Nakajima Ki-87
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| Nakajima Ki-87 | |
|---|---|
| Type | High-altitude interceptor fighter |
| Manufacturer | Nakajima Aircraft Company |
| Designed by | Kunihiro Aoki |
| Maiden flight | April 1945 |
| Status | out of service |
| Primary user | the Imperial Japanese Army |
| Produced | 1 |
The Nakajima Ki-87 was a Japanese high-altitude interceptor fighter of World War II.
It was a single-engine, low-wing monoplane with a tailwheel undercarriage.
Contents |
[edit] Development
The Ki-87 was developed in response to American Superfortress raids on the Home Islands. It followed up on earlier research by Nakajima and the Technical Division of Imperial Army Headquarters into boosting a large radial engine with an exhaust-driven, turbo-supercharger, which had begun in 1942, well before the B-29 raids began.
Construction was delayed due to problems with the turbo-supercharger and the prototype was not completed until February 1945, it first flew in April but only five test flights were completed.[1]
[edit] Operational history
Production of 500 aircraft was planned but the war ended before any more than the single prototype were built.
[edit] Aircraft markings
The sole completed prototype was in natural metal finish, some paintings also show a black anti-glare area in front of the cockpit that fails to show on any of the known photographs of the plane.[2]
[edit] Specifications (Ki-87)
Data from Warbirds Resource Group[3]
General characteristics
- Crew: 1
- Length: 11.71 m (38 ft 4.75 in)
- Wingspan: 13.42 m (44 ft .5 in)
- Height: 4.31 m (14 ft 1.25 in)
- Wing area: 26.01 m² (279.862 ft²)
- Empty weight: 4,388 kg (9,672 lb)
- Loaded weight: 5,633 kg (12,416 lb)
- Useful load: kg (kg)
- Max takeoff weight: 6,102 kg (13,448 lb)
- Powerplant: 1× Mitsubishi Ha.215 (Ha.44/21) eighteen-cylinder air-cooled radial four-blade, 1,789 kW (2,400 hp)
Performance
- Never exceed speed: km/h (knots, mph)
- Maximum speed: 697 km/h (379 knots, 433 mph)
- Cruise speed: 470 km/h (knots,292 mph)
- Stall speed: km/h (knots, mph)
- Range: km (nm, mi)
- Service ceiling 12,855 m (42,175 ft)
- Rate of climb: m/s (ft/min)
- Wing loading: kg/m² (lb/ft²)
- Power/mass: W/kg (hp/lb)
Armament 2x30-mm Ho-105 cannon, 2x20-mm Ho-5 cannon
[edit] References
[edit] Notes
- ^ Green, William. The Complete Book of Fighters.
- ^ FAOW 1976, p. 59-61 and front cover.
- ^ Warbirds Resource Group.
[edit] Bibliography
- Francillon, René J. Japanese Aircraft of the Pacific War. London, Putnam & Company, 1970 (Second edition 1979). ISBN 0-370-30251-6.
- Green, William. War Planes of the Second World War, Volume Three: Fighters. London: Macdonald, 1961 (Seventh impression 1973). ISBN 0-356-01447-9.
- Green, William and Swanborough, Gordon. WW2 Aircraft Fact Files: Japanese Army Fighters, part 2. London, Macdonald & Jane's, 1977. ISBN 0-354-01068-9.
- Unknown Author Famous Aircraft of the World, no.76: Japanese Army Experimental Fighters (1). Japan: Bunrin-Do Co. Ltd., August 1976.
[edit] External links
[edit] See also
Comparable aircraft
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