In mid 1941, a team was set up at the Japanese Army Aerotechnical Research Institute (or Rikugun Kokugijutsu Kenkyujo, known by the abbreviation Giken) to study advanced military aircraft. The team drew up preliminary designs for a twin-engined heavy fighter for the Imperial Japanese Army Air Force, to be powered by two Mitsubishi Ha-211 radial engines and estimated to reach a speed of 680 km/h (422 mph). In July 1942, the design, along with some of the team from Giken, was passed to the First Army Air Arsenal (Dai-Ichi Rikugun Kokusho or Kosho) at Tachikawa for further development. Here, the design was refined, with more powerful Mitsubishi Ha-214 radials substituted and a heavy cannon armament added.
The first prototype proved to be overweight, while the new engines gave much less power than expected, delivering only 1,970 hp compared with the expected 2,700 hp. The Ki-93 made its first flight on 8 April 1945 from Tachikawa airfield; a successful 20 minute test of its low-speed handling characteristics, piloted by Lt. Moriya of the Koku Shinsa-bu (Air Examination Department) with 2nd Lt. Ikebayashi in the second seat. Unfortunately, the pilot undershot the runway and touched down in soft soil, ground-looping the aircraft and tearing off the port undercarriage leg and engine mount, also bending the six-blade propeller.
Japanese Aircraft of the Pacific War
General characteristics
Crew: 2
Length: 14.215 m
Wingspan: 19.00 m
Height: 4.85 m
Wing area: 54.75 m2
Empty weight: 7,686 kg
Gross weight: 11,440 kg
Powerplant: 2 × Mitsubishi Ha-214 18-cylinder air-cooled radial engine, 1,470 kW (1,970 hp) each (take-off power)
Propellers: 6-bladed VDM, 3.80 m diameter
Maximum speed: 624 km/h at 8,300 m
Cruising speed: 350 km/h at sea level
Range: 3,000 km
Service ceiling: 12,050 m
Time to altitude: 9 min 3 sec to 6,000 m
Armament:1× 57 mm Ho-402 cannon in ventral gondola
+ 2× 20 mm Ho-5 cannon in wing roots
+ 1× 12.7 mm Ho-103 machine gun on flexible mounting in rear cockpit
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