KerbalX

As the war came to the shores of Japan and the ominous silouhettes of B-29s loomed over Tokyo, the Technical Division of the IJAAF set out to create an interceptor capable of taking out high-flying and speedy american bombers.

The project was aimed at creating a radial engine powered interceptor similar to the US P-47 Thunderbolt equipped with a specialized turbosupercharger optimized for high altitude performance. Since after initial evaluation Tachikawa Ki-94 was chosen for further development, the Ki-87 designed by the Nakajima bureau was given a lower priority and development works slowed down. It was not until 1945 that the first protptype took flight, and only after five flights with extended undercarriage the war came to an end after the nuclear bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

The Ki-87 never saw combat, but the sheer idea of a Japanese WWII high-altitude, long range heavy single-engine fighter equipped with a 20mm-30mm cannon combo is fascinating idea to me. The air force doctrine focused primarily on maneuverability and low-to-mid altitude performance as exemplified by planes such as the A6M or the Ki-61 and thus the Ki-87 stands as the sole specimen of it’s kind in the IJAAF arsenal.

This replica is a bit tricky to fly due to engine torque, but if you fly it without SAS and use trimming properly you should be fine. Action groups are as follows:

AG1 - Switch between low-speed prop pitch and high-speed prop pitch
AG2 - Turn on the power generating fuel cells
AG3 - Toggle flaps
AG4 - Toggle maximum prop feathering

To acheive the top speed of around 190m/s @ 4000m you will need to accelerate to around 100-105m/s on your low-speed prop pitch and switch to the higher prop pitch with AG1. Afterwards, after reaching somewhere around 140m/s just click AG4 to feather the prop more and reach maximum speed.

Landing is a bit tricky since bouncing off the runway is a big issue. Keep your vertical speed low and you should be okay.

Enjoy flying out my first warbird!

v1.0 - Initial release

Details

• Type: SPH
• Class: aircraft
• Part Count: 170
• Pure Stock