In the realm of World War 2 Japanese Empire aviation, Tachikawa certainly does not carry the same weight as do names such as Mitsubishi and Nakajima. However, the company was responsible for a family of aircraft using the "Ki" designator that dated back to the two-seat biplane trainer "Ki-9" of 1935. During the war years the company also lent its expertise in the design, development, and production of other aircraft including its own "Ki-74", a long-range reconnaissance bomber of the war and appeared in just sixteen examples.
For this product, Tachikawa engineers elected for a twin engine layout, consistent with other high-speed platforms of the period - namely the famous British de Havilland DH.98 "Mosquito". These powerplants would be fitted into streamlined nacelles located along the lead edges of each monoplane wing. To squeeze every bit of speed out of the airframe, a well-streamlined fuselage was designed. The tail unit utilized a conventional single-finned layout with low-set horizontal planes. The undercarriage was of the "tail-dragger" configuration with two single-wheeled main legs (under the engine nacelles) and a diminutive tailwheel at rear.
Developed of the Ki-74 was primarily for the Imperial Japanese Army Air Force (IJAAF), the air arm of its massive land army. The long-range reconnaissance /bomber role was an ongoing requirement of the military as its many conquests across Asia and the Pacific would require a long endurance thoroughbred. As such, the aircraft was in the design stage as soon as 1939 but other military commitments by both the IJAAF and Tachikawa ensured that a first flight was not made until March of 1944.
As built, the Ki-74 carried a crew of five personnel throughout its deep fuselage. it displayed a length of 58 feet, a wingspan of 61 feet, and a height of 16.8 feet. Empty weight was listed at 22,490lb with a gross weight nearing 42,770lb. Power from the Ha-104 radials provided a maximum speed of 355 miles per hour with a cruising speed in the 250-mile range. The aircraft's service ceiling reached 39,370 feet and range was out to 4,970 miles.
As a high performance, high speed mount, the aircraft was modestly armed with a sole 12.7mm Ho-103 heavy machine gun - its best defense was outrunning any ground-based fire or incoming interceptor. It was also designed to carry a bombload up to 2,200lb to fulfill its secondary bomber role.
Despite the work put into the Ki-74 product, it never materialized beyond the aforementioned sixteen prototypes and preproduction aircraft. The war situation in Japan grew to the point that only emergency programs were furthered and war materials rationed to the extreme. The Ki-74 entered into the final stages of its development when the war with ended the Japanese surrender in August of 1945 - leaving the aircraft to not see any operational service in the conflict and a rather low-profile history overall.
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(OPERATORS list includes past, present, and future operators when applicable)
✓Ground Attack (Bombing, Strafing)
Ability to conduct aerial bombing of ground targets by way of (but not limited to) guns, bombs, missiles, rockets, and the like.
✓Intelligence-Surveillance-Reconnaissance (ISR), Scout
Surveil ground targets / target areas to assess environmental threat levels, enemy strength, or enemy movement.
Length
57.9 ft (17.65 m)
Width/Span
61.0 ft (18.60 m)
Height
16.7 ft (5.10 m)
Empty Wgt
22,487 lb (10,200 kg)
MTOW
42,770 lb (19,400 kg)
Wgt Diff
+20,283 lb (+9,200 kg)
(Showcased structural values pertain to the base Tachikawa Ki-74 (Pat / Patsy) production variant)
(Showcased performance specifications pertain to the base Tachikawa Ki-74 (Pat / Patsy) production variant. Performance specifications showcased above are subject to environmental factors as well as aircraft configuration. Estimates are made when Real Data not available. Compare this aircraft entry against any other in our database or View aircraft by powerplant type)
STANDARD:
1 x 12.7mm Ho-103 heavy machine gun
OPTIONAL:
up to 2,200lb of conventional drop bombs.
Supported Types
(Not all ordnance types may be represented in the showcase above)
Hardpoint Mountings: 0
Ki-74 - Base Series Deisgnation; sixteen aircraft completed in all.
Ribbon graphics not necessarily indicative of actual historical campaign ribbons. Ribbons are clickable to their respective aerial campaigns / operations / aviation periods.
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Imperial Japan
