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Summary: Kawasaki KI-61 Hien (Tony) aircraft Airplane blueprint for the Kawasaki, KI-61, Hien, (Tony) ... Aviation history and aircraft blueprints/plans. The Ki-61 was unique among Japanese fighters of the Second World War. It was the first JAAF fighter to incorporate from the outset the armor plating and self-sealing fuel tanks deemed indispensable by its opponents, and its liquid-cooled engine, long tapering nose, and high-aspect-ratio wings gave it a most un-Japanese look. Indeed, when first encountered over New Guinea in the summer of 1943, the Hien (Swallow) was at first thought to be a copy of the Bf-109 or of the Italian Macchi MC-202. The latter report earned for the Ki-61 the code name Tony.
The Hien first saw combat over the mountains of New Guinea in the summer of 1943 and was relatively successful in combat. At first pilots used to the maneuverability of Hayabusa balked, but soon came to appreciate the extra speed and the armor protection of the Kawasaki fighter, indeed they found that the confidence given by the latter fostered greater aggressiveness, and the Hien had twice the armament of Hayabusa.
In addition to New Guinea and Rabaul, the Hien served in Okinawa, Taiwan, China, the Phillipines, and the Japanese home islands and was liked by its pilots and respected by its enemies. It was one of the few Japanese aircraft able to take on the B-29 and Major Kobayashi Teruhiko of the 244th Sentai claimed 10 of the big bombers. Fights between Hien and the Vought Corsair and Grumman Hellcat were about even and it was not until the appearance of the P-51 that the Hien was outclassed.
Ps... We often hear from our customers that the KI-61 Kawasaki is among their favorite blueprints, if not their top-pick.
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