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Rikugun Ki-93


Heavy Fighter / Anti-Shipping Attack Aircraft Prototype


Imperial Japan | 1945



"Intended for the Imperial Japanese Army of World War 2, the Rikugun Ki-93 heavy fighter only saw one completed prototype before the end, a second laying unfinished."

Power & Performance
Those special qualities that separate one aircraft design from another. Performance specifications presented assume optimal operating conditions for the Rikugun Ki-93 Heavy Fighter / Anti-Shipping Attack Aircraft Prototype.
2 x Mitsubishi Ha-214 18-cylinder air-cooled radial piston engines developing 1,970 horsepower each (take-off power).
Propulsion
388 mph
625 kph | 337 kts
Max Speed
39,534 ft
12,050 m | 7 miles
Service Ceiling
1,864 miles
3,000 km | 1,620 nm
Operational Range
2,140 ft/min
652 m/min
Rate-of-Climb
Structure
The nose-to-tail, wingtip-to-wingtip physical qualities of the Rikugun Ki-93 Heavy Fighter / Anti-Shipping Attack Aircraft Prototype.
2
(MANNED)
Crew
46.7 ft
14.22 m
O/A Length
62.3 ft
(19.00 m)
O/A Width
15.9 ft
(4.85 m)
O/A Height
16,954 lb
(7,690 kg)
Empty Weight
25,221 lb
(11,440 kg)
MTOW
Armament
Available supported armament and special-mission equipment featured in the design of the Rikugun Ki-93 Heavy Fighter / Anti-Shipping Attack Aircraft Prototype .
Ki-93-Ia Bomber Destroyer:
1 x 57mm Ho-402 cannon in ventral gondola structure
2 x 20mm Ho-5 cannon in wing roots
1 x 12.7mm Ho-103 machine gun on trainable mounting in rear cockpit.

Ki-93-Ib Anti-Shipping Variant:
1 x 75mm cannon in ventral gondola
2 x 550lb conventional drop bombs
Variants
Notable series variants as part of the Rikugun Ki-93 family line.
Ki-93 - Base Series Designation; one prototype complete
Ki-93-Ia - Heavy Fighter variant armed with 1 x 57mm cannon in ventral gondola and 2 x 20mm cannons in wing roots.
Ki-93-Ib - Anti-Shipping variant armed with 1 x 75mm cannon in ventral gondola; support for 2 x 550 lb bombs.
Authored By: Staff Writer | Last Edited: 05/22/2016 | Content ©www.MilitaryFactory.com | The following text is exclusive to this site; No A.I. was used in the generation of this content.

The heavy fighter as a military aircraft class was a constant throughout the inventories of the air services participating in World War 2. Japanese seemed to take a particular interest in the type and held a stable of several strong performers during the period while other designs either failed outright or were ultimately abandoned as the war progressed. The Rikugun Ki-93 was another entry into the category but this design only ever reached the prototype stage with one example completed and a second left unfinished by war's end.

The Ki-93 began life through an initiative by the Japanese Army Aerotechnical Research Institute in 1941. Design studies were undertaken to produce an advanced twin engine, all-metal heavy-class fighter to be powered by a pair of Mitsubishi radials and work spanned into 1943 before a contract was formally issued in February covering two prototypes and one test article.

The finalized design came to be of a conventional heavy fighter arrangement: a slim fuselage would feature a crew of two in tandem (back-to-back) sitting under a heavily-glazed canopy, engines mounted under low-set monoplane wing assemblies, and a "tail dragger" undercarriage used. The tail unit was traditional with its single fin and low-mounted stabilizers. Both the cockpit and wing mainplanes were affixed ahead of midships. Overall dimensions included a length of 46.7 feet, a wingspan of 62.3 feet and a height of 16 feet. Empty weight was 17,000 lb against a gross weight of 25,220 lb.

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Power was to come from 2 x Mitsubishi Ha-211 18-cylinder twin-row radial piston engines each delivering 1,970 horsepower on take-off and driving six-bladed propellers. These were fitted to underslung nacelles protruding from the wing leading edges. Performance specifications indicated a sound aircraft for the period with a maximum speed of 388 miles per hour, a cruising speed of 215 miles per hour, a range out to 1,865 miles and a service ceiling of 39,535 feet. Performance was only a key concern for the low-to-medium flight envelopes expected of the machine for its attack role. For this reason, the cockpit section was also armored.

Intended armament for the type was a single 57mm Ho-402 cannon set within a ventral gondola and 2 x 20mm Ho-5 cannons fitted to the wing roots. For defense against trailing interceptors, the rear crewman managed a 12.7mm Ho-103 heavy machine gun on a trainable mount.

Beyond the basic "Ki-93-Ia" heavy fighter / bomber destroyer version planned, there was also a proposed anti-shipping variant as the "Ki-93-Ib" It would carry a 75mm cannon (in the ventral gondola) as well as support 2 x 550lb conventional drop bombs. It is conceivable that both forms would ultimately support launch rails for rockets given their dedicated attack roles.

Completed in March of 1945, first flight of the initial Ki-93 prototype was finally had on April 8th. By this time it was obvious that the Ki-93 had been in development for far too long considering the worsening war situation for Japan - the war had now turned into a defensive one in nature. The twenty minute test flight over Tachikawa Airfield involving two crewmembers ended with a crash as the aircraft hit ahead of the runway, damaging the portside undercarriage, engine and propeller. While the crew escaped, the damage was such that it delayed the program some four weeks as repairs were undertaken. To add further woe to its development phase, an Allied air raid destroyed the Ki-93's hangar - helping to end the project prematurely. The second prototype under construction was never made ready before the end of the war as equipment was still being fitted.

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Operators
Global customers who have evaluated and/or operated the Rikugun Ki-93. Nations are displayed by flag, each linked to their respective national aircraft listing.

Total Production: 1 Units

Contractor(s): Army Aerotechnical Research Institute - Imperial Japan
National flag of modern Japan

[ Imperial Japan (cancelled) ]
1 / 1
Image of the Rikugun Ki-93
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