Ki-55 | |
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Role | Military advanced training aircraft |
Manufacturer | Tachikawa Aircraft Company |
First flight | September 1939 |
Retired | 1945 (Japan) 1953 (China) |
Primary users | Imperial Japanese Army Air Force Royal Thai Air Force |
Produced | 1940 - 1943 |
Number built | 1,389 |
Developed from | Tachikawa Ki-36 |
The Tachikawa Ki-55 was a Japanese advanced trainer.
The excellent characteristics of the Tachikawa Ki-36 made it potentially ideal as a trainer. This led to the development of the Ki-55 with a single machine gun. After successful testing of a prototype in September 1939, the type was put into production as the Tachikawa Army Type 99 Advanced Trainer.
In all 1,389 Ki-55 were constructed before production ended in December 1943 with Tachikawa having built 1078 and Kawasaki 311. [1]
Both the Ki-55 and the Ki-36 were given the Allied nickname 'Ida.'
Francillon also mentions delivery to the Japanese satellite air force of Cochinchina, the southernmost third part of present Vietnam [2]
Data from Japanese Aircraft of the Pacific War [3]
General characteristics
Performance
Armament
Related development
Related lists
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