Kawasaki Ki-48

Kawasaki Ki-48

In 1937. started to develop aircraft Kawasaki Ki-48. It was a cantilever sredneplan with retractable tricycle landing gear with tail wheel and, initially, with a radial piston engines Nakajima (Nakajima) Ha-25 Power 708 kW (950 hp). In the fuselage housed a crew of four people and payloads into internal bomb bay. The first aircraft flew in July 1939. At the end of 1939. aircraft was ordered for serial production under the designation Army Type 99 twin-engined light bomber model 1A (Army Type 99 Twin-Engine Light Bomber Model 1A). Aircraft Ki-48 found combat use in China in autumn 1940. In the meantime, have developed an improved version of the Ki-48-II with self-tightening at breakdown fuel tanks, armor protected the crew and more powerful engines, Nakajima Ha-115. The aircraft was launched into a series in the spring of 1942. under the designation Army Type 99 twin-engined light bomber model 2A (Army Type 99 Twin-Engine Light Bomber Model 2A). But small velocity reduces its chances of survival against Allied fighter aircraft, and in October 1944. plane was decommissioned. Many of these machines were used suicide bombers.

OPTIONS
Ki-48: identification of four experimental and five preproduction aircraft. Ki-48-Ia: the initial version with armament of three 7.7-mm (0.303 inch) machine guns on the kingpin in the nose, under the fuselage and the top of the fuselage, plus a maximum bomb load of up to 400 kg (882 pounds). Ki-48-Ib: variant of Ki-48-Ia, with minor changes, the overall serial production of Ki-48-Ia and Ki-48-Ib was 557 copies. Ki-48-II: three experimental aircraft, built in early 1942. Ki-48-IIa: initial version of the serial model Ki-48-II; similar to the Ki-48-Ia, but the bomb load increased to 800 kg (1764 lb). Ki-48-IIb: analog Ki-48-IIa, but with air brakes. Ki-48-IIc: the serial version with additional machine guns 12.7 mm (0.5 inches); production of all variants of Ki-48-II was 1,408 vehicles. Ki-81: designed by a heavily armed and armored version of the Ki-48; not built. Ki-174: Machine set up as a single version of the attack aircraft, not built.