From 1941 onwards, the Imperial Japanese Army Air Force (IJAAF) relied on the twin-engine Mitsubishi Ki-46 (Allied codename of "Dinah") for fast reconnaissance work. 1,742 of its kind were produced across several major marks. In time, thought was given to pursuit of replacing this early war implement and this gave rise to the little-remembered Tachikawa Ki-70 ("Clara").
For speed, the Ki-70 was to retain a twin-engine layout mated to a well-streamlined fuselage. The nose section was heavily glazed for excellent vision with the cockpit stepped just aft. Along the dorsal spine rear was another heavily glazed section for views to the sides and rear. The crew numbered three. Rounded monoplane wings were set at midships with the tail unit consisting of a split vertical fin arrangement along a singular horizontal plane. The powerplant of choice became a pair of Mitsubishi Ha-104M engines of 2,070 horsepower output driving four-bladed propeller units. Dimensions included a length of 14.5 meters, a wingspan of 17.8 meters, and a height of 3.46 meters. Empty weight was 13,000 lb with a Maximum Take-Off Weight (MTOW) reaching 23,590 lb.
Due to the fast speeds and relatively high altitudes that the Ki-70 was required to operate at, its armament was strictly defensive in nature - centering around a modest 1 x 12.7mm heavy machine gun and 1 x 7.7mm machine gun pairing. The rear cockpit was to be a dedicated machine gunner's position.
Tachikawa managed to complete the initial prototype in 1943 to which a first flight took place that same year. The program eventually netted a total of three prototypes in all yet none were able to prove the product sound - the Ki-70 was a slower aircraft than the one it was intended to replace and handling issues were not all that favorable. By the end of the war, the Ki-70 initiative was abandoned in favor of more critical wartime endeavors.
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(OPERATORS list includes past, present, and future operators when applicable)
✓Intelligence-Surveillance-Reconnaissance (ISR), Scout
Surveil ground targets / target areas to assess environmental threat levels, enemy strength, or enemy movement.
✓X-Plane (Developmental, Prototype, Technology Demonstrator)
Aircraft developed for the role of prototyping, technology demonstration, or research / data collection.
Length
47.6 ft (14.50 m)
Width/Span
58.4 ft (17.80 m)
Height
11.4 ft (3.46 m)
Empty Wgt
13,007 lb (5,900 kg)
MTOW
23,589 lb (10,700 kg)
Wgt Diff
+10,582 lb (+4,800 kg)
(Showcased structural values pertain to the base Tachikawa Ki-70 (Clara) production variant)
Installed:
2 x Mitsubishi Ha-104M (Army Type 4) 18-cylinder air-cooled radial piston engine developing 2,070 horsepower each driving four-bladed propeller units.
(Showcased performance specifications pertain to the base Tachikawa Ki-70 (Clara) 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 Heavy Machine Gun (HMG).
1 x 7.7mm Medium Machine Gun (MMG).
Supported Types
(Not all ordnance types may be represented in the showcase above)
Hardpoint Mountings: 0
Ki-70 - Base Series Designation; only three prototypes produced.
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
