Kawasaki Ki-45 KAIc Toryu (Nick)

Dedicated Night-Fighter Aircraft [ 1944 ]

The Kawasaki Ki-45 Toryu served as the Imperial Japanese Armys only night-fighter of the Second World war.

Authored By: Staff Writer | Last Edited: 05/15/2019 | Content ©www.MilitaryFactory.com | The following text is exclusive to this site.

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Despite serving in limited numbers, fielded with no search-finding radar and appearing as the only Imperial Japanese Army night-fighter of the Second World War, the Kawasaki-brand Ki-45 KAIc night-fighter platform proved a success in defense of the Japanese homeland, particularly against the new and high-level B-29 Superfortresses constantly bombarding the island. The aircraft itself was derived from IJA's own developmentally-plagued Ki-45 Toryu (translating to "Dragon Killer" and nicknamed "Nick" by the Allies) base platform that also appeared in Ki-45 KAIb heavy dayfighter form. Limitations aside, the aircraft provided some much needed defense for a nation now playing the war from a defensive standpoint.

The Ki-45 KAIc was a twin-engine two-crew aircraft built in much the same vein as the Messerschmitt BF110 and the de Havilland DH.98 Mosquito. Both engines of Mitsubishi type straddled the fuselage on low-mounted monoplane wings. The crew sat in a split greenhouse-type cockpit area in the center of the design with a single rudder fin in the aft tail assembly. Armament consisted of a single 37mm cannon with semi-automatic action in the nose. Twin 20mm cannons were mounted in an oblique upward-facing position between pilot and rear gunner in the cockpit. A single 7.92mm machine gun was fitted as a hand-held defensive measure in the rear cockpit.

Though one might wonder why the aircraft was fitted with just a single 37mm cannon in the nose it is because the intent was there to fit an AI-type radar into the nose assembly in conjunction with the armament. This never materialized due to production difficulties but the systems were nevertheless fielded as nightfighters with competent and overall promising results.©MilitaryFactory.com

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Specifications

Service Year

1944

Origin

Imperial Japan

Status

RETIRED
Not in Service.

Crew

2

Production

477
UNITS

Kawasaki - Japan

(View other Aviaton-Related Manufacturers)

Imperial Japan

(OPERATORS list includes past, present, and future operators when applicable)

✓ Air-to-Air Combat, Fighter
General ability to actively engage other aircraft of similar form and function, typically through guns, missiles, and/or aerial rockets.

Length

36.1 ft
(11.00 m)

Width/Span

49.3 ft
(15.02 m)

Height

12.1 ft
(3.70 m)

Empty Wgt

8,818 lb
(4,000 kg)

MTOW

12,125 lb
(5,500 kg)

Wgt Diff

+3,307 lb
(+1,500 kg)

(Showcased structural values pertain to the base Kawasaki Ki-45 KAIc Toryu (Nick) production variant)

Installed: 2 x Mitsubishi Ha-102 14-cylinder air-cooled radial piston engines developing 1,080 horsepower each.

Max Speed

336 mph
(540 kph | 292 kts)

Ceiling

32,808 ft
(10,000 m | 6 mi)

Range

1,243 mi
(2,000 km | 3,704 nm)

Rate-of-Climb

2,343 ft/min
(714 m/min)

♦ MACH Regime (Sonic)

Sub

Trans

Super

Hyper

HiHyper

ReEntry

♦

(Showcased performance specifications pertain to the base Kawasaki Ki-45 KAIc Toryu (Nick) 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 37mm Type 98 cannon in forward-firing nose mount
2 x 20mm Ho-5 cannon in upward-firing fuselage position
1 x 7.92mm machine gun in hand-held dorsal gun position

Supported Types

Graphical image of an aircraft medium machine gun

Graphical image of an aircraft automatic cannon

(Not all ordnance types may be represented in the showcase above)

Hardpoint Mountings: 0

Ki-45 - Prototype Model Designation

Ki-45 KAI - Prototype Model Designation and Pre-Production Model Designation.

Ki-45 KAIa - Initial Production Variant; fitted with 1 x 20mm cannon, 2 x 12.7mm machine guns and 1 x 7.92mm machine (rear cockpit).

Ki-45 KAIb - Fitted with Mitsubishi Ha-102 at 1,050 horsepower; armament consisted of 1 x 37mm forward-firing fuselage mounted cannon, 1 x 20mm cannon in nose and 1 x 7.92mm machine gun in rear cokcpit; trialled with 75mm cannon for anti-shipping duty.

Ka-45 KAIc - Dedicated Night-Fighter Variant; fitted with 1 x 37mm cannon, 2 x 20mm cannons and 1 x 7.92mm machine gun.

Ki-45 KAId - Maritime Patrol Fighter

Ki-45 II - Proposed Experimental Model

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Images Gallery

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Image of the Kawasaki Ki-45 KAIc Toryu (Nick)

Right side profile view of the Kawasaki Ki-45 KAIc night-fighter; color

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