Kawasaki Ki.96

The Kawasaki Ki-96 was a twin-engine Japanese heavy fighter of World War II. It was intended to replace the Kawasaki Ki-45s of the Imperial Japanese Army Air Force. However, it was not adopted and only three prototypes were built. Like the Ki-45, the proposed design was a two-seat, twin-engine fighter, but larger and using more powerful engines. In December 1942 the Koku Hombu (Imperial Japanese Army Aviation Bureau) showed interest, but asked Kawasaki to complete the aircraft as single-seat fighters. The first prototype, which was converted while being produced and which retained the larger cockpit canopy intended for the two-seater, flew in September 1943. The two remaining prototypes were built from the start as single-seaters and were fitted with a smaller canopy. Despite demonstrating performance exceeding estimates and excellent handling, the Army's requirements had changed back to a two-seat fighter, so further development of the Ki-96 was stopped. The wings and tail unit of the Ki-96 would however form part of the structure of the Ki-102 two-seat fighter.  (info from Wikipedia)

Kawasaki Ki.96

Type:           Heavy Fighter / Ground Attack / Night Fighter
Service: 	Japanese Army Air Force (JAAF)
Crew:           1
Armament:       two 20mm Ho-5 cannon under the fuselage
		one 37mm Ho-203 cannon in the nose
		two 551 lb (250 kg) bombs externally
Reference: 	Francillon: 127

Specifications:
        Length:         37' 6.75" (11.45 m)
        Height:         12' 1.75" (3.7 m)
        Wingspan:       51' 1" (15.57 m)
        Wing area:      365.972 sq. ft (34 sq. m)
        Empty Weight:   10031 lbs (4550 kg)
        Loaded Weight:  13228 lbs (6000 kg)

Propulsion:
        No. of Engines: 2
        Powerplant:     Mitsubishi Ha-112-II 14-cylinder radial
        Horsepower:     1250 hp each

Performance:
        Range (normal): 994 miles (1600 km)
        Cruise Speed:   n/a 
        Max Speed:      373 mph (600 km/h) at 19,685 ft (6000 m)
        Climb to/in:    16,405 ft (5000 m) in 6 min 0 sec
        Ceiling:        37,730 ft (11,500 m)
Production:		3 prototype Ki96s built


 Additional information on this aircraft can be found at Wikipedia HERE.

 

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