HOME

AVIATION INDEX

MODERN AIR FORCES

AIRCRAFT BY COUNTRY

AIRCRAFT MANUFACTURERS

COMPARE AIRCRAFT

AIRCRAFT BY CONFLICT

AIRCRAFT BY TYPE

AIRCRAFT BY DECADE

WWII AIRCRAFT

X-PLANE AIRCRAFT

Aviation / Aerospace

Tachikawa Ki-106 (Ki-84 Hayate)

All-Wood Single-Seat Fighter Prototype [ 1945 ]

The Tachikawa Ki-106 was an all-wooden form of the classic Nakajima Ki-94 Hayate fighter line.

Authored By: Staff Writer | Last Edited: 02/08/2018 | Content ©www.MilitaryFactory.com | The following text is exclusive to this site.

VIEW SPECIFICATIONS [+]

Because of the deteriorating war situation for Japan amidst the relentless Allied bombing campaign of the Japanese homeland, high-performance aircraft of all sorts were sought to contend with the new generation of Allied fighters and the arrival of the American Boeing B-29 "Superfortress" high-altitude heavy bomber. The Nakajima Ki-84 "Hayate" represented one of the finer mid-to-late-war fighters available to the nation and went on to see 3,514 examples produced while being regarded as the best quantitatively-available Japanese fighter of the entire conflict. It was decided to develop a low-cost, all-wood version of this fighter to reduce the reliance on valuable alloys and other precious war material needed elsewhere. This initiative became the forgotten Tachikawa "Ki-106".

The requirement appeared in September of 1943 and was assigned to Tachikawa Hikoki engineers. Their mission was to redesign the classic Ki-84 into a fully wooden form with assistance given through the Army Aerotechnical Research Institute. Beyond its all-wood construction, the aircraft was simplified for low-skilled labor to be employed in its construction process essentially making the Ki-106 a budget fighter able to be built in just about anyplace resembling a common wood shop. Final assembly would require slightly more skilled labor but the end result would be an easier-to-produce fighter platform desperately in need by the air services of Japan.©MilitaryFactory.com

The Ki-106 mimicked much of the form and function of the all-metal Ki-84 before it. Ohjo Koku handled construction of the prototypes to which the first (of three) flew in July of 1945. The protracted development of the product meant that it did not go airborne until very late in the war when Japanese losses were insurmountable. Power came from a single Nakajima Ha-45-21 series radial piston engine driving a three-bladed propeller through 2,000 horsepower output. Wing mainplanes were featured forward of midships as in the Ki-84 and the cockpit was held over center. Armament was reduced from the 4 x 20mm cannon arrangement seen in the Ki-84 to a 2 x 20mm cannon battery as a weight-saving measure (the all-wood construction of the Ki-106 made it heavier than the all-metal form).

The three prototypes were all that was built of the Ki-106 line for the Japanese surrender of 1945 ended development of this Japanese "wooden wonder". The second prototype managed to go airborne just before the cessation of hostilities and was outfitted with its proposed armament scheme showing some progress.©MilitaryFactory.com

Note: The above text is EXCLUSIVE to the site www.MilitaryFactory.com. It is the product of many hours of research and work made possible with the help of contributors, veterans, insiders, and topic specialists. If you happen upon this text anywhere else on the internet or in print, please let us know at MilitaryFactory AT gmail DOT com so that we may take appropriate action against the offender / offending site and continue to protect this original work.

Specifications

BASICS [+] MANUFACTURER(S) [+] OPERATORS [+] ROLES [+] DIMENSIONS & WEIGHTS [+] POWER & PERFORMANCE [+] ARMAMENT [+] HARDPOINTS [+] VARIANTS [+] HONORS [+]

Disclaimer | Privacy Policy | Cookies

2024 Military Pay Chart Military Ranks DoD Dictionary Conversion Calculators Military Alphabet Code Military Map Symbols

The "Military Factory" name and MilitaryFactory.com logo are registered ® U.S. trademarks protected by all applicable domestic and international intellectual property laws. All written content, illustrations, and photography are unique to this website (unless where indicated) and not for reuse/reproduction in any form. Material presented throughout this website is for historical and entertainment value only and should not to be construed as usable for hardware restoration, maintenance, or general operation. We do not sell any of the items showcased on this site. Please direct all other inquiries to militaryfactory AT gmail.com. No A.I. was used in the generation of this content; site is 100% curated by humans.

Part of a network of sites that includes GlobalFirepower, a data-driven property used in ranking the top military powers of the world, WDMMA.org (World Directory of Modern Military Aircraft), WDMMW.org (World Directory of Modern Military Warships), SR71blackbird.org, detailing the history of the world's most iconic spyplane, and MilitaryRibbons.info, cataloguing military medals and ribbons. Special Interest: RailRoad Junction, the locomotive encyclopedia.

©2023 www.MilitaryFactory.com • All Rights Reserved • Content ©2003-2023 (20yrs)