Kawasaki Ki-45 "Nick"

(Photo from the collection of Albert Pluth)

Purpose: Japan's defacto Night Fighter. Although not designed for this purpose, the Nick was forced into service as a night fighter late in the war to help defend the Japanese Homeland and raiding B-29's. After a disappointing development period, which lasted from December of 1937 to late 1941.

Revisions & Types - Major Revisions:

• Ki-45 Prototype 1

  • Nakajima Ha-20b Engine

  • Two 7.7 mm Type 89 machine guns mounted in the upper fuselage nose

  • 20 mm Ho-3 cannon mounted in a ventral tunnel

  • One flexible rear-firing 7.7mm Type 89 machine-gun

  • 298 mph @ 13,125 ft

• Experimental Improved Type 1 Ki-45

  • Ha-25 fourteen-cylinder double-row radials with single stage superchangers.

  • 323 mph @ 11,480 ft

• Ki-45 KAI - Type 2

  • Slimmer fuselage with straight contours and redesinged tail surfaces

  • Straight tapered wing of increased span and area

  • New engine nacelles of smaller diameter mounted lower on the wings

  • Replacement of the 7.7 mm type 89 machine-guns by two 12.7 mm Type 1 (Ho-103) machine guns in the nose and one flexible rear firing7.9mm Type 98 machine-gun

  • Replacement of the telescopic gunsight by a reflector gunsight.

  • 340 mph at 22,965 ft

• Ki-45 KAIa (see above)

• Ki-45 KAIb - Ground attack modifications made

  • Forward-firing armament was revised to include one 20mm Ho-3 cannon mounted centrally in the nose

  • One hand-loaded 37mm Type 98 cannon in the ventral tunnel

  • Late productionb's were powered by a pair of 1050 hp Army Type 101 fourteen-cylinder radials.

  • Note: Some of these aircraft were modified in the filed by replaceing the upper fuselage petrol tank with a pair of 12.7mm Type 1 machine-guns mounted obliquely to fire upward.

• Ki-45 KAIc

  • Ha-102 engines

  • Semi-automatic 37mm Ho-203 cannon in the ventral tunnel

  • Two obliquely-mounted upward 20 mm Ho-5 cannon in the center fuselage

  • No Radar

  • 335.5 mph at 19,685 ft

• Ki-45 KAId - Anti-shipping version

  • Two 20 mm Ho-5 cannon in the nose

  • One 37 mm Ho-203 cannon in the ventral tunnel

  • One flexible 7.9 mm Type 98 machine-gun in the rear cockpit

  • Ki-45 KAIc airframe

• Ki-45 KAI-II (Never produced, changed to the Ki-96)

  • 1500 hp Mitsubishi Ha-112-II

Original Specifications:

1. Maximum speed 540 km/h

2. Operating altitude 6,560 ft to 16,405ft

3. Endurance 4 hours & 40 minutes at 217 m/hr

4. Armament - Two forward-firing guns and one flexible rear-firing machine-gun

5. Engines - Two Nakajima Ha-20b nine-cylinder radials (a version of the Bristol Mercury.

Production

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