Originally Posted by
Hydro Junkie
How about the Kawasaki Ki-102?
You nailed it! Congratulations, Sir; and you are now up. What gave you the answer? Thanks; Ernie P.
Question: What warbird do I describe?
Clues:
1: This aircraft came to life in the latter stages of WWII.
2: It was intended to be used in combat.
3. But, although it did see combat in a very limited role, it was never used as intended.
4. It was being held in reserve; awaiting a battle that never happened.
5. Even more so, it was the weapon to be carried by this aircraft that was being held in reserve.
6. The aircraft was to be produced in three different versions.
7. A fighter; ground attack; and a night fighter.
8. The night fighter version failed to materialize because the necessary radar units could not be produced in time.
9. And the day fighter version didn’t go anywhere because heavy day fighters had already been shown to perform poorly when faced with enemy single engine fighters.
10. So, in the end, only the ground attack version was produced in any quantity.
11. And even then, only a few hundred of the ground attack version could be produced.
12. Almost all of which were held in reserve for use in defense against an attack that never came.
13. Still, great hope was placed in the ground attack version and the new and untried weapon it was to carry.
Answer: The Kawasaki Ki-102
The Kawasaki Ki-102 (Army Type 4 assault aircraft) was a Japanese warplane of World War II. It was a twin-engine, two-seat, long-range heavy fighter developed to replace the Ki-45 Toryu. Three versions were planned: the Ki-102a day fighter, Ki-102b ground-attack and Ki-102c night fighter. This aircraft's Alliedreporting name was "Randy". Design and history
It entered service in 1944, but saw limited action. The main type (102b) was kept in reserve to protect Japan, although it did see some limited duty in the Okinawa campaign. It was kept out of front line service because it was hoped that it would be the carrier of the Igo-1-B air-to-ground guided missile when the Allied invasion of Japan occurred.
Role
Ground attack and night fighter
National originJapan Manufacturer
Kawasaki Kōkūki Kōgyō K.K. First flight
1944
Introduction
1944
Retired
1945
Primary user
Imperial Japanese Army Air Force Number built238
Developed fromKawasaki Ki-96
Variants
Ki-102
prototypes, 3 built
Ki-102a (Type Kō) Externally similar to the 102b, but with turbosuperchargers that enabled the engine to maintain its rating at higher altitudes. The 57 mm (2.24 in) cannon was swapped in favor of a 37 mm (1.46 in) cannon, and the 12.7 mm (.50 in) rear gun was deleted, 26 built.
Ki-102b (Type Otsu) Ground-attack variant similar to prototypes, except with revised tail wheel, 207 built
Ki-102c (Type Hei)
Night fighter version with lengthened fuselage and span. Radar under a Plexiglas dome, oblique-firing 20 mm cannons, and the 20 mm cannons in the belly replaced with 30 mm (1.18 in) cannons in Schräge Musik behind the cockpit, two built.
Ki-108
High-altitude fighter prototype with pressurised cabin, two conversions from Ki-102b aircraft using the structural improvements used on the 102c.
Ki-108 Kai
Improved version of the Ki-108 with longer fuselage and enlarged wings. Two built.
General characteristics· Crew: 2 · Length: 11.45 m (37 ft 7 in) · Wingspan: 15.57 m (51 ft 1 in) · Height: 3.70 m (12 ft 2 in) · Wing area: 34 m² (366 ft²) · Empty weight: 4,950 kg (10,900 lb) · Loaded weight: 7,300 kg (16,000 lb) · Powerplant: 2 × Mitsubishi Ha-112-II Ru 14-cylinder radial engine, 1,120 kW (1,500 hp) each Performance·
Maximum speed: 580 km/h (310 kn, 360 mph) · Range: 2,000 km (1,100 nmi, 1,200 mi) · Service ceiling: 10,000 m (33,000 ft) · Rate of climb: 2,340 ft/min (714 m/min) · Power/mass: 2.4 kg/kW (5.4 lb/hp) Armament·
Guns: · 1 × 57 mm (2.24 in) Ho-401 cannon—replaced in the 102a with a 37 mm (1.46 in) Ho-203 cannon, deleted in the 102c · 2 × 20 mm Ho-5 cannon in the belly—replaced in the 102c with 30 mm (1.18 in) cannons in the package, plus oblique-firing 2 × 20 mm cannons · 1 × 12.7 mm (0.50 in) Ho-103 machine gun—deleted in the 102a and 102c · Bombs: · 2 × 200 L (53 US gal) drop tanks; or · 2 × 250 kg (551 lb) bombs or · 1 × Kawasaki Igo-1b guided missile
Kawasaki Ki-148
Kawasaki Igo-1-B, otherwise known as Kawasaki Ki-148 was a World War II Japanese guided air-to-surface missile designed in 1944. Developed along its sister projects of Mitsubishi Igo-1-A and Tokyo Imperial University-designed Igo-1-C, the Igo-1-B was a simple radio-controlled guided bomb propelled by a rocket engine generating 150 kilograms (330 lb) of thrust for up to 80 seconds. Test trials were carried out in late 1944 and the weapon was quickly ordered by the war ministry. Launched during tests from a modified Kawasaki Ki-48 light bomber, its standard mother aircraft was to be the modern Kawasaki Ki-102 heavy fighter. Although approximately 180 missiles were built, none saw service before the end of World War II. Specifications
· Length: 4.09 m (13 ft 5 in) · Wing Span: 2.60 m (8 ft 6 in) · Height: 0.90 m (2 ft 11 in) · Wing Area: 1.95 Square metres · All-Up Weight: 680 kg · Main Engine: 1 x Mitsubishi Tokuro-1 Type 2 Rocket (150 kg) · Max Speed: unknown · Range: unknown · Warhead: 300 kg HEAT