Reply #1 on:** July 15, 2002, 11:58:32 AM »

you opened up a hornet's nest here.
tough call - certainly you cant fairly compare an early war zero to some of the late war uber planes. I believe you could justifiably argue for many different models:

the Ki-43 Oscar could out turn any monoplane fighter of WWII. it could probably corner better than the ford sedan i drive.

the Zeke was the mainstay of the IJN for most of the war, could turn probably better than anything except an Oscar and had real armament (the Ki-43 carried only 2 x 0.50 cal)

the Tony was a great plane and had some of the saftey features needed in WWII fighters (seal sealing fuel tanks, pilot armour), which earlier japanese planes did not

my personal favorite is the Ki-44-IIIb Tojo armed w/ 2 x 20mm & 2 x 37mm

BTW-the Ki-100 was a radial engine version of the Ki-61 produced after US bombers knocked out the factory that was making the inline engines for the Ki-61

http://www.kotfsc.com/aircraft/japan-fighter.htm
has a good summary of Japanese WWII fighters

28sweep · « **Reply #2 on:** July 15, 2002, 02:12:37 PM »

I also read somewhere that one of the fighters incorporated some type of mercury filled barometer that automatically deployed flaps at a certain wing load....sounds really cool. What model had this and was it something of value. I don't recall any US fighters having this feature after the war?

Red Tail 444 · « **Reply #3 on:** July 15, 2002, 02:19:56 PM »

tough call, it depends on your fighting style...the zeze was the plane that made every US a/c company design a fighter to defeat, so the zekes impact gives it my nod above the others.

The Ki-84 was a nasty plane - fast, good turner, cannon equipped, but its fuel economy was terrible, and it's combination of heavy, but short lived armament, poor E retention and poor accelleration made it a sitting duck when slow, especially when it needed an emergency dive-out.

Punt... hehe

BTW, No the H pony never saw action till Korea, and while there, was not armored well enough to take the jabo role away from other prop planes..

Gainsie

cajun · « **Reply #4 on:** July 15, 2002, 03:52:16 PM »

I'm not an expert or anything, and don't know about the BEST IJN plane (Thats all a matter of opinion, and what job needs to be done) but I think the Ki43 would be the most fun to fly, alittle faster than the val, OK armament, but very manuverable.

Samm · « **Reply #5 on:** July 15, 2002, 04:16:29 PM »

Quote

Originally posted by 28sweep
I also read somewhere that one of the fighters incorporated some type of mercury filled barometer that automatically deployed flaps at a certain wing load....sounds really cool. What model had this and was it something of value. I don't recall any US fighters having this feature after the war?

It was the n1k2-j that we have in AH

Karnak · « **Reply #6 on:** July 15, 2002, 04:22:54 PM »

The N1K1-J and N1K2-J had the mecury system. The Japanese considered it top secret and the pilots were under orders to prevent it from falling into enemy hands.

It was very effective and was probably the main reason that US pilots reported the N1Kx-J as doing "impossible" manuvers.

Vermillion · « **Reply #7 on:** July 15, 2002, 05:28:04 PM »

The best overall Japanese plane had to be the Ki-84-Ib.

Its only weakness was altitude performance. I think I would disagree with RedTail that it had poor acceleratin performance and bad guns. In fact, the HO-5 cannon are second only to the hispanos used by the Americans and British. Far superior to the Type 99's used by the Japanese Navy, the Soviet Shvak/B20's, or the German 20's. And with 100 octane fuel (very rare to nonexistent for the Japanese late in the war) in post war testing in the US, a Ki84 outperformed a P-51 and a P-47 in head to head testing.

Probably the second best was the N1K2-J that we already have.

The Ki-43 and all the A6M series were both just way too slow, lacked sufficent armament, and had little to no pilot/critical system protection such as self sealing tanks.

The Ki-61 was a decent plane, but overall was only moderately effective against its contemporaries. The Ki-44 would fall into the same category.

The Ki-100 was definitely not as effective as the myth that has grown up around in online sims, as the greatest Japanese fighter. The Ki-100, was a Ki-61-II airframe that used a radial engine, due to the allies bombing the plant that manufactured the engine used in the Ki-61-II. It was actually inferior in performance to the Ki-61-II. Its one saving grace was that the radial engine was simple to maintain and reliable in a time when spare parts, quality maintenance crews, and good quality fuel was a rarity in the Japanese forces. While it was a good turning aircraft, it was quite slow.

Mitsu · « **Reply #8 on:** July 15, 2002, 05:54:49 PM »

Ki-44 is the best intercepter in the IJAAF.

I think that it is also the best fighter in mid war.

Red Tail 444 · « **Reply #9 on:** July 15, 2002, 05:55:37 PM »

Quote

Originally posted by Vermillion
The best overall Japanese plane had to be the I would disagree with RedTail that it had poor acceleratin performance and bad guns.

Verm...
You misunderstood me, or maybe I didnt make my point clearly.

I mentioned that the Ki-84 series had a heavy armament package, but its duration was poor. I do believe that its acceleration is poor, however, and it did tend to hang on its props in AW FR. On that note, experienced Ki pilots knew how to fly it, and it is an effective stall fighter, much moreso than the F6...at least when I was in the Ki.

With that being said, I would prefer seeing the raiden in here before all others. Not a fighter, but a one-punch KO artist if you made a mistake!

Hristo · « **Reply #10 on:** July 15, 2002, 10:19:05 PM »

Had to be Ki84. It has something that N1K doesn't - speed.

whgates3 · « **Reply #11 on:** July 15, 2002, 10:26:34 PM »

Quote

Originally posted by Karnak
The N1K1-J and N1K2-J had the mecury system. The Japanese considered it top secret and the pilots were under orders to prevent it from falling into enemy hands.

It was very effective and was probably the main reason that US pilots reported the N1Kx-J as doing "impossible" manuvers.

I've heard AH pilots report the same thing

whgates3 · « **Reply #12 on:** July 15, 2002, 10:32:27 PM »

on quality of the zeke that hasn't yet been mentioned is it's range - it was the P-51 of it's time, and a carrier plane as well making it a great strike/escort plane

-=Silo=- · « **Reply #13 on:** July 15, 2002, 10:42:31 PM »

Quote

Originally posted by Red Tail 444
, but its fuel economy was terrible, and it's combination of heavy, but short lived armament, poor E retention and poor accelleration made it a sitting duck when slow, especially when it needed an emergency dive-out.
Gainsie

Ki-84 had Excellent fuel economy and range. It was also a very clean airframe with a very good horsepower-weight ratio. Sitting duck? Hardly.

whgates3 · « **Reply #14 on:** July 15, 2002, 11:18:19 PM »

well if it was trying to dive away from a Jug, Hawg or a Lightning it may have been a sitting duck, but those planes - which the Frank came up against frequently - were exceptional divers. as for short lived ammo supply, my book shows 250 rpg for the 12.7mm, 150rpg for the 20mm - thats about average i think