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 1 hour ago by onetrack