Mitsubishi Ki-46

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Ki-46
A Mitsubishi Ki-46-II "Dinah" of the Shimoshizu Army Flying School in flight.
Role Twin-engine reconnaissance aircraft
Manufacturer Mitsubishi Aircraft Company
First flight November 1939
Introduction July 1941
Retired September 1945
Primary user
Imperial Japanese Army Air Force
Number built 1,742

The Mitsubishi Ki-46 was a twin-engine reconnaissance aircraft that was used by the Imperial Japanese Army in World War II. Its Army Shiki designation was Type 100 Command Reconnaissance Aircraft (一〇〇式司令部偵察機); the Allied brevity code name was "Dinah".

Development and design

On 12 December 1937, the

Imperial Japanese Army Air Force issued a specification to Mitsubishi for a long-range strategic reconnaissance aircraft to replace the Mitsubishi Ki-15. The specification demanded an endurance of six hours and sufficient speed to evade interception by any fighter in existence or development, but otherwise did not constrain the design by a team led by Tomio Kubo and Jojo Hattori.[1]

The resulting design was a twin-engined, low-winged

Tokyo Imperial University to reduce drag and improve pilot view.[1][2]

Menado, Celebes
.

The first prototype aircraft, with the

A6M2, an initial production batch was ordered as the Army Type 100 Command Reconnaissance Plane Model 1 (Ki-41-I).[2]

To solve the performance problems, Mitsubishi fitted

Ha-102 engines, which were Ha-26s fitted with a two-speed supercharger, while increasing fuel capacity and reducing empty weight. This version, designated Ki-46-II, first flew in March 1941. It met the speed requirements of the original specification, and was ordered into full-scale production, with deliveries starting in July.[4][5]

Although at first the Ki-46 proved almost immune from interception, the Imperial Japanese Army Air Force realised that improved

P-38 Lightning could challenge this superiority, and in July 1942, it instructed Mitsubishi to produce a further improved version, the Ki-46-III.[6] This had more powerful, fuel-injected Mitsubishi Ha-112 engines, and a redesigned nose, with a fuel tank ahead of the pilot and a new canopy, smoothly faired from the extreme nose of the aircraft, eliminating the "step" of the earlier versions. The single defensive machine gun of the earlier aircraft was omitted not long into the production run. The new version first flew in December 1942, demonstrating significantly higher speed 630 km/h (391 mph) at 6,000 m (19,700 ft).[7] The performance of the Ki-46-III even proved superior to that of the aircraft intended to replace it (the Tachikawa Ki-70), which as a result did not enter production.[8] During operational testing in March 1944, it was discovered that replacing the engines' single exhaust collector ring with individual pipes provided extra thrust and an increase in top speed to 642 km/h (399 mph).[9]

In an attempt to yet further improve the altitude performance of the Ki-46, two prototypes were fitted with exhaust driven turbosupercharged Ha-112-II-Ru engines. This version first flew in February 1944, but only two prototypes were built.[10]

Mitsubishi factories made a total of 1,742 examples of all versions (34 units Ki-46-I, 1093 units Ki-46-II, 613 units Ki-46-III, 4 units Ki-46-IV) during 1941–44.[11]

Operational history

Johore
, Malaya, January 1942
A captured Mitsubishi Ki-46 being loaded aboard the U.S. Navy escort carrier USS Attu, 1944

This aircraft was first used by the Japanese Army in

Japanese Imperial Navy in certain reconnaissance missions over the northern coasts of Australia and New Guinea
.

The

P-38 Lightning
, managed to shoot down a Ki-46 over the coast of Papua New Guinea in late 1942.

An abandoned Mitsubishi Ki-46 II on Okinawa, June 1945

In 1944–45, during the last days of the war, it was modified as a high-altitude

B-29 Superfortresses over the metropolitan Japanese islands. It lacked stability for sustained shooting of the 37 mm (1.46 in) weapon, had only a thin layer of armour plating, lacked self-sealing fuel tanks
, and was slow to climb.

The Ki-46 was also assigned to two whole

Chutaicho (junior operational commanders) in the Imperial Japanese Army Air Service, during the Pacific War
.

The Allies captured some examples during the conflict, which were then repaired and flown for evaluation purposes. The Ki-46 III was the only Japanese aircraft type sent to the NII VVS Soviet Air Force Test Institute, for evaluation during 1946–7.[13]

Variants

(note:- The Shiki designations must be used in full, as written below, because the Type number only refers to the year of the designs inception.)

Army Type 100 Command Reconnaissance Plane
The Shiki designation for the Ki-46 Command Reconnaissance Plane
Army Type 100 Air Defence Fighter
The Shiki designation for the Ki-46 Interceptor Fighter
Army Type 100 Assault Plane
The Shiki designation for the Ki-46 Assault Plane
Ki-46
Prototype.
Ki-46 I
Reconnaissance version of the Ki-46.
Ki-46 II
The first operational model of the series.
Ki-46 II KAI
Three-seat training version of the Ki-46. Used for radio and navigation training, with a redesigned cabin, dorsal en echelon extension. Conversions of the Ki-46 II.
Ki-46 III
"Traditional" stepped windshield replaced with a smooth, curved, glazed panel extended over the pilot's seat giving a more aerodynamic nose profile. Engine power increased to 1,500 hp (Ha-112-II), extra fuel tank added in the nose.
Ki-46 III-KAI
Defense interceptor/night fighter version of the Ki-46. Equipped with two 20 mm cannon in the nose and one 37 mm (1.46 in) cannon in the "Schräge Musik"-style upwards-aimed dorsal frontal position.
Ki-46 III
Land strike version of the Ki-46, without 37 mm (1.46 in) cannon armament.
Ki-46 IIIb
Ground-attack
version.
Ki-46 IIIc
Unbuilt design project.
Ki-46 IV
Prototype, equipped with two turbocharged 1,119 kW (1,500 hp) Mitsubishi Ha-112-IIru engines, and more fuel capacity.
Ki-46 IVa/b
Series models of reconnaissance/fighter aircraft, unbuilt design projects

Operators

 France
  • French Air Force
    – Captured aircraft.
 Japan
 People's Republic of China
  • Chinese Communist Air Force
    Two captured Ki-46s in communist Chinese hands served as a ground-attack aircraft and a trainer respectively, and the last Ki-46 retired in the early 1950s.

Surviving aircraft

Mitsubishi Ki-46-III at the RAF Museum Cosford, 2009

The only known survivor is a Ki-46-III Army Type 100 example, that is part of the collection of the Royal Air Force Museum in the United Kingdom. Built around 1943, it was part of the 81st Sentai, 3rd Chutai IJAAF. This unit had detachments deployed across the South West Pacific.[14]

In late 1945, Japanese Surrendered Personnel at Kuruan Airfield in British Malaya were ordered to restore two Ki-46's at the base to airworthy condition for the Allied Technical Air Intelligence Unit. They managed this with one aircraft, and it was flown to Seletar, Singapore by a Japanese pilot in early 1946. It made a number of flights with Japanese pilots and was selected for museum preservation. It was shipped to the United Kingdom in mid-1946.[14]

It became part of the

Royal Air Force Museum Cosford
in 1989. Ownership was transferred from the
RAF Museum Hendon.[15]

Specifications (Ki-46-II)

3-view drawing of the Mitsubishi Ki-46

Data from Japanese Aircraft of the Pacific War[16]

General characteristics

  • Crew: 2
  • Length: 11 m (36 ft 1 in)
  • Wingspan: 14.7 m (48 ft 3 in)
  • Height: 3.88 m (12 ft 9 in)
  • Wing area: 32 m2 (340 sq ft)
  • Empty weight: 3,263 kg (7,194 lb)
  • Gross weight: 5,050 kg (11,133 lb)
  • Max takeoff weight: 5,800 kg (12,787 lb)
  • Powerplant: 2 ×
    Mitsubishi Ha-102
    (Army Type 100 1,050hp Air Cooled Radial) 14-cylinder air-cooled radial piston engines, 810 kW (1,080 hp) each for take-off
787 kW (1,055 hp) at 2,800 m (9,200 ft)
  • Propellers: 3-bladed constant-speed metal propellers

Performance

  • Maximum speed: 604 km/h (375 mph, 326 kn) at 5,800 m (19,000 ft)
  • Cruise speed: 400 km/h (250 mph, 220 kn) at 4,000 m (13,000 ft)
  • Range: 2,474 km (1,537 mi, 1,336 nmi)
  • Service ceiling: 10,720 m (35,170 ft)
  • Time to altitude: 8,000 m (26,000 ft) in 17 minutes 58 seconds

Armament

  • Guns: 1× 7.7 mm (0.303 in) Type 89 machine gun flexibly mounted in the rear cockpit (not fitted to all models)

See also

Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era

Related lists

Notes

  1. ^ a b Air International November 1980, p. 227.
  2. ^ a b Francillon 1979, pp. 169–170.
  3. ^ Francillon 1979, p. 170.
  4. ^ Air International November 1980, p. 230.
  5. ^ Francillon 1979, pp. 170–171.
  6. ^ Francillon 1979, p. 172.
  7. ^ Air International November 1980, pp. 231–232.
  8. ^ Francillon 1970, p. 257.
  9. ^ Ferkl 2005, p. 7.
  10. ^ Air International November 1980, p. 232.
  11. ^ Francillon 1979, p. 176.
  12. ^ Thomas, Andrew Making the Best Better article Fly Past magazine February 2006 pp92-4
  13. ^ Kotelnikov, V. Stalin's Captives article in Fly Past magazine, February 2017 p.106 with ground photo
  14. ^ a b c Andrew Simpson (2012), Mitsubishi Ki-46-III 'Dinah' BAPC. 84/8484M Museum Accession Number 1989/0307/AF (PDF), RAF Museum, retrieved 22 Nov 2013
  15. ^ "Rare Japanese WW2 types moved to London". www.key.aero. 2022-10-31. Retrieved 2024-03-06.
  16. ^ Francillon 1979, pp. 176–177.

Bibliography

External links

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