Combat aircraft. Best Japanese but not Zero?

2024 Author: Matthew Elmers | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 21:49

Of course, ask anyone today which plane was Japan's best during World War II, and a mighty roar will be heard in response: "Zero !!!"

And some "specialists" and "experts" are also stubbornly pushing the A6M into all charts, regardless of who is the ship's neighbors: fighter-bombers, deck ships, escort …

Was the A6M0 and its modifications really that good? Or maybe there was something better?

I believe it was. Not immediately, of course, with the course of the war. But before that, I would like to say a few words about Zero.

I will not argue with those who believe that this was an outstanding car. This is really controversial, but the dismantling of the deck ships has already taken place, the opinion has remained in the same place. The A6M was more than a peculiar car, so …

So I will simply suggest that you sit in his cockpit and, in the company of the same strange fellows, go towards the "Cats" and "Corsairs" from American aircraft carriers.

You have no armor. Generally. Any burst from a rifle caliber machine gun into a side or rear projection - and you have problems. About bullets of large-caliber machine guns and air cannons, I just keep quiet. With them, it is even more humane to immediately go to the next world, without suffering.

You can only hide behind the engine in the front hemisphere, and even then conditionally. The Kinsei you have is a replica of a 9-cylinder in-line air vent from the Pratt-Whitney R-1689 Hornet from the pre-war period. It would be more reliable with a two-row air vent, but, as they say, we have what we have.

True, unlike its counterpart water cooling, an air vent can give you a chance. And not die from one or two bullets. Or maybe not.

But even if you did not get punched, the bullets passed, lucky, you should not relax. Gas and oil tanks are another problem. They don't wear armor either. The tanks are not sealed and are not filled with exhaust gases.

In general, a pyromaniac's dream, not an airplane. If they don't kill, they will burn it. What to do, such is the price for maneuverability, both in the horizon and in the vertical. And what if the Kinsei from Mitsubishi (and also Sakae from Nakajima) gave no more than 1000 hp at the beginning of the war.

So the "Zero" had maneuverability, altitude, range and more or less decent armament, but it was paid for it very dearly: with the lives of the pilots. And as soon as the pilots trained before the war began to knock out with the course of the war, things on the air front did not go very well.

In principle, the situation painfully resembles what I said when I was closely examining the Me-109 and FW-190. And the Japanese were faced with a difficult choice - either to finally make an aircraft according to the European or American model, or to end up without an Air Force at all, since there will be no pilots for the aircraft.

Well, what if the Americans, British and Australians were unfamiliar with the Bushido code, and they did not want to go headlong into the cannons and machine guns, preferring to bombard enemy fighters with bullets? Fortunately, those did not need much at all.

So, Hayata. Fighter Nakajima Ki-84.

Combat aircraft. Best Japanese but not Zero?

I must say right away that the Kawasaki Ki-61 Hien will have the same review, but alas, the Japanese could not make a liquid-cooled engine. Daimler-Benz DB 601A - the engine is simply magnificent, and the Germans did everything so that the Japanese could produce it at their factories, but, alas, the "Japanese Messerschmitt" did not take off. More precisely, of course, he took off and fought, but alas, he cannot call him successful.

So the company Nakajima, in principle, won the competition for such a clear advantage. And the aircraft in question was a kind of compromise between the predecessors Ki-43 Hayabusa and Ki-44 Shoki. In general, "Hayata" was supposed to replace both aircraft, and the requirements for its flight characteristics provided for this.

On the one hand, the 84 was supposed to have maneuverability no worse (or not much worse) than the Ki-43, but superior to the Ki-44. And here everything is clear, "Hayabusa" is a pure air superiority fighter, its target was just enemy fighters. And the Shoki, according to the Japanese classification, is a bomber interceptor.

In general, the Ki-84 was originally conceived as a multi-role fighter with a long range, capable of fighting both maneuverable fighters and having enough firepower to destroy bombers.

The requirements provided for a maximum speed of 640-685 km / h at 5000 m, the fuel supply was supposed to allow an hour and a half to work at a distance of 400-450 km from the airfield.

Serious requirements, but the aviation authorities believed that the new new 18-cylinder radial engine Nakajima Ha-45 with a capacity of 2,000 hp. will be able to provide the required power.

The armament was standard, that is, two synchronous 12.7 mm No-103 machine guns under the hood and two 20 mm No-5 cannons in the wings outside the circle swept away by the propeller.

And - lo and behold! - the provision of armor protection for the pilot and the equipping of the machine with protected fuel tanks were imputed.

Work began in 1942, and at the end of 1943, the first two copies took off.

Tests have shown that everything really worked out. And about the tests in force, I must say that the first batches of serial Ki-84-Ia were sent into battles to Leyte Gulf, where everything was serious and tense.

In battles, "Hayata" proved to be a very uncomfortable and formidable opponent. I must say that the Allied command was very puzzled by the issue of confronting the aircraft, which had very outstanding flight characteristics.

The protection of the Ki-84 was simply the pinnacle of excellence in comparison to the standard allied pilots were accustomed to. The weapons are quite comparable in quantity, and the Japanese have always had order with the quality of machine guns and cannons.

An unpleasant surprise was that the Ki-84-Ia were faster and more maneuverable than all Allied fighters, and at low and medium altitudes as fast as the P-51D Mustang and P-47D Thunderbolt and faster than all other Allied aircraft. …

The impression was spoiled only by the fact that the prototypes and those that came out of ordinary assembly shops were still different machines.

The production Ki-84-Ia constantly suffered from defects in the fuel and hydraulic systems, the frankly weak landing gear caused some inconvenience, and the Ha-45 engines rarely developed their full design power.

But the main drawback of the Hayata was … the pilots! The Americans and the British, conducting tests both during the war and after it, noted that in the hands of an experienced pilot, the Ki-84 was the most dangerous enemy. But we are talking about the events of 1944-45, when it was the experienced pilots who began to run out catastrophically.

During 18 months of serial production, 3,473 aircraft of all modifications were built. It seems to be not much, but … It is worth mentioning that almost 200 aircraft a month is a very good indicator for the Japanese industry, which at the end of the war is heartily processed by American bombers. I would say that I worked like real samurai.

And also modernizations were made, generally inspiring respect.

The Ki-84-Ia was followed by the Ki-84-Ib. For model "b" synchronous 12.7 mm machine guns were replaced by No-5 cannons with 20 mm caliber. Thus, the armament began to consist of four 20-mm cannons, two of which were synchronous, which gave a very decent salvo level both in mass and in accuracy.

But then the Ki-84-Ic model went into the series, the main task of which was to destroy the "flying fortresses". In this modification, the No-5 wing guns were replaced by the No-105 with a caliber of 30 mm. Thus, the armament increased to 2x20 mm and 2x30 mm, which generally corresponded to the best indicators of the opponents.

And when a 2000-horsepower Ha-45-23 engine with direct fuel injection and an afterburner system copied from the German MW-50 went into action, the speed indicators increased to 650-670 km / h.

The general study of all units and especially the layout of the cockpit was also noted. The pilot was protected by an armored headrest, an armored backrest, and the canopy of the lantern was made of bulletproof glass.

Progress is evident, but there was also a fly in the ointment: they could not bring to mind the emergency discharge system of the flashlight, and the fire-fighting equipment remained in the pilots' dreams.

The aircraft had very good controllability, was very stable in flight, therefore it was willingly used as a night interceptor. In general, the pilots loved him, because compared to its predecessors, it was actually a flying armored weapon platform, which made it possible to do a lot in battle with skillful use.

LTH Ki-84-Ia

Wingspan, m: 11, 30

Length, m: 9, 85

Height, m: 3.38

Wing area, m2: 21, 02

Weight, kg

- empty aircraft: 2698

- normal takeoff: 3602

- maximum takeoff: 4170

Engine type: 1 x Ha-45-21

Power, hp: 1 x 1970

Maximum speed, km / h: 687