Kawasaki Ki-45 "Nick"
(Photo from the
collection of Albert Pluth)
Purpose: Japan's defacto Night Fighter.
Although not designed for this purpose, the Nick was forced into
service as a night fighter late in the war to help defend the
Japanese Homeland and raiding B-29's. After a disappointing
development period, which lasted from December of 1937 to late
1941.
Revisions & Types - Major Revisions:
- Ki-45 Prototype 1
- Nakajima Ha-20b Engine
- Two 7.7 mm Type 89 machine guns mounted in the
upper fuselage nose
- 20 mm Ho-3 cannon mounted in a ventral tunnel
- One flexible rear-firing 7.7mm Type 89
machine-gun
- 298 mph @ 13,125 ft
- Experimental Improved Type 1 Ki-45
- Ha-25 fourteen-cylinder double-row radials with
single stage superchangers.
- 323 mph @ 11,480 ft
- Ki-45 KAI - Type 2
- Slimmer fuselage with straight contours and
redesinged tail surfaces
- Straight tapered wing of increased span and area
- New engine nacelles of smaller diameter mounted
lower on the wings
- Replacement of the 7.7 mm type 89 machine-guns by
two 12.7 mm Type 1 (Ho-103) machine guns in the
nose and one flexible rear firing7.9mm Type 98
machine-gun
- Replacement of the telescopic gunsight by a
reflector gunsight.
- 340 mph at 22,965 ft
- Ki-45 KAIa (see above)
- Ki-45 KAIb - Ground attack modifications made
- Forward-firing armament was revised to include
one 20mm Ho-3 cannon mounted centrally in the
nose
- One hand-loaded 37mm Type 98 cannon in the
ventral tunnel
- Late productionb's were powered by a pair of 1050
hp Army Type 101 fourteen-cylinder radials.
- Note: Some of these aircraft were modified in the
filed by replaceing the upper fuselage petrol
tank with a pair of 12.7mm Type 1 machine-guns
mounted obliquely to fire upward.
- Ki-45 KAIc
- Ha-102 engines
- Semi-automatic 37mm Ho-203 cannon in the ventral
tunnel
- Two obliquely-mounted upward 20 mm Ho-5 cannon in
the center fuselage
- No Radar
- 335.5 mph at 19,685 ft
- Ki-45 KAId - Anti-shipping version
- Two 20 mm Ho-5 cannon in the nose
- One 37 mm Ho-203 cannon in the ventral tunnel
- One flexible 7.9 mm Type 98 machine-gun in the
rear cockpit
- Ki-45 KAIc airframe
- Ki-45 KAI-II (Never produced, changed to the Ki-96)
- 1500 hp Mitsubishi Ha-112-II
Original Specifications:
- Maximum speed 540 km/h
- Operating altitude 6,560 ft to 16,405ft
- Endurance 4 hours & 40 minutes at 217 m/hr
- Armament - Two forward-firing guns and one flexible
rear-firing machine-gun
- Engines - Two Nakajima Ha-20b nine-cylinder radials (a
version of the Bristol Mercury.
Production
| Qty |
Model |
Production Dates |
| |
Gifu Plant |
|
| 3 |
Ki-45 Prototypes |
Jan - May 1939 |
| 8 |
Improved Type 1 Ki-45 Prototypes |
July 1940 - Feb 1941 |
| 3 |
Ki-45 KAI prototypes |
Auguest- October 1941 |
| 12 |
Ki-45 KAI pre-production aircraft |
October - December 1941 |
| 305 |
Ki-45 KAIa and KAIb production aircraft |
January 1942 - September 1943 |
| |
Akashi Plant |
|
| 893 |
Ki-45 KAIa, b & d production aircraft |
September 1942 - July 1945 |
| 477 |
Ki-45 KAIc production aircraft |
April - December 1944 |
| ------ |
|
|
| 1701 |
Total Aircraft |
|
Last Revision 11/28/99