Jan
07
2012
The Ki-61 Hien was a World War II, low-winged fighter aircraft developed and built by Kawasaki and used by the Japanese Air Force. Since it was powered by a Kawasaki Ha-40 V-12 piston engine, which was a Daimler-Benz DB 601A built under license, the Ki-61 had the distinctive nose shape associated with a Messerschmitt Bf 109. The first production Ki-61 I fighters were deployed operationally in April 1943 when the 68th and 78th Sentais arrived in New Guinea. Named Hien (swallow) in service-(and codenamed ‘Tony’ by the Allies), the new aircraft proved popular with its pilots, being unusually well-armed and armored, and the type was at least a match for opposing American fighters.
At the beginning, the weapons of the Kawasaki Ki-61 1, which consisted of four 12.7mm (.50) machine-guns, proved inadequate to knock down heavy Allied bombers. However, the next Hien version, the Ki-61 I KAIc, was armed with a pair of 20-mm cannons in the nose. The Ki-61 I and Ki-61 I KAI remained in production until 1945, but in 1944 they were joined in service by the Ki-61 II with more powerful Kawasaki Ha-140 engine (producing 1119-kW/1,500-hp); with a top speed of 610 km/h (379 mph) this would have been an excellent fighter except for constant engine problems; yet when fully serviceable the Ki-61-II was one of the few Japanese fighters fully able to combat the Boeing B-29 at its normal operating altitude, particularly when armed with four 20-mm cannons.
Specifications
Type: fighter aircraft
Country of origin: Japan
Manufacturer: Kawasaki
Power plant: one 880-k W ( 1,180-hp) Kawasaki Ha-40 V-12 piston engine
Maximum speed: 590 km/h (367 mph) at 4260 m
Range: 1800 km ( 1,118 miles)
Ceiling: 10000 m
Weapons: two 20mm Ho-5 guns in nose and two 12.7mm (.50) Type 1 machine-guns in wings
Wing span: 12.00 m (39 ft 4.4 in)
Wing area: 20.00 m2 (215.3 sq ft)
Length: 8,94 m (29 ft 4 in)
Crew: 1
Jan
07
2012
The Beaufighter was a World War II British night fighter and attack aircraft manufactured by Bristol, entering service in July 1940. The Beaufighter Mk 21 version was built in Australia and used by the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) against the Japanese in the Far East theater of operations alongside the British RAF machines. They came to be one of the most effective attack aircraft in the Far East and their metal structure was suited to the climate. The Bristol Beaufighter was a two-seat, mid-winged monoplane, powered by two Bristol Hercules XVII air-cooled radial piston engines, producing 1,770 horsepower each. It had a long flight range for a fighter, 1,500 miles, and it was armed with four 20mm guns mounted in the fuselage, a 7.7mm machine gun in dorsal position, plus rockets, a torpedo or two 250 lb bombs.
Called the "Whispering Death" by the Japanese, the Australian DAP Beaufighter Mk 21 carried out surprise strikes on Japanese military depots and bases in the Burmese jungle. Early operations involved strikes against Japanese coastal shipping sailing along the Burma coast, but in due course, in the face of persistent attacks by the Beaufighters and other Allied aircraft, this traffic dwindled, leaving the Beaufighter free to engage land targets with cannon, rockets and bombs, a task they continued to perform right up to the end of the war. However, the first Beaufighter strike aircraft were all Mk VI variants, although specific aircraft were designated for bomb-, rocket- or torpedo-carrying. In June 1943 the first Beaufighter TF Mk X aircraft entered service with No. 39 Squadron in the UK and No. 47 Squadron in North Africa; this version, with nose-mounted ASV radar, could carry combinations of all these weapons and was particularly effective against Axis shipping in the Mediterranean in 1943.
Specifications
Type: strike fighter aircraft
Country of origin: UK/Australia
Manufacturer: Bristol
Power plant: two l,770-hp(1320-kW) Bristol Hercules XVII air-cooled radial piston engines
Maximum speed: 488 km/h (303 mph) at 395 m (1,300 ft)
Range: 1,500 miles (2,400 km)
Ceiling: 15,000 ft (4,600 m)
Weapons: four 20mm Hispano cannons; one 7.7mm machine gun; one 457 mm torpedo; two 113-kg (250-lb) bombs; rockets
Wingspan: 17,63 m (57 ft 10 in)
Length: 12.70 m (41 ft 8 in)
Crew: two
