With a combination of high speed (nearly 400 mph) and high altitude
(over 34,000 feet), the Ki-46 (in particular the –III version) was virtually
immune from Allied fighter interception for most of the war. Although the
initial design had severe teething problems, production went ahead, with
the Ki-46-III entering service in 1944. Overall, some 1,740 planes were
produced.
The Ki-46-III uses 112 gallons of aviation fuel per hour at routine
usage. Fuel costs $174.
Army Type 100 Command Reconnaissance Plane Model 3
Subassemblies: Light Fighter-Bomber chassis +2, Light
Fighter-Bomber Wings +2, two Small AFV pods +2, three retractable wheels
+0.
Powertrain: 2*1,119-kW aerial turbocharged HP gasoline
engine [Pods:F] with 2*1,119-kW prop and 870-gallon fuel tanks [Body and
Wings].
Occupancy: 2 CS Cargo: 1.5 Body,
0.9 Wings, 2.4 Pods
Armor
All: 2/3
Equipment
Body: Medium radio receiver and transmitter, navigation instruments,
autopilot, two recon cameras.
Statistics
| Size: 48'x36'x13' | Payload: 3 tons | Lwt: 7.2 tons |
| Volume: 312 | Maint.: 25 hours | Price: $63,200 |
HT: 8
HP: 83 [body], 60 [each wing], 113 [each pod], 8 [each wheel]
| aSpeed: 391 | aAccel: 9 | aDecel: 5 | aMR: 1.25 | aSR: 2 | Stall: 90 |
Design Notes
Design speed was 418 mph. The historical speed has been used, as well
as the actual wing area (344 square feet).
Some carried a rear-firing 7.7mm Type 89 MG (Aircraft LMG) in the observer’s position.
Variants
The original Ki-46 (1940) had two 671-kW engines, giving a top speed
of some 345 mph. It also was very unreliable (HT 6).
The improved Ki-46-II (1942) could reach 375 mph with a pair of supercharged 805-kW engines.
The Ki-46-III KAI (1944) was an interceptor version, converted from existing aircraft in small numbers. It mounted two 20mm Medium Aircraft ACs in the nose and one upwardly firing oblique 37mm Medium Aircraft AC behind the pilot.
A proposed ground attack version, the Ki-46-IIIb, with 20mm cannon in the nose, was never built.