Mitsubishi Hyakushiki Shitei
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Description
During the Sino-Japanese conflict, prior to the onset of WWII, it became obvious to Japanese Army leaders that a new reconnaissance aircraft would be required to cover the vast distances then being encountered in China. Specifications for a high speed, long range reconnaissance aircraft were submitted to Mitsubishi Corporation in 1937 with a speed and range priority.
Completed in November 1939, the prototype had few teething problems; however, speed was some 10 percent less than hoped for, but still faster than allied fighter aircraft and even their own A6M2 Zero. Mitsubishi was working on an advanced version of their Ha-26 engine (Ha-102), so the Ki-46 was put into production as the Army Type 100 Model 1 Command Reconnaissance Plane.
In March 1941 the 1,080hp Ha-102 engine became available and the Ki-46 II went into production, and was assigned the allied code name "Dinah" in 1942. The P-38F "Lightning" and F4U-1 "Corsair" were expected soon in the Pacific, and to counter this threat, Mitsubishi was told to increase performance by using two 1,500hp Ha-112-II engines. Ki-46 III testing began in December 1942, and the results were outstanding, with a top speed of 630km/h at 6,000m and a ceiling of 10,000m. Produced throughout the war, the aesthetically beautiful Ki-46 III flew almost unmolested until 1945 when allied fighters were finally able to intercept this high flying reconnaissance speedster. -
Specifications
- Discontinued True