Mitsubishi Ki-83

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Mitsubishi Ki-83
Type Heavy Long-Range Fighter
Manufacturer Mitsubishi
Designed by Tomio Kubo
Maiden flight November 18, 1944
Status Prototype

Contents

[edit] History

There is no question that this aircraft had the potential of being the most outstanding heavy long ranger fighter of World War II. The trouble was that it never had the opportunity to prove it. The Mitsubishi Ki-83 was designed and built by a team lead by Tomio Kubo, the designer of the highly successful Ki-46. This was in response to a 1943 specification for a new heavy fighter with great range. The first four prototypes flew on November 18, 1944. Their performance was nothing short of spectacular. The machines displayed remarkable maneuverability for aircraft of their size, being able to execute a 2,200 foot diameter loop in just 31 seconds at a speed of over 400 mph. The Ki-83 carried a powerful armament of two 30 mm and two 20 mm cannon in its nose. Plans for the Ki-83 to enter into production within the bomb ravaged Japanese industrial complex were underway when the Japanese surrendered on August 15, 1945. The Ki-83 was a total surprise to the Americans who, unaware of its existence, had not given it a code name as they had to all known Japanese World War II aircraft. Following the war, American aeronautical engineers and American Air Force officials evaluated the four prototype machines with great interest.

General characteristics

  • Crew: 2
  • Length: 12.50 m (41 feet 0 inches)
  • Wingspan: 15.50 m (50 feet 10 inches)
  • Height: 4.60 m (15 feet 1 inch)
  • Empty weight: 5,980 kg (13,184 pounds)
  • Loaded weight: 8,795 kg (19,390 pounds)
  • Powerplant: 2× Mitsubishi Ha-211ru 18-cylinder air-cooled radial piston engines, 1,493 kW (2,000 hp) each

Performance

Armament

  • Guns: Two 30 mm (1.18 inch) and two 20 mm (0.79 inch) cannon mounted in the fuselage nose

[edit] References

[edit] Notes

[edit] Bibliography

  • Francillon, René J. Japanese Aircraft of the Pacific War. London, Putnam & Company Ltd., 1970. second 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.

[edit] See also

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Japanese Army Aircraft Designation System

Ki-1 • Ki-2 • Ki-3 • Ki-4 • Ki-5 • Ki-6 • Ki-7 • Ki-8  • Ki-9  • Ki-10  • Ki-11  • Ki-12  • Ki-13  • Ki-14  • Ki-15  • Ki-16  • Ki-17  • Ki-18  • Ki-19 • Ki-20  • Ki-21  • Ki-22  • Ki-23  • Ki-24  • Ki-25  • Ki-26  • Ki-27  • Ki-28  • Ki-29  • Ki-30  • Ki-31  • Ki-32  • Ki-33  • Ki-34  • Ki-35  • Ki-36  • Ki-37  • Ki-38  • Ki-39  • Ki-40  • Ki-41  • Ki-42  • Ki-43  • Ki-44  • Ki-45  • Ki-46  • Ki-47  • Ki-48  • Ki-49  • Ki-50  • Ki-51  • Ki-52  • Ki-53  • Ki-54  • Ki-55  • Ki-56  • Ki-57  • Ki-58  • Ki-59  • Ki-60  • Ki-61  • Ki-62  • Ki-63  • Ki-64  • Ki-66  • Ki-67  • Ki-68  • Ki-69  • Ki-70  • Ki-71  • Ki-72  • Ki-73  • Ki-74  • Ki-75  • Ki-76  • Ki-77  • Ki-78  • Ki-79  • Ki-80  • Ki-81  • Ki-82  • Ki-83  • Ki-84  • Ki-85  • Ki-86  • Ki-87  • Ki-88  • Ki-89  • Ki-90  • Ki-91  • Ki-92  • Ki-93  • Ki-94  • Ki-95  • Ki-96  • Ki-97  • Ki-98  • Ki-99  • Ki-100  • Ki-101  • Ki-102  • Ki-103  • Ki-105  • Ki-106  • Ki-107  • Ki-108  • Ki-109  • Ki-110  • Ki-111  • Ki-112  • Ki-113  • Ki-114  • Ki-115  • Ki-116  • Ki-117  • Ki-118  • Ki-119  • Ki-148  • Ki-167  • Ki-174  • Ki-200  • Ki-201  • Ki-202 • Ki-230
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