--In December 1945, when the Nakajima Ki-27 fighter was officially adopted, the Army issued an instruction to one Nakajima company to make a prototype of the next fighter (Ki 43).
――In December of the following year, the first prototype was completed, and as a result of a test flight, the maximum speed was about 30km / h higher than that of the Type 97 fighter, but the mobility was inferior and it was insufficient for the next fighter.
――After that, various repairs such as changing the wing area and replacing the engine were carried out, and 13 aircraft (3 prototypes, 10 increased prototypes) were completed by September 1945, but the army of the dogfight supreme principle. I couldn't convince you.
――However, at that time, the General Staff Headquarters thought that a fighter with a large cruising power to support the fleet was necessary to capture Singapore in the southern invasion operation, and Ki 43, who was on the verge of being labeled as unsuccessful, was a long-range fighter. The way of life was found as.
--In April 1945, the refurbished aircraft was tested and the required cruising power was obtained, and since the fighting battle was also excellent in the vertical aspect, it was decided to adopt it as a complete fighter in May 1945, and from June of the same year. Over August, the 59th Flight Squadron received about 30 Type I aircraft.
――The Hayabusa I type was mainly introduced in the direction of Burma and contributed greatly to the rapid advance of the beginning of the war.
――The set fighter type II is a type that has the engine replaced with Ha 115, the aircraft design has been refined, and various performances have been improved. I was fighting, but later Spitfire, P-38, etc. had a hard time.
――However, at that time, it was the easiest army fighter to handle and had a high operating rate, so mass production continued until the end of the war.
[Actual machine data]
--Crew: 1 person
--Overall width: 10.84m
--Overall length: 8.92m (horizontal posture)
--Overall height: 3.27m (horizontal posture),
--Main wing area: 21.4m2
--Total weight: 2,590kg
--Engine: Nakajima Ha 115
--Separation output: 1,120hp
--Maximum speed: 515km / h / 6,000m
--Armed: 12.7mm cannon x2
[Model completed size]
--L: 299mm
--W: 328mm
--Parts: 94 pcs
( This is a machine translation. Please allow for possible misinterpretations in the text. )