World War II Database

Contributor: C. Peter Chen

ww2dbaseThe Hayabusa Type 1 Fighters, nicknamed "Oscar" by the Allies, were land-based aircraft used by the Japanese Army during WW2. The aircraft was designed by Hideo Itokawa (of rocketry fame after WW2) and Yasumi Koyama, both of Nakajima Aircraft Company. Following the suit of the light Ki-27 fighters, they designed the updated Ki-43 Hayabusa fighters along the same philosophy, making them "fly like an angel and turn like the devil". To achieve such maneuverability, they were very lightly armored and lightly armed, thus sacrificing some features for others. Among the innovations of this design were the butterfly combat flaps, which were deployed to increase lift during a turn, thus making them even deadlier during dogfights by allowing a smaller turning radius. They were highly effective in Burma, Malaya, and the Dutch East Indies during the early phases of the Pacific War. Some of them saw service under the flags of Siam and Manchukuo as well. Later versions of these fighters featured some armor and self-sealing tanks in attempt to even the odds against Allied fighters, but the attempts were generally ineffective as the base design was too weak to withstand the heavy weapons of newer Allied counterparts; nevertheless, particularly in China where they faced the slower P-40 Warhawk fighters, they were still feared fighters despite the light armament due to their agility.

ww2dbaseA total of 5,751 Type 1 Fighters were built between Jun 1941 and the end of the Pacific War in 1945; 3,073 were produced by Nakajima, 2,629 by Tachikawa, and 49 by First Arsenal.

Ki-43 Hayabusa Timeline

SPECIFICATIONS

Ki-43-I

Machinery	One Nakajima Ha-25 Sakae 14-cyl two-row radial engine rated at 975hp
Armament	2x7.7mm or 2x12.7mm
Span	10.84 m
Length	8.92 m
Height	3.27 m
Weight, Empty	1,975 kg
Weight, Loaded	2,642 kg
Speed, Maximum	496 km/h
Service Ceiling	10,973 m
Range, Normal	746 km

Ki-43-II

Machinery	One Nakajima Ha-115 Sakae rated at 1,105hp
Armament	2x12.7mm, 2x250kg bombs
Span	10.84 m
Length	8.92 m
Height	3.27 m
Weight, Loaded	2,655 kg
Speed, Maximum	515 km/h
Service Ceiling	11,215 m
Range, Normal	1,700 km

Ki-43-III

Machinery	One Nakajima Ha-112 rated at 1,250hp
Armament	2x12.7mm, 2x250kg bombs
Span	10.84 m
Length	8.92 m
Height	3.27 m
Weight, Loaded	2,850 kg
Speed, Maximum	585 km/h
Service Ceiling	11,215 m
Range, Normal	1,700 km

Photographs

Visitor Submitted Comments

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1.  Bill says:
31 Dec 2009 11:37:54 PM

About those Japanese Army Aircraft Carriers

They had no hangers, elevators or catapults planes were hoisted aboard ship by crane.
They were not real carriers, the ships were
more aircraft transports. Planes could fly
off, but could not recover aboard ship.
Aircraft were developed to land aboard these
ships, and used later in the war.

Kakusai Ki-76 (Stella) was a single-engine
high-wing monoplane. The aircraft had good
STOL (Short Takeoff On Land) performance the
aircraft went into production in 1942 the
number built is unknown.
The Ki-76 was able to carry two 60kg (132lb)
depth charges it was not really successful
in this role.

Kayaba Ka-1 Auto Gyro used for anti-submarine
patrol work. 98 were built production started
in 1941. The aircraft, was able to carry one
60kg (132lb) depth charge, or two 60kg depth charges by removing the second crewmen's
seat. No Allied code name was ever given to
the Ki-1.

2.  Bill says:
18 Dec 2012 03:12:17 PM

Information on above file photo:

Ki-43 Oscar of the 25th Sentai, photographed at Hankow,China 1943.