Oddball, Experimental, or One-off

[red750]

The Mitsubishi Ki-83 (キ83) was a Japanese experimental long range heavy fighter designed near the end of World War II. It did not reach production status.

 

The Mitsubishi Ki-83 was designed as a long range heavy fighter. It was designed and built by a team led by Tomio Kubo, designer of the highly successful Mitsubishi Ki-46. The design was a response to a 1943 specification for a new heavy fighter with great range. The first of four prototypes flew on 18 November 1944. The machines displayed remarkable maneuverability for aircraft of their size, being able to execute a 671 m (2,200 ft) diameter loop in just 31 seconds at a speed of over 644 km/h (400 mph).

 

The Ki-83 carried a powerful armament of two 30 mm (1.18 in) and two 20 mm cannon in its nose.

Despite the bomb-ravaged Japanese manufacturing sector, plans for the Ki-83 to enter production were underway when Japan surrendered on 15 August 1945.

 

Both the existence and performance of the Ki-83 were little known during the war, even in Japan. It was completely unknown in Allied military aviation circles – as demonstrated by the fact that the Ki-83 had not been given a reporting name. Most early photographs of the type were taken during the post-war occupation of Japan, when the four prototypes were seized by the United States Army Air Forces and repainted with USAAF insignia. When they were evaluated by U.S. aeronautical engineers and other experts, a Ki-83 using high-octane fuel reached a speed of 762 km/h (473 mph), at an altitude of 7,000 metres (23,000 ft).

 

Variants
Ki-83 experimental long-range heavy fighter, four prototypes built.
Ki-95 projected reconnaissance version, none built.
Ki-103 projected development, none built

 

[rgmwa]

Impressive aircraft. Very sleek design and a top speed of over 400 kts is very fast for the time.

[onetrack]

It was a step too far, and too late for the Japanese. The Ki-83 was powered by 2 x 18 cyl Mitsubishi Ha 43 Model 11 engines (Ha 211 Ru), each producing 2,200HP. The engine was fuel injected, fan cooled and turbo-supercharged.

But the engine was new, and unproven, and when put into operation, it was unreliable. It would've taken another year or two to get the engine even moderately reliable, and even then it was an enormously complex engine.

 

The aircraft itself shows a lot of similarities to a Mosquito in its aerodynamics and profile.

 

Mitsubishi Ha 43 Model 11 (Ha 211 Ru), Radial 18 Engine | National Air and Space Museum

AIRANDSPACE.SI.EDU

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Type: Reciprocating, 18 cylinders, 2 rows, radial, air-cooled, turbosuperchargedPower rating: 1,641 kW (2,200 hp) at 2,900 rpmDisplacement: 41.7 L (2,546 cu in.)Bore and Stroke: 140 mm (5.5...

 

 

Edited December 12 by onetrack

[red750]

The Morane-Saulnier MS.1500 Épervier (en: Sparrowhawk) was a 1950s French two-seat ground attack and reconnaissance aircraft. Designed and built by Morane-Saulnier to meet a French Air Force requirement, it did not enter production.

 

Designed to meet a requirement for a tactical reconnaissance and counter-insurgency aircraft for use by the French Air Force in Algeria the Epervier was a tandem two-seat low-wing cantilever monoplane. Powered by a 522 kW (700 hp)) Turbomeca Bastan turboprop the MS.1500 had a fixed tailwheel landing gear. The prototype first flew on the 12 May 1958 powered by a 300 kW (402 hp)) Turbomeca Marcadau turboprop. A second prototype was built but the type did not enter production.

 

[red750]

The Piper PA-47 "PiperJet" was a single-engined very light jet (VLJ) that was intended to be developed and built by Piper Aircraft. However, following a change of ownership at Piper, it was decided to redesign the aircraft as the PiperJet Altaire. Despite being technically successful, the Altaire project was canceled in October 2011 due to economic conditions. The aircraft is the first proposed single-engined civilian aircraft with a podded engine located on the tail.

 

The PiperJet was announced in October 2006, as a competitor to the twin-engined Eclipse 500 and Cessna Citation Mustang. The aircraft's fuselage was the same cross section as the propeller-driven Piper PA-46 series, with a 4 feet (1.2 m) increase in length. It was to be capable of carrying up to 7 passengers and cruise at 360 knots (666.7 km/h), at a maximum altitude of 35,000 feet (10,668.0 m). Maximum range was expected to be 1,300 nautical miles (2,407.6 km), with a full-fuel payload of 800 pounds. Piper selected Williams International to supply its FJ44-3AP turbofan engine for the PiperJet.

 

Due to the engine being mounted above the center of gravity, power was highly stabilizing (addition of power would push the nose down), which could have been disconcerting to pilots. Initially, Piper designers incorporated an automatic pitch trim system to coordinate horizontal stabilizer angle of incidence with power setting. This system was later replaced by a vectored thrust nozzle, developed by Williams International, which resulted in reduced weight and simplified manufacturing processes.

 

On 18 October 2011, AVweb editor-in-chief Russ Niles called for the project to be ended, calling it "unrealistic" to pursue the design in the face of Federal Aviation Administration opposition to certifying a single engined jet to 35,000 ft (10,668 m) and the lack of economic reasoning as the aircraft would cost the same as most twin-engined jets. Niles called on Piper saying, "the sooner it ends its "review" of the project and puts a bullet in it the better." Only one prototype was built.

 

[red750]

The Colani Cormoran CCE208 was a five-seat light aircraft under development in Germany in the late 1980s. The highly streamlined and unusual design was the work of the aeronautical engineer Walter Schulze with the collaboration of the celebrated industrial designer Luigi Colani. A particularly unorthodox feature was the pusher propeller mounted behind the top of the T-tail. Power was to be supplied by a converted Porsche automobile engine rated at 245 horsepower. The airframe was to be largely composite construction. A mockup was displayed at the Paris Air Show in 1987. No actual aircaft built.

 

 

Construction of the prototype aircraft was to have been undertaken by the Composite Engineering Company in Germany, with financial backing from Tohshin of Japan.

 

[skippydiesel]

On 12/12/2024 at 11:10 PM, red750 said:

The Mitsubishi Ki-83 (キ83) was a Japanese experimental long range heavy fighter designed near the end of World War II. It did not reach production status.

 

The Mitsubishi Ki-83 was designed as a long range heavy fighter. It was designed and built by a team led by Tomio Kubo, designer of the highly successful Mitsubishi Ki-46. The design was a response to a 1943 specification for a new heavy fighter with great range. The first of four prototypes flew on 18 November 1944. The machines displayed remarkable maneuverability for aircraft of their size, being able to execute a 671 m (2,200 ft) diameter loop in just 31 seconds at a speed of over 644 km/h (400 mph).

 

The Ki-83 carried a powerful armament of two 30 mm (1.18 in) and two 20 mm cannon in its nose.

Despite the bomb-ravaged Japanese manufacturing sector, plans for the Ki-83 to enter production were underway when Japan surrendered on 15 August 1945.

 

Both the existence and performance of the Ki-83 were little known during the war, even in Japan. It was completely unknown in Allied military aviation circles – as demonstrated by the fact that the Ki-83 had not been given a reporting name. Most early photographs of the type were taken during the post-war occupation of Japan, when the four prototypes were seized by the United States Army Air Forces and repainted with USAAF insignia. When they were evaluated by U.S. aeronautical engineers and other experts, a Ki-83 using high-octane fuel reached a speed of 762 km/h (473 mph), at an altitude of 7,000 metres (23,000 ft).

 

Variants
Ki-83 experimental long-range heavy fighter, four prototypes built.
Ki-95 projected reconnaissance version, none built.
Ki-103 projected development, none built

 

Remarkable similarity to the British DH Hornet