Nakajima Ki-43 Hayabusa

Japanese fighter plane

In December 1937, Nakajima was commissioned by the Japanese Air Force to build a fighter plane to replace the Ki-27 fighter in the future.

The prototype of the new aircraft took off in January 1941. Initially, it was not appreciated by the test pilots of the Japanese Air Force, which resulted in the suspension of the contract. The Nakajima Works, at their own risk, undertook the construction of 10 more experimental machines, which were subject to gradual modifications. The use of the new engine (Ha-25) significantly improved the aircraft's performance, but the real revelation was the combat flaps, thanks to which it gained phenomenal maneuverability.
In April 1941, mass production of a fighter named Ki-43 Hayabusa ("Peregrine Falcon"), and by the Allies called "Oscar", started.
Soon, the armament was strengthened by replacing two 7.7 mm machine guns with two 12.7 mm caliber.
In autumn 1942, a new "Oscar" model, designated Ki-43-ll Ko, was put into mass production. Unlike its predecessor, it had a more powerful engine (Ha-115) and a three-blade propeller, the reinforced wing structure allowed to carry 2 bombs of 250 kg each, and the telescope sight was replaced with a reflex sight.
In May 1944, the last serial version of the "Oscar" was entered into service, designated Ki-43-lll, which, however - despite the improvement in performance - could not cope with the new versions of the Lightning and Mustang.
At the outbreak of the war in the Far East (December 7, 1941), the Ki-43 were in service with 59 and 64 Sentai. The results of the first air combat were a big surprise for the Allies - conducted by highly trained Hayabusa pilots, they coped with the Hurricane and Buffalo perfectly. By mid-1942, all Sentai fighter jets were rearmed with the Ki-43.

Technical and tactical data (Ki-43-ll KO):
Dimensions: length 8.92 m
span 10.84 m
height 3.08 m
Curb weight: 1975 kg
Max weight: 2925 kg
Drive: 1 motor Nakajima H-115 power max. 1,150 hp
Max speed: 515 km / h
Service ceiling: 11,200 m
Range: 1760 km (max 3200 km)
Weapons: 2x12.7 mm penalties. you have. Ho-103 (250 rounds per barrel), 2x250 kg of bombs
Crew: 1 pilot

The Hayabusa was the most widely used fighter of the Japanese Air Force - easy to pilot and easy to operate, it quickly gained favor with the pilots, and although the Allied air force gained a technical advantage later in the war, its high rate of climb and excellent maneuverability made it a formidable enemy until the end of the war.
Many of the pilots flying the Ki-43 were aces, including Sgt. Anabuki (51 wins) May. Sakagawa (49), Sgt. Sasaki (38), Lt. Kanai (32), Lt. Sumimo (28), Capt. Kuroe (20), Capt. Nakamura (20), Corporal Ofusa (19), Col. Kato (18), Capt. Nango (15), Cf. Hinoki (12).

Nakajima Ki-43 I Hei

The first flight of the prototype took place in January 1939. Overall, 3 prototypes were built with a 925hp, two-row 14-cylinder air-cooled Nakajima Ha-25 engine with supercharging. This engine was the equivalent of the Sakae engine used by the Mitsubishi A6M series aircraft. The armament was two 7.7 mm Type 89 machine guns mounted in the upper engine casing and firing through the propeller. The sight protruded from an opening in the cab fairing. In addition, a radio antenna mast was placed on the engine cover.

The first production version was designated the Army Type 1 Fighter Model 1A and was named Hayabusa (Peregrine Falcon).

In April 1941, the Ki-43 entered production, equipped with a reinforced Ha-25 Type 99 engine with a capacity of 980 HP. Initially equipped with a two-bladed wooden fixed pitch propeller, soon replaced with a metal one with a variable pitch. The armament was two 7.7 mm Type 89 rifles firing through the propeller. In addition, the plane was equipped with two knots for additional overhead fuel tanks in the central part of the airfoil.

The first Ki-43-la fighters were delivered to 59 and 64 squadrons (Sentai) in October 1941 eight months after the start of production at the Ota factory. After the outbreak of the war with the USA, they were forwarded to China.

The next version of the Ki-43-lb had reinforced armament by replacing one of the 7.7 mm Type 89 rifles with the 12.7 mm Ho-103 Type 1 rifle. The next version of the Ki-43-lc was equipped with two 12.7 mm rifles Type 1 and it was the main production variant of this type of aircraft.

In the period from April 1941 to February 1943, 716 aircraft in the Ki-43-l version were produced.

Since the existence of the Ki-43 was a secret, the first encounters with the Curtiss P-40 fighters belonging to American volunteers and Brewster Buffalo from RAF 67 Squadron were a complete surprise for the Allies. The performance of the Japanese fighter was significantly better than that of any Allied machine in the first year of the Pacific War. Despite the fact that the Hayabusa became the terror of the Allied fighters, the machine was virtually unknown in Japan, unlike its contemporary Imperial Navy fighter, the Mitsubishi Zero. Therefore, in April 1943, the army command decided to disclose the existence of the Ki-43. In the code nomenclature of the Allies, the Ki-43 was codenamed Oscar. At the same time, on the Southeast Asian fronts (China, Burma and India) the same plane was designated Jim because it was believed to be a retractable version of the Ki-27. After the mistake was cleared, the code name was unified to "Oscar". After the Ki-43-l was replaced by more modern and better-armed versions, this fighter was used for advanced pilot training. Some of the machines also went to the Royal Thai Air Force, allied with Japan, where they were used until 1949.

Specifications of Ki43I Hei:
Length: 8.83m
Height: 3.27m
Span: 11.43m
Own weight: 1580 kg
Max speed: 495 km / h
Range: 860 km
Service ceiling: 11790m
Armament: 2 k.m. - 7.7 mm