#KI-84 Hayate Frank

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KI-84 Hayate “Frank”

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Nakajima Ki-84 Hayate fighter aircraft

First flown February 1943 , the Ki-84 was operated by the  Imperial Japanese Army Air Service in the last two years of World War II. The Allied reporting name was "Frank"; the Japanese Army designation was Army Type 4 Fighter. It had a top speed of over 400 mph, it was the fastest fighter of it’s type used by the Japanese.

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1945 02 Nakajima Ki-84 Type 4 Hayate 'Frank' 47 Sentai -Takayoshi Wada

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Jun Oizumi

Nakajima Ki-84 Frank, Type 4 Hayate, Iruma Air Base 10 October, 1973

[greatworldwar2]

• Nakajima Ki-43 Hayabusa

The Nakajima Ki-43 Hayabusa (隼, "Peregrine Falcon" was a single-engine land based tactical fighter used by the Imperial Japanese Army Air Force in World War II.

The Ki-43 was designed by Hideo Itokawa, who would later become famous as a pioneer of Japanese rocketry. The Ki-43 prototype was produced in response to a December 1937 specification for a successor to the popular fixed-gear Nakajima Ki-27 Nate. The specification called for a top speed of 500 km/h (311 mph), a climb rate of 5,000 m (16,400 ft) in five minutes and a range of 800 km (500 mi). Maneuverability was to be at least as good as that of the Ki-27. When first flown in early January 1939, the Ki-43 prototype was a disappointment. Japanese test pilots complained that it was less maneuverable than the Ki-27 Nate and not much faster. In order to solve these problems, Nakajima produced a series of progressively modified prototypes through 1939 and 1940. These changes involved a major weight saving program, a slimmer fuselage with the tail surfaces moved further aft and a new canopy.

Crucially, the 11th prototype introduced the unique differential "butterfly" maneuvering Fowler flaps, which dramatically improved performance in tight turns. The 13th prototype combined all these changes, and tests of this aircraft resulted in an instruction for Nakajima to place the Ki-43 into production, the Ki-27 jigs being transferred to the Mansyu factory at Harbin in Japanese occupied Manchukuo. The Ki-43 (Oscar) was initially produced in November 1939, given the designation Ki-43-I. Deliveries from Nakajima's Ota factory commenced in February 1941. In addition to outstanding maneuverability, the Ki-43-I had an impressive rate of climb due to its light weight. Power was provided by the Nakajima Ha-25 engine turning a two-bladed, two-position variable-pitch metal propeller. The Ki-43 was equipped with two synchronized cowling machine guns in various configurations, with either two 7.7 mm (.303 in) Type 89 machine guns, one 12.7 mm (.50 in) Ho-103 machine gun and one 7.7 mm (.303 in) gun, or two 12.7 mm (.50 in) Ho-103 guns; the aircraft was given various sub-designations to reflect these differences.

Prototypes for the Ki-43-II flew in February 1942. The Ha-25 engine was upgraded with the 2-stage supercharger, thus becoming the more powerful Nakajima Ha-115 engine, which was installed in a longer-chord cowling. The new engine turned a three-bladed propeller. The wing structure, which had suffered failures in the Ki-43-I, was strengthened and equipped with racks for drop tanks or bombs. The Ki-43-II was also fitted with a 13 mm armor plate for the pilot's head and back, and the aircraft's fuel tanks were coated in rubber to form a crude self-sealing tank. This was later replaced by a 3-layer rubber bladder, 8mm core construction; with 2mm oil-proof lamination. The pilot also enjoyed a slightly taller canopy and a reflector gunsight in place of the earlier telescopic gunsight. Nakajima commenced production of the Ki-43-II at its Ota factory in November 1942.

The Ki-43 was the most widely used Army fighter, and equipped 30 sentai FR,(flight regiment) and 12 chutais IS,(independent squadrons). The first unit equipped with the Ki 43-I was the 59th FR at Hankow Airfield, during June–August 1941 and began operational sorties over Hengyang on October 29th, 1941. The second unit to re-equip with the new Aircraft was the 64th FR, from August to November 1941. The first version, Ki-43-I, entered service in 1941, the Ki-43-II in December 1942, the Ki-43-II-Kai in June 1943, and the Ki-43-IIIa in summer 1944. The aircraft fought in China, Burma, the Malay Peninsula, New Guinea, the Philippines, South Pacific islands and the Japanese home islands. Like the Zero, the Ki-43 initially enjoyed air superiority in the skies of Malaya, Netherlands East Indies, Burma and New Guinea. This was partly due to the better performance of the Oscar and partly due to the relatively small numbers of combat-ready Allied fighters, mostly the Curtiss P-36 Hawk, Curtiss P-40, Brewster Buffalo, Hawker Hurricane and Curtiss-Wright CW-21 in Asia and the Pacific during the first months of the war.

As the war progressed, however, the fighter suffered from the same weaknesses as the slower, fixed-gear Ki-27 "Nate" predecessor to the Oscar, and the more advanced naval A6M Zero; light armor and less-than-effective self-sealing fuel tanks, which caused high casualties in combat. Its armament of two machine guns also proved inadequate against the more heavily armored Allied aircraft. As newer Allied aircraft were introduced, such as the Republic P-47 Thunderbolt, Lockheed P-38 Lightning, North American P-51 Mustang. The Japanese were forced into a defensive war and most aircraft were flown by inexperienced pilots. However, even near the end, the Oscar's excellent maneuverability could still gain advantage over rash Allied pilots. Like most Japanese combat types, many Hayabusas were at the end expended in kamikaze strikes.

The Ki-43 also served in an air defense role over Formosa, Okinawa and the Japanese home islands. Some examples were supplied to the pro-Japanese regimes of Thailand, Manchukuo and Wang Jingwei Government as well. The Thai units sometimes fought against the USAAF in southern China. Hayabusas were well liked in the JAAF because of the pleasant flight characteristics and excellent maneuverability, and almost all JAAF fighter aces claimed victories with Hayabusa in some part of their career. At the end of the war, most Hayabusa units received Ki-84 Hayate "Frank" fighters, but some units flew the Hayabusa to the end of the war. The top-scoring Hayabusa pilot was Sergeant Satoshi Anabuki with 39 confirmed victories, almost all scored with the Ki-43.

After the war, some captured examples served in limited numbers in the French Air Force in Indochina against Viet Minh rebels. Ki-43s abandoned in the Netherlands East Indies were taken over by the newly declared Indonesian government and put into service during the fight against Dutch forces. Over the course of the war 5,819 Ki-43-I, Ki-43-II and Ki-43-IIIa builds were produced. Several surviving examples are a Ki-43-I on display at Flying Heritage Collection in Everett, Washington, a Ki-43-II displayed unrestored at the Australian War Museum in Canberra, Australian Capital Territory. Ki-43 originally under restoration/rebuild at Texas Airplane Factory, Meacham Field, Fort Worth, Texas, and a Ki-43 awaiting restoration at The Fighter Collection in Duxford, United Kingdom.

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Ki-84 Hayate (Allied codename “Frank”)

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Nakajima KI-84 Hayate “Frank”

Tamiya 1/48

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A P-61 Black Widow sneaking up on a Ki-84 Hayate(Frank)

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FULL STORY=> https://ift.tt/2ufuTEN Nakajima Ki-84 Hayate "Frank" Nakajima Ki-84 Hayate "Frank" A mediados de 1942 la situación de Japón comienza a empeorar. La batalla de Midway supone una enorme sangría de pilotos y portaviones. Nuevos cazas americanos, como el F6F Hellcat o F4U Corsair comienzan a aparecer y su número aumenta con los meses. Los antes invencibles Zeros y Ki-43 se ven cada vez más superados. El caza Ki-84 se desarrolló en plena conflagración y remedió los defectos de modelos anteriores, escasamente protegidos y armados. El Hayate se convertiría en el caza más temido del Imperio del Sol, pero como ocurre muchas veces su historia estaría marcada por el trágico “Demasiado pocos, demasiado tarde”. A pesar de la excelencia del diseño el Frank no pudo alterar la balanza de la guerra durante 1944-45 y cientos de ellos fueron derribados. https://ift.tt/2ufuTEN

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KI-84 Hayate “Frank”

[allaboutkits-blog]

1/72 Nakajima Ki84 Hayate (Frank)

1/72 Nakajima Ki84 Hayate (Frank)

This single-engine, land-based tactical fighter was flown by the Imperial Japanese Army Air Force in World War II and featured the army designation of “Army Type 4 Fighter”. Code-named “Frank” by the Allies, the Ki-84 was considered to be the best Japanese fighter to see large-scale operations during the war. With excellent performance and maneuverability, it could outmatch any Allied fighter and…

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Jun Oizumi

Nakajima Ki-84 Frank, Type 4 Hayate, Iruma Air Base 10 October, 1973

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Jun Oizumi

Nakajima Ki-84 Frank, Type 4 Hayate, Iruma Air Base 10 October, 1973

[usafphantom2]

Jun Oizumi

Nakajima Ki-84 Frank, Type 4 Hayate, Iruma Air Base 10 October, 1973

[usafphantom2]

Jun Oizumi

Nakajima Ki-84 Frank, Type 4 Hayate, Iruma Air Base 10 October, 1973

[usafphantom2]

Jun Oizumi

Nakajima Ki-84 Frank, Type 4 Hayate, Iruma Air Base 10 October, 1973