Kawasaki Ki-88

History of the Kawasaki Ki-88

The Imperial Japanese Army (IJA) authorities were concerned about the slow progress in the airborne of the complex Kawasaki Ki-64 heavy fighter (with a tandem engine arrangement) and believed it would be better to allow ad hoc development or insurance oriented to become a simpler Kawasaki in form and function" Ki-88" fighter. However, the aircraft only reached a model stage, by which time its performance was considered no better than existing Japanese active fighters, so the Ki-88 was never officially accepted or ordered for mass production.

Work began as early as August 1942, without a more traditional design approach than the Ki-64, as it used a rear-mounted engine to drive the front propeller. The engine is connected to the propeller unit via a drive shaft that runs under the cockpit floor - similar to the classic American Bell P-39 "Airacobra" (detailed elsewhere on this page).

Likewise, a 37mm gun was installed to fire through the propeller hub, as the cabin in the front of the fuselage was empty due to the placement of the rear engine. The cockpit is located behind the cannon and wing main aircraft, which are mounted low midship and forward. The tail is a conventional unit using a rib, while the landing gear is a "smearing" configuration.

In addition to its 37mm guns, the aircraft was supposed to carry 2 x 20mm guns in the lower nose area, providing frontal battery for any enemy fighters deployed throughout the Pacific Rim.

The road to the Ki-88 ended with a review of the design at the model stage in 1943 and a determination that it would not be faster than some fighters that were already in service or starting to come online. As the Ki-88 project yielded nothing, it was abandoned in favor of other more promising projects that the Japanese military would need in the future.

As designed, the Ki-88 has a length of 33.5 feet and a wingspan of 40.7 feet. Gross weight is listed as 8,600 lbs. Power comes from an air-cooled 18-cylinder radial-piston Kawasaki Ha-140 engine rated at 1,500 horsepower.

The calculated top speed is 375 mph, and no other estimated performance specs were provided.

Specification

Basic

Production

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Dimensions

Weight

Performance

Performance

Armor

Changes