Kawasaki Ki-45 KAIc Toryu (Nick)

History

Although the Kawasaki-branded Ki-45 KAIc night fighter platform was limited in number, operated without search radar, and was the only night fighter of the Imperial Japanese Army to appear in WWII, it proved to be a great asset in defending the Japanese mainland Successful, especially against the new and advanced B-29 Superfortresses that were constantly bombarding the island. The aircraft itself was derived from the IJA's own development troubled base platform, the Ki-45 Toryu (translated as "Dragon Slayer", as the Allies called it "Nick"), which also came in the form of the Ki-45 KAIB heavy day fighter.

Limitations aside, the aircraft provides much-needed defense for a country now fighting from a defensive standpoint.

The Ki-45 KAIc is a twin-engine, twin-crew aircraft basically the same model as the Messerschmitt BF110 and de Havilland DH. 98 Mosquitoes. Both Mitsubishi-type engines were mounted on low-mounted monoplane wings above the fuselage.

The crew sits in a separate greenhouse-like cockpit area in the center of the design, with a rudder fin in the rear empennage assembly. Armament consists of a 37mm semi-automatic action cannon in the nose.

Two 20mm cannons were mounted in a sloping upward position between the pilot and the rear gunner in the cockpit. As a portable defensive measure, a 7.92mm machine gun was mounted in the rear cockpit.

While one might wonder why the aircraft only had a 37mm gun mounted on the nose, it was because of the intentional combination of AI radar with weapons in the nose assembly. This never materialized due to production difficulties, but these systems are still used as night fighters with excellent overall prospects.

Specification

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