Kawasaki Ki-64

Last updated
Ki-64
Kawasaki Ki-64 on ground.jpg
RoleFighter
Manufacturer Kawasaki Kōkūki Kōgyō K.K.
First flightDecember 1943
StatusCancelled 1944
Primary user Imperial Japanese Army
Number built1

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 Kawasaki 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 Kawasaki Ha-201) drove two, three-bladed, contra-rotating propellers. [1] [2] The second feature was the use of the wing surface as a radiator for the water-cooled engines. [3] 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. [4]

Contents

Specifications (Ki-64)

Data fromWarplanes of the Second World War, Volume Three: Fighters; [5] WW2 Aircraft Fact Files: Japanese Army Fighters, Part 1; [4] Japanese Aircraft of the Pacific War [6]

General characteristics

Performance

Armament

See also

Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era

Related lists

References

Bibliography

  • Francillon, René J. (1979). Japanese aircraft of the Pacific War. London: Putnam. ISBN   0-370-30251-6. OCLC   6124909. (new edition 1987 by Putnam Aeronautical Books, ISBN   0-85177-801-1.)
  • Green, William (1961). War Planes of the Second World War, Volume Three: Fighters. Macdonald & Co. ISBN   0-356-01447-9. OCLC   655407936.
  • Green, William; Swanborough, Gordon (1976). JWW2 Aircraft Fact Files: Japanese Army Fighters, Part 1. London: Macdonald and Jane's. ISBN   0-356-08224-5. OCLC   820486093.
  • Famous Aircraft of the World, no.76: Japanese Army Experimental Fighters. Tokyo, Japan: Bunrin-Do Co. Ltd. August 1976.
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