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The Tachikawa Ki-54 was a Japanese twin-engine advanced trainer used during World War II. The aircraft was named Hickory by the Allies.
| Ki-54 | |
|---|---|
 Tachikawa Ki-54 | |
| General information | |
| Type | Twin-engine advanced crew trainer |
| Manufacturer | Tachikawa Aircraft Company Ltd |
| Designer | Shinjiro Shinagawa |
| Primary user | Imperial Japanese Army Air Force |
| Number built | 1,368 |
| History | |
| Manufactured | 1941-1945 |
| Introduction date | 1941 |
| First flight | Summer 1940 |
| Retired | 1945 (Japan) 1952 (China) |
History
editThe Ki-54 was developed in response to an Imperial Japanese Army requirement for a twin-engine advanced trainer, principally for crew training. The prototype first flew in summer 1940 and, on completing trials, entered production in 1941 as Army Type 1 Advanced Trainer Model A (Ki-54a). The Ki-54a was soon followed by the Ki-54b as Army Type 1 Operations Trainer Model B and Ki-54c as Army Type 1 Transport Model C. The Ki-54b and -c enjoyed successful careers until the end of the war. A few captured aircraft were flown after the war by various users.
Operators
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- Imperial Japanese Army Air Force used them for training as per their design.
- Manchukuo Air Force Three were provided by Japan as VIP transports.
- Republic of China Air Force Nationalist Chinese (captured).
- People's Liberation Army Air Force Communist Chinese (captured): Four captured Ki-54s were used, including in 1951 to train the first class of female pilots in China. They were retired in 1952.[citation needed]
- Armée de l'Air At least seven Ki-54 were recovered by the French in French Indochina between 1945 and 1947, after the Japanese surrender.
- One aircraft operated briefly by No. 273 Squadron RAF during September and October 1945 in French Indochina.[1]
Variants
edit- Ki-54a - unarmed pilot trainer
- Ki-54b - armed crew trainer
- Ki-54c - eight-passenger light transport, communications aircraft. Civil designation Y-59.
- Ki-54d - maritime reconnaissance/ASW, carried 8x 60-kg (132-lb) depth charges
- Ki-110 - one prototype Ki-54c of all-wood construction, destroyed in US bombing attack
- Ki-111 - projected fuel tanker (none built)
- Ki-114 - projected fuel tanker of all-wood construction (none built)
Surviving aircraft
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- A Ki-54 fuselage is in Australia in storage at the Australian War Museum Annex. It was previously part of a playground at the RAAF Fairbairn base kindergarten.[2][3]
- Another Ki-54 fuselage is stored in China at the Chinese Aviation Museum.[4]
- An unrestored Ki-54 is on display at the Misawa Aviation & Science Museum, Japan, it was found at the bottom of Lake Towada in Aomori Prefecture on 13 August 2010. It was recovered on 5 September 2012[5] and has been restored for display.[6]
Specifications (Ki-54c light transport)
editData from The Concise Guide to Axis Aircraft of World War II;[7] Japanese Aircraft of the Pacific War[8]
General characteristics
- Crew: 2
- Capacity: 8
- Length: 11.94 m (39 ft 2 in)
- Wingspan: 17.9 m (58 ft 9 in)
- Height: 3.58 m (11 ft 9 in)
- Wing area: 40 m2 (430 sq ft)
- Empty weight: 2,954 kg (6,512 lb)
- Gross weight: 3,897 kg (8,591 lb)
- Powerplant: 2 × Hitachi Ha13a (Army Type 98 450hp Air Cooled Radial) 9-cylinder air-cooled radial piston engine, 380 kW (510 hp) each for take-off
- 350 kW (470 hp) at 1,700 m (5,600 ft)
- Propellers: 2-bladed metal propeller
Performance
- Maximum speed: 375 km/h (233 mph, 202 kn)
- Cruise speed: 240 km/h (150 mph, 130 kn)
- Range: 960 km (600 mi, 520 nmi)
- Service ceiling: 7,180 m (23,560 ft)
- Wing loading: 97.4 kg/m2 (19.9 lb/sq ft)
- Power/mass: 0.195 kW/kg (0.119 hp/lb)
See also
editAircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era
Related lists
References
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Tachikawa Ki-54.
Notes
edit- ^ Thomas, Andy (July 2008). "Vietnam Prelude". FlyPast (324). Stamford, Lincolnshire, England: Key Publishing: 70–71.
- ^ "Anyone got pics of the AWM Ki-54?". Warbirdz Aviation Photography. Archived from the original on 12 April 2012. Retrieved 15 December 2013.
- ^ "Tachikawa Ki-54c 'Hickory' fuselage: 10th Independent Air Brigade, Imperial Japanese Army Air Force". awm.gov.au. Australian War Memorial. Retrieved June 15, 2018.
- ^ "Aircraft database". LPH2O. April 3, 2016.
- ^ "旧陸軍の練習機69年ぶり地上に、青森・十和田湖で引き揚げ" [Former Army training aircraft pulled out of lake for the first time in 69 years] (in Japanese). September 5, 2012. Retrieved April 2, 2016.
- ^ "旧陸軍練習機、十和田湖で発見…戦時中に墜落". Yomiuri Online (in Japanese). August 13, 2010. Archived from the original on August 16, 2010.
- ^ Mondey 1996, p. ?.
- ^ Francillon 1979, p. 256.
Bibliography
edit- Francillon, René J. (1979). Japanese aircraft of the Pacific War. London: Putnam. ISBN 0-370-30251-6. OCLC 6124909. (new edition 1987 by Putnam Aeronautical Books, ISBN 0-85177-801-1.)
- Mondey, David (1996). The Concise Guide to Axis Aircraft of World War II. New York: Bounty Books. ISBN 1-85152-966-7.
- Soumille, Jean-Claude (September 1999). "Les avions japonais aux coleurs françaises" [Japanese Aircraft in French Colors]. Avions: Toute l'Aéronautique et Son Histoire (in French) (78): 6–17. ISSN 1243-8650.