Nakajima Ki-201 Karyu

The History of Nakajima Ki-201 Karyu

WWII Imperial Japan's Nakajima Company has contracted to bring the German Messerschmitt Me 262 to the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN). However, some necessary planning was lost when a German U-boat en route to mainland Japan carrying aircraft information was intercepted on May 16, 1945.

Memories of its engineers originally being sent to Berlin during a visit to Berlin in 1944. The end result was the Nakajima "Kikka", which was broadly similar to the Me 262 but proved to be smaller in size and with reduced performance specs.

Only one aircraft carried a second incomplete fuselage, which was taken over by the Allies at the end of the war.

Likewise, the Imperial Japanese Army (IJA) is interested in jet interceptors, and the Me 262 seems to be just the ticket. The IJA's official request came in January 1945 for a fighter designed to take full advantage of Allied piston-powered products. The aircraft was also scheduled to enter the testing phase by December of that year, with an official launch in early 1946.

The designation Ki-201 "Karyu" was applied to the new fighter.

The Allied gains in the Pacific theater soon exposed the Japanese mainland to direct bombardment by Allied fighter jets. The once mighty Japanese navy was reduced to the cannonballs of yesteryear, and Tokyo's final defense was unplanned.

In addition, the Japanese lost their German allies when they surrendered in May 1945, abandoned their engineers, and were forced, bit by bit, to develop a design that would have the form and function of the Me 262.

Engineers selected Ishikawajima Ne-230 series turbojets to power the Ki-201. The plane would largely mimic the lines of the Me 262, even better than Kikka's offering, and would contain the engine in a down-slung nacelle along the straight-wing attachment. The nose arrangement will have similar artillery armament to its German counterpart (4 x 30mm MK 108 guns) - 2 x 30mm Ho-155 and 2 x 20mm Ho-5 and can be accommodated under a largely unobstructed canopy A place for pilot center.

The fuselage is sturdy and streamlined, very shark-like, just like the Me 262, the triangular vertical tail funnel is carried over, as is the tricycle landing gear.

Performance specs are all estimated - 507 mph top speed, 610 mph range, 39,400 ft ceiling service and 2,540 ft/min rate of climb. The Ki-201 was primarily an interceptor, followed by a fighter, and third a fighter-bomber.

The Boeing B-29 Superfortress was the new threat, and the fast-reacting, high-flying interceptor was the main theme.

Interestingly, the aircraft was also supposed to carry the TaKi-15 series air-to-air interception radar, which is used to guide the aircraft to the target area via ground communications. This proved to be a popular navigation method for next-generation jet fighters in the ensuing Cold War years, and expanded the Ki-201's tactical value to some extent.

For a fighter-bomber, the Ki-201 is expected to carry up to 1,765 pounds of external supplies.

Despite the promising design, the Japanese surrendered on August 15, officially ending WWII. With the surrender, various projects in development were cancelled, including the Ki-201 jet fighter. At this point, the work is still in very early stages and a prototype has not yet been realized.

The pre-surrender design is only half-finished, and its capabilities and impact on warfare are left to the imagination.

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