Kawasaki Ki-100

The Kawasaki Ki-100 was a fighter aircraft used by the Imperial Japanese Army in World War II. The Japanese Army designation was "Type 5 Fighter" .

The emergency measure of adapting a Ki-61-II-KAI fighter to carry a Mitsubishi radial engine resulted in an excellent interceptor fighter, one of the best used by the Army during the entire war. Missions began in March 1945; from the first engagements the Ki-100 showed its good qualities against the USAAF B-29 heavy bombers at high altitudes, and showed itself equally effective against U.S. Navy carrier fighters. A new variant, the Ki-100-Ib, was constructed during the last weeks of the conflict to equip five sentai for home defense.

General characteristics

Crew: 1

Performance
Maximum speed: 580 km/h (360 mph)

Armament
2 × 20 mm wing-mounted Ho-5 cannons, 250 20x94 mm rounds/gun
2 × 12.7 mm fuselage-mounted Ho-103 machine guns, 250 12.7x81 mm rounds/gun