Engineering:Nakajima Ki-12
| Ki-12 | |
|---|---|
| Role | prototype fighter aircraft |
| Manufacturer | Nakajima Aircraft Company |
| First flight | 1936 |
| Primary user | Imperial Japanese Army Air Force |
The Nakajima Ki-12 (中島 キ12 Ki-jyuni) was a private development Nakajima Aircraft Company after its failure to meet the 1935 requirement issued by the Japanese government for a modern single-seat monoplane fighter with the Ki-11 design.
Design & Development
Design work on the Ki-12 was a collaboration between engineers Roger Robert and Jean Beziaud from the French Dewoitine firm and Shigenobu Mori, a Nakajima engineer, and was heavily influenced by the Dewoitine D.510 design.[1][2] Nakajima wanted the new design to be the most technically advanced in Japan.[2] Based on the Ki-11 airframe, the engine was replaced by a liquid-cooled 454 kW (610 hp) Hispano-Suiza 12Xcrs V engine. The landing gear were fully retractable (the first Japanese design to have this feature),[2] and the design introduced the use of slotted flaps. Proposed armament consisted of a 20 mm cannon firing from between the engine cylinders and twin 7.7 mm (.303 in) machine guns.
The Ki-12 was tested against the Mitsubishi Ki-18. Although technically advanced and with advantages in speed, range and firepower over the other contemporary Japanese fighter designs, the Ki-12 was deemed too heavy and complex by the Imperial Japanese Army Air Force . The IJAAF also felt that the design was lacking in maneuverability, and would not want to rely on the manufacturing licence for the Hispano-Suiza engine.[2]
Although the Army declined to pursue the project, Nakajima continued to refine the design, introducing a simpler version styled the Nakajima Type P.E., which evolved into the successful Ki-27 "Nate" several years later.
Variants
- Nakajima Ki-12: initial prototype
- Nakajima Type P.E.: simplified prototype with a fixed landing gear and a radial engine
Specifications (Ki-12)
Data from Famous Airplanes of the World, first series, #76: Army Experimental Fighters (1)[3]
General characteristics
- Crew: 1
- Length: 8.3 m (27 ft 3.75 in)
- Wingspan: 11 m (36 ft 1 in)
- Height: 3.45 m (11 ft 3.8 in)
- Wing area: 17 m2 (183 sq ft)
- Empty weight: 1,400 kg (3,086 lb)
- Gross weight: 1,900 kg (4,189 lb)
- Powerplant: 1 × Hispano-Suiza 12Xcrs water-cooled engine , 450 kW (610 hp)
Performance
- Maximum speed: 480 km/h (300 mph, 260 kn)
- Range: 800 km (500 mi, 430 nmi)
- Service ceiling: 10,500 m (34,000 ft)
Armament
- 1× 20 mm cannon
- 2× 7.7 mm (.303 in) Type 89 machine guns
See also
Aircraft of comparable role, configuration and era
- Dewoitine D.510
Related lists
References
- Notes
- ↑ Wieliczko & Szeremeta 2004, pp. 13–14.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Mikesh & Abe 1990, p. 220.
- ↑ FAOW 1976, p. 2.
- Bibliography
- Francillon, Ph.D., René J. (1979). Japanese Aircraft of the Pacific War. London: Putnam & Company Ltd.. ISBN 0-370-30251-6.
- Mikesh, Robert C.; Abe, Shorzoe (1990). Japanese Aircraft, 1910-1941. Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-55750-563-2.
- "Army Experimental Fighters (1)". Famous Airplanes of the World. First Series (Bunrin-Do.) (76). 1976. OCLC 907792243.
- "Army Experimental Fighters". Famous Airplanes of the World. Second Series (Bunrin-Do) (24). September 1990.
- Wieliczko, Leszek A; Szeremeta, Zygmunt (2004) (in Polish, English). Nakajima Ki 27 Nate. Lublin, Poland: Kagero. ISBN 83-89088-51-7.
External links
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