The Mitsubishi Ki-83 (キ83) was a Japanese experimental long

range Range may refer to: Geography * Range (geographic), a chain of hills or mountains; a somewhat linear, complex mountainous or hilly area (cordillera, sierra) ** Mountain range, a group of mountains bordered by lowlands * Range, a term used to i ...

heavy fighter A heavy fighter is a historic category of fighter aircraft produced in the 1930s and 1940s, designed to carry heavier weapons, and/or operate at longer ranges than light fighter aircraft. To achieve performance, most heavy fighters were twin-eng ...

designed near the end of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. It did not reach production status.

Design and development

The Mitsubishi Ki-83 was designed as a long

. It was designed and built by a team led by Tomio Kubo, designer of the highly successful

Mitsubishi Ki-46 The Mitsubishi Ki-46 was a twin-engine reconnaissance aircraft used by the Imperial Japanese Army in World War II. Its Army ''Shiki'' designation was Type 100 Command Reconnaissance Aircraft (); the Allied brevity code name was "Dinah". Devel ...

. The design was a response to a 1943 specification for a new heavy fighter with great range. The first of four

prototype A prototype is an early sample, model, or release of a product built to test a concept or process. It is a term used in a variety of contexts, including semantics, design, electronics, and Software prototyping, software programming. A prototyp ...

s 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 An alliance is a relationship among people, groups, or states that have joined together for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not explicit agreement has been worked out among them. Members of an alliance are called ...

military aviation circles – as demonstrated by the fact that the Ki-83 had not been given a

reporting name NATO reporting names are code names for military equipment from Russia, China, and historically, the Eastern Bloc (Soviet Union and other nations of the Warsaw Pact). They provide unambiguous and easily understood English words in a uniform manne ...

. 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 The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...

and repainted with USAAF insignia. When they were evaluated by U.S.

aeronautical engineer Aerospace engineering is the primary field of engineering concerned with the development of aircraft and spacecraft. It has two major and overlapping branches: aeronautical engineering and astronautical engineering. Avionics engineering is si ...

s and other experts, a Ki-83 using high-

octane Octane is a hydrocarbon and an alkane with the chemical formula , and the condensed structural formula . Octane has many structural isomers that differ by the amount and location of branching in the carbon chain. One of these isomers, 2,2,4-Tri ...

fuel reached a speed of 762 km/h (473 mph), at an altitude of 7,000 metres (23,000 ft). Ki-83-38

Variants

* Ki-83 experimental long-range

, four prototypes built. * Ki-95 projected reconnaissance version, none built. * Ki-103 projected development, none built.

Specifications (Ki-83)

References

Notes

Bibliography

* (new edition 1987 by Putnam Aeronautical Books, .) * * * Unknown Author(s). ''Famous Aircraft of the World, first series, no.76: Japanese Army Experimental Fighters (1)''. Tokyo, Japan: Bunrin-Do Co. Ltd., August 1976.

External links

Dave's Warbirds

{{Japanese Army Aircraft Designation System Ki-083, Mitsubish Ki-083, Mitsubishi Ki-083 Mid-wing aircraft Aircraft first flown in 1944 Twin piston-engined tractor aircraft