Kawasaki Ki.64 ("Rob")
Click HERE to see a detailed 3-view of the Rob
Click HERE to see color drawings of the Rob
The Kawasaki Ki-64 to meet a 1940 specification for a fighter capable of 435 mph and reaching 16,400 feet in five minutes. The resulting design was interesting in that it used the Kawasaki Ha-201 engine, which was actually two Ha-40 12-cylinder engines mounted in tandem fore and aft of the pilot's cockpit, which drove two contra-rotating propellers. Another unique feature of the Ki-64 was the steam vapor cooling system for the engines, which was installed in the wings. First flights occurred in December of 1943. A production version with a more powerful engine was believed to be capable of 497 mph, but the project was canceled in favor of more conventional aircraft already in production.
Kawasaki Ki.64
Type: Experimental Fighter
Service: Japanese Army Air Force (JAAF)
Crew: Pilot
Armament: four 20 mm Ho-5 cannon (2 in nose, 2 in wings)
Reference: Francillon: 122, Mondey: n/a
Specifications:
Length: 36' 2.25" (11.03 m)
Height: 13' 11.25" (4.25 m)
Wingspan: 44' 3.5" (13.5 m)
Wing area: 301.388 sq. ft (28 sq. m)
Empty Weight: 8929 lbs (4050 kg)
Loaded Weight: 11244 lbs (5100 kg)
Propulsion:
No. of Engines: 1
Powerplant: Kawasaki Ha-201 24-cyclinder inverted-vee liquid-cooled engine
Horsepower: 2350 hp
Performance:
Range (normal): n/a
Range (max): n/a
Cruise Speed: n/a
Max Speed: 429 mph (690 km/h) at 16405 ft (5000 m)
Climb to/in: 16,405 ft (5000 m) in 5 min 30 sec
Ceiling: 39,370 ft (12,000 m)
Production: one prototype completed
Additional information on this aircraft can be found at Wikipedia HERE.
For a very nice scale color drawing of this aircraft, see here.
Additional color schemes for this aircraft can be found
here.
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