NAKAJIMA KI-43

The 'Nakajima Ki-43 ''Hayabusa''' (隼, "Peregrine Falcon") was a single-engined land-based fighter used by the Imperial Japanese Army Air Force in World War II. The army designation was "Type 1 Fighter" (一式戦闘機); the Allied codename was 'Oscar'.

Contents

Design and development

Operational history

Versions

Operators

Survivors

Specifications (Ki-43-II)

References

External links

Related content

Design and development

The Oscar was designed to be like the Mitsubishi Zero, but it was more lightweight and was even less rugged than its Navy counterpart. It was known for its nimble handling and legendary for its performance in East Asia in the early years of the war. It was designed by Hideo Itokawa, who would later become famous as a pioneer of Japanese rocketry. Although the manuverability of the Oscar was quite good, some Japanese pilots complained that its was less manuverable than the Ki-27 "Nate". This was remedied by the addition of a butterfly flap in the wings, but some pilots still complained.
The total production of the Ki-43 was 5,919 aircraft.

Operational history

The Ki-43 was the most widely-used Army fighter, and equipped 30 ''sentai'' (groups) and 12 ''chutais'' (squadrons). The first version, Mark I, entered service in 1941, the Mark II in December 1942, the II-''Kai'' in June 1943, and the Mark IIIa in the summer of 1944.
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 to do with the better performance of the Japanese fighters and the small numbers of Allied fighters in Asia and the Pacfiic when war began. However, as the war progressed, the plane suffered from the same weaknesses as the Ki-27 and the Mitsubishi Zero; light armor and less-than-effective self-sealing tanks, which caused high casualties in combat. Its armament - two machine guns - also proved inadequate against the heavily armoured Allied planes. As newer Allied planes were introduced, such as the Vought Corsair and the Hellcat, the Japanese were forced into a defensive war and most planes were flown by inexperienced pilots.
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 countries of Thailand, Manchukuo and Wang Jingwei Government as well. The Thai units sometimes fought against the USAAF in southern China.^[1].
Hayabusa was well liked in the JAAF because of its pleasant flight characteristics and excellent manouevreability, and almost all JAAF fighter aces claimed victories with Hayabusa in some part of their career. In the end of the war most Hayabusa units received instead Nakajima Ki-84 Hayate ("Frank") equipment, but some units flew Hayabusa to the end of the war. The top scorer with Hayabusa was Sgt. Satoshi Anabuki with 59 victories.
After the war some examples served in limited numbers in the French Air Force in Indochina against communist rebels.

Versions

;Ki-43
:Prototypes and operative prototypes.
;Ki-43-Ia
:Variant armed with two type 89 7.7 mm machine guns
:Hayabusa Fighter Type 1 of Army (Mark 1).
;Ki-43-Ib (Mark Ib)
:Variant armed with one machine gun Ho-103 of 12.7 mm and one machine gun type 89 of 7.7 mm
;Ki-43-Ic (Mark Ic)
:Variant armed with two machine guns Ho-103 of 12.7 mm
;Ki-43-II
:Prototypes and evaluative models.
;Ki-43-IIa (Mark 2a):
:Ability to carry up to 500 kg of bombs
;Ki-43-IIb (Mark 2b)
:Radio equipment added
;Ki-43-II-KAI
:Modifications in cell structure
;Ki-43-III (Mark 3a)
:Prototypes powered by Nakajima Ha-115-II engine of 1,230 hp (920 kW)
;Ki-43-IIIa (Mark 3a):
:Series model
;Ki-43-IIIb (Mark 3b)
:Variant armed with 20 mm cannons.
;Ki-62 Project
:Advanced interceptor version of Nakajima Ki-43 with a powerful engine and armed with 30 or 40 mm cannons.

Operators

;Wartime:
;

★ Imperial Japanese Army Air Force
;Manchukuo

★ Manchukuo Air Force
;

★ Royal Thai Air Force
;Post-war:
;

★ Nationalist Chinese Air Force

★
★ 6th Group

★
★
★ 2 squadrons operated captured aircraft.
;

★ Chinese Communist Air Force captured 5 aircraft in 1946 from nationalists. Aircraft were operated until their retirement in 1952.
;

★ French Air Force operated captured aircraft in Indo-China.^[2]
;

★ Indonesian People's Security Force operated captured aircraft against Dutch colonial rule. On July 29th, 1947, one aircraft from Maguwo Air Force Base, Yogyakarta was used for bombing Dutch strategic positions in Ambarawa, Salatiga and Semarang. However, Indonesia's Ki-43 failed to fly because of mechanical problems.
;

★ North Korean Air Force operated captured aircraft after the war.

Survivors

No Oscars are flying at the moment. There are six survivors in potentially flyable condition ^[3]:
;Ki-43
:Owned by The Fighter Collection, Duxford UK and awaiting restoration.
;Ki-43-Ib N750N
:Owned by Paul Allen/Flying Heritage Collection, Arlington, USA. Former ZK-OSC restored to flying condition by Tim Wallis' Alpine Fighter Collection in the 1990s, not currently flying.
;Ki-43
:Four aircraft under restoration/rebuild at Texas Airplane Factory, Meacham Field, Fort Worth, Texas, USA.
;Ki-43
:At present there is an Oscar to be seen at the Tillamook Air Museum in Oregon^[4][5]

Specifications (Ki-43-II)

References

1. j-aircraft.com/research
2. French Counter-Insurgency Aircraft, 1946-1965
3. lbalders
4. 21st Century Oscars
5. Tillamook Air Museum

----

★ Bueschel, Richard M. ''Nakajima Ki-43 Hayabusa I-III in Japanese Army Air Force RTAF-CAF-IPSF Service''. Reading, Osprey Publications, 1970. ISBN 0-85045-022-5.

★ --- ''Nakajima Ki-43 Hayabusa in Japanese Army Air Force RTAF-CAF-IPSF Service''. Atglen, PA, Schiffer Books, 1995. ISBN 0-88740-804-4.

★ Francillon, René F. ''Japanese Aircraft of the Pacific War''London, Putnam & Company, 1970,1979. ISBN 0-370-30251-6.

★ Green, William and Swanborough, Gordon. ''WW2 Aircraft Fact Files, Japanese Army Fighters, part 2''. London, Macdonald and Janes's, 1977. ISBN 0-354-01068-9.

★ Pajdosz, Waldemar; Wlodarczyk, Mark T. and Jarski, Adam. ''Nakajima Ki 43 Hayabusa "Oscar", Monografie Lotnicze 48''. Gdańsk, AJ-Press, 1998. ISBN 83-86208-97-X. (Polish)

★ Skulski, Przemysław. ''Nakajima Ki 43 Hayabusa "Oscar", seria Pod Lupa no.11''. Wrocław, Ace Publications, 1999. ISBN 83-86153-98-9. (Polish/English)

★ Stanaway, John. ''Nakajima Ki.43 "Hayabusa" Allied Code Name "Oscar"''. Bennington, VT, Merriam Press, 2003. ISBN 1-57638-141-2.

★ Windrow, Martin C. and Francillon, René F. ''The Nakajima Ki-43 Hayabusa''. Leatherhead, Surrey, Profile Publications, 1965.

External links

★ Nathan Sturman's Homepage

★ Joe Baugher's Hayabusa files

★ Nakajima Type 1 Model 1 Army Fighter (Ki 43-I) Armament -- A Reassessment by Richard L. Dunn

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