Tachikawa Ki-55

Ki-55
General information
Type	Military advanced training aircraft
Manufacturer	Tachikawa Aircraft Company
Primary users	Imperial Japanese Army Air Force Royal Thai Air Force
Number built	1,389
History
Manufactured	1940 - 1943
First flight	September 1939
Retired	1945 (Japan) 1953 (China)
Developed from	Tachikawa Ki-36

The Tachikawa Ki-55 was a Japanese advanced trainer.

Design and development

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.

Variants

Ki-36

Army co-operation aircraft.

Ki-72

An evolved version with a 447 kW (599 hp) Hitachi Ha38 engine and retractable undercarriage. Not built.

Operators

Tachikawa Ki-36 trainer at the Royal Thai Air Force Museum

  Japan

• Imperial Japanese Army Air Force

• Kumagaya Army Flying School
• Mito Army Flying School
• Tachiarai Army Flying School
• Utsonomiya Army Flying School

Manchukuo

• Manchukuo Air Force

Reorganized National Government of China

• National Government of China Air Force received several from the Japanese.

  Republic of China

• Republic of China Air Force operated captured aircraft.

  People's Republic of China

• People's Liberation Army Air Force operated more than 30 captured aircraft at the end of 1945. These Ki-55s were used until the last 14 retired in 1953.

  Thailand

• Royal Thai Air Force

Francillon also mentions delivery to the Japanese satellite air force of Cochinchina, the southernmost third part of present Vietnam ^[2]

Specifications (Ki-55)

3-view drawing of the Tachikawa Ki-55

Data from Japanese Aircraft of the Pacific War ^[3]

General characteristics

• Crew: 2
• Length: 8 m (26 ft 3 in)
• Wingspan: 11.8 m (38 ft 9 in)
• Height: 3.64 m (11 ft 11 in)
• Wing area: 20 m² (220 sq ft)
• Airfoil:root: NACA 23014; tip: NACA 23006 ^[4]
• Empty weight: 1,292 kg (2,848 lb)
• Gross weight: 1,721 kg (3,794 lb)
• Powerplant: 1 × Hitachi Ha13a (Army Type 98 450hp Air Cooled Radial) 9-cylinder air-cooled radial piston engine, 380 kW (510 hp) for take-off

350 kW (470 hp) at 1,700 m (5,600 ft)

• Propellers: 2-bladed wooden propeller

Performance

• Maximum speed: 349 km/h (217 mph, 188 kn) at 2,200 m (7,200 ft)
• Cruise speed: 235 km/h (146 mph, 127 kn)
• Range: 1,060 km (660 mi, 570 nmi)
• Service ceiling: 8,200 m (26,900 ft)
• Time to altitude: 3,000 m (9,800 ft) in 6 minutes 55 seconds
• Wing loading: 86.1 kg/m² (17.6 lb/sq ft)
• Power/mass: 0.222 kW/kg (0.135 hp/lb)

Armament

• Guns: one fixed, forward-firing 7.7mm (0.303in) Type 89 machine gun

See also

Related development

• Tachikawa Ki-36

Related lists

• List of military aircraft of Japan

References

1. Francillon 1979 , p. 254.
2. Francillon 1979 , p. 252.
3. Francillon 1979, p. 253.
4. Lednicer, David. "The Incomplete Guide to Airfoil Usage". m-selig.ae.illinois.edu. Retrieved 16 April 2019.

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); 3rd edition 1987, Putnam Aeronautical Books. ISBN   0-85177-801-1.)
• Green, William & Swanborough, Gordon (n.d.). "Pentagon Over the Islands: The Thirty-Year History of Indonesian Military Aviation". Air Enthusiast Quarterly (2): 154–162. ISSN   0143-5450.