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Mitsubishi Ki-15 (Babs)

1937 COLD WAR WORLD WAR 2

History

The Mitsubishi Ki-15 (Allied codename "Babs") was an Imperial Japanese light aircraft that served in bombing and reconnaissance missions during the second half of the 1930s and early 1940s. It was the most advanced aircraft of its time, with good performance and aerodynamic improvements, including a streamlined landing gear and an enclosed cockpit. It was still in service at the start of World War II in September 1939, but was quickly replaced by the more modern types that came online in the 1940s.

Production was limited to about 490 aircraft, in service with the Japanese Army and Navy. Some fell into Chinese hands in the postwar period.

In 1935, the IJA requested a new, modern, fast aircraft for reconnaissance missions, and Mitsubishi delivered the Ki-15 prototype. The plane has a slender, rounded fuselage with engines in the forward compartment, the cockpit in the midship and the traditional tail in the stern.

The engine is a large radial unit that drives a two-bladed propeller unit. The cockpit is designed with two-person tandem seats with a long-running greenhouse-like canopy. The tail uses a single vertical tail and a low-mounted horizontal tail. The main wing attachment is mounted low in the midship. The landing gear is sturdy and in a trailing configuration, while the main legs feature large teardrop fairings to keep them aerodynamically clean.

The structure includes the use of stressed skin metal. The overall design of the Ki-15 was indeed in keeping with the high-speed aircraft of the time, from England, Germany, France and the United States.

The power originally came from Nakashima Yu. 8 radial piston engines with up to 750 hp. Performance includes a top speed of 298 mph and a cruising speed of 200 mph. Range is 1,500 miles and service is capped at 37,400 feet.

Like other early Japanese fighters, the Ki-15 was minimally armed, standardized to a 7.7mm machine gun. It can carry conventional bomb loads of up to 550 pounds.

The Ki-15 prototype first flew in May 1936, and subsequent flight tests justified the design. It was a stable mount, easy to control and fairly fast for its time - reaching speeds of nearly 300 miles per hour.

Convinced of its potential, the Japanese Army ordered the prototype for mass production in May 1937 under the designation "Army Type 97 Command and Reconnaissance Aircraft Model 1". A total of 437 copies were delivered.

The Second China War pitted Japan against China and officially lasted from 1937 to 1945 - although there have been skirmishes since 1931. As a result, all types of military weapons were put into use during the conflict, including the new Ki-15.

Outperforming all existing Chinese Air Force aircraft, the Ki-15 is used for bombing and reconnaissance missions, and its speed could be of great value.

By September 1939, while the war was still going on, the Ki-15-II modification improved the Ki-15 line, this model was equipped with a 900 hp Mitsubishi Ha-26-1 radial engine. The extra horsepower further improves performance, while the more compact size improves the pilot's proboscis visibility during flight and ground operations. IJN ordered 20 copies of the improved version as "Navy Type 98 Reconnaissance Aircraft Model 1".

Over time, another improved form emerged, the Nakajima Sakae12 series radial engines, 30 of which were used by IJN as dedicated fast reconnaissance mounts.

The Ki-15 series was welded in the 1943 battle before being abandoned as the main frontline competitor. Its direct replacement came in 1938 as the Mitsubishi Ki-30, while the Ki-15 was forced to take on more secondary roles such as training and local defense support - its days as the primary mount are now over. The remaining inventory was also used as kamikaze aircraft in the final months of the war.

Mitsubishi engineers were still trying to launch another revision (Mitsubishi 102 Radial, 1,050 hp) with the "Ki-15-III", but testing of this prototype did not lead to more orders for the Japanese military.

Some Ki-15s were captured by the Chinese army after the war and reused as primary trainers. These final forms were not abandoned until 1951.