Kawasaki Ki-64

Ki-64

Manufacturer: Kawasaki
First flight: December 1943
Status: Cancelled 1944
Primary user: Imperial Japanese Army
Number built: 1

The Kawasaki Ki-64 (Allied code name: Rob) was a one-off prototype of an experimental heavy, single seat, fighter. It had two unusual design features. First; it had two Ha-40 engines in tandem; one in the aircraft nose, the other behind the cockpit, both being connected by a drive shaft. This combination (called the Ha-201) drove two, three bladed, contra-rotating propellors. The second feature was the use of the wing surface as a radiator for the water cooled engines. The aircraft first flew in December 1943. During the fifth flight, the rear engine caught fire; and while the aircraft made an emergency landing, it was damaged. The aircraft was subsequently abandoned in mid-1944 in favour of more promising projects. The airframe survived the war and parts of the unique cooling system were sent to Wright Field for examination.

Specifications (Ki-64)

Data from Warplanes of the Second World War, Volume Three: Fighters;WW2 Aircraft Fact Files: Japanese Army Fighters, Part 1;Japanese Aircraft of the Pacific War

General characteristics

Crew: One
Length: 11.03 m (36 ft 2¼ in)
Wingspan: 13.5 m (44 ft 3.5 in)
Height: 4.25 m (13 ft 11¼ in)
Wing area: 28 m² (301.388 ft²)
Empty weight: 4,050 kg (8,929 lb)
Loaded weight: 5,100 kg (11,244 lb)
Powerplant: 1x— Kawasaki Ha-201 (two coupled Kawasaki Ha-40) liquid-cooled inverted V-24, 1750 kW (2,350 hp)

Performance

Maximum speed: 690 km/h (429 mph) at 5,000 metres (16,000 ft)
Range: 1000 km (621 mi)
Service ceiling: 12,000 m (39,370 ft)
Wing loading: 182.1 kg/m² (37.3 lb/ft²)
Power/mass: 2.91 kg/kW (2.17 kg/hp; 4.78 lb/hp)
Time to altitude: 5.5 min to 5,000 metres (16,000 ft)

Armament

2x 20 mm Ho-5 cannon or 2x 12.7 mm (0.50 in) Ho-103 machine gun in the fuselage
2x 20 mm Ho-5 cannon in the wing

Bibliography

Francillon, Ph.D., René J. Japanese Aircraft of the Pacific War. London: Putnam & Company Ltd., 1970 (2nd edition 1979). ISBN 0-370-30251-6.
Green, William. Warplanes of the Second World War, Volume Three: Fighters. London: Macdonald & Co. (Publishers) Ltd., 1961 (seventh impression 1973). ISBN 0-356-01447-9.
Green, William and Swanborough, Gordon. WW2 Aircraft Fact Files: Japanese Army Fighters, Part 1. London: Macdonald and Jane's, 1976. ISBN 0-356-08224-5.
Unknown Author(s). Famous Aircraft of the World, no.76: Japanese Army Experimental Fighters (1). Tokyo, Japan: Bunrin-Do Co. Ltd., August 1976.

Kawasaki Ki-64 Pictures

More aircraft.

Source: WikiPedia