Tačikawa Ki 54 [Hickory]

Tachikawa Ki-54 - přehled verzí
Tachikawa Ki-54 - an overview of the versions
キ54一式双发高等练习机 / - / Hickory


Ki-54Ia intended only for pilot training
Ki-54b designed for the training of complete crews of multi-engine aircraft
Ki-54Ic light transport version without střelišť
Ki-54Id anti-submarine 8x 60 kg depth charges
Ki-110 wooden prototype
Ki-111 aerial refuelling tanker aircraft - only project
Ki-114 strongly initial piston Ki-110


Users:
Japan Imperial army air force
Manchukuo - 3 aircraft for the transport of VIP
republic of China - enjoyed a few captured aircraft
people's republic of China - enjoyed a few captured aircraft in 1952
the French Indochina - Armée de l'air used after the surrender of Japan 7 aircraft until 1947.
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Tachikawa Ki-54 and subsequent versions.[/heading]

Brief history:


大日本帝国陸軍航空本部 Dai-Nippon Teikoku Rikugun Kōkū Hombu (command of the imperial army air force) was commissioned in 1939 the technical requirements for the design of follow-on trainer aircraft, these requirements addressed a smaller company 立川飛行機株式会社 - Tachikawa Hikōki Kabushiki Kaisha (hereinafter referred to as Tachikawa). The imperial army air force needed a new trainer to improve the training of crews of multi-engine aircraft, which at that time came to combat units. Command of the army air force also was aware of the fact that continuing training must pass not only the pilots but also the remaining members of the crew.

The management of the company Tachikawa instructed the leadership of the design team your chief engineer engineer Ryokochi End, he began without delay the work on the project by the army designated Ki-54. The project was military representatives assessed and approved, without observations, and was subsequently proceeded to build a prototype. The first prototype was completed and also fly in the summer of 1940, it was a dolnoplošný aircraft curvy shapes with retractable landing gear. The drive had two star devítiválce Hitachi Ha-13a on the performance of 510 horsepower, the propellers were dvoulisté with adjustable angle of attack. The plane was quite modern equipped and this equipment osádkám allow easier transition to combat aircraft types. In 1939, the year when he was Ki-54 designed, flying the japanese fighters Ki-27 with the fixed gear, and many other fighting types should the propeller with a fixed angle of attack, or two-step - adjustable in the country. Ongoing flight tests have revealed that it is a pretty good machine on which it was necessary to make only a very small amount of changes. The most fundamental of these adjustments was a slight shift of the center of gravity to the aircraft was not in landing "heavy on the head". In the army tests soon joined the other six prototypes, other childhood diseases were almost zero, and so from 1941, after the adoption of the army's armaments, run the serial production.

Aircraft of the first series were army air force adopted under the designation of "advanced trainer type 1 model And (Key)", or also abbreviated Tachikawa キ54甲 - Ki-54a, these aircraft were designed for training pilots. Very soon into production got the following version of the "advanced trainer type 1 model B (Otsu)", キ54乙 - Ki-54b, this version was intended for the training of complete crews, i.e., that, next to the pilots here have had their habitat navigators, radio operators, bombometčíci and the gunners, only for the training of the shooters here were four machine-gun posts. The new trainer aircraft is gradually getting into military flying schools and several aircraft to get into civilian flying schools. Trainer the Ki-54b was the most produced version. Use in the army air force was such, that allegedly wasn't the only army pilot multi-engine aeroplane that would not be trained just for this type.

Sometime in the second half of the year 1942 formed another version, this time it was a small transport aircraft, designed to transport more than eight passengers or paratroopers. Range was launched, and so were easily identifiable – the spine of the aircraft was "smooth" without the gun turrets. The total production of this version has reached approximately five hundred aircraft, in this is included also several civilian aircraft used by airlines in Japan and especially in Manchuria. The civilian machines were labeled S-59, army air force its aircraft classified under the designation "military transport aircraft type 1 model C (Hei)", the shortened name was キ54丙 - Ki-54c.
The production will engage, besides the parent plant in Tachikawě and factories in the cities of Kofu and Okayama, the largest volume of production was in the years 1943 (386 aircraft) and 1944 (500 aircraft). At that time, was built a smaller number of aircraft anti-submarine version of the キ54丁 - Ki-54d (Tei), this aircraft carried eight depth charges, each weighing 60 kg.

The japanese economy was marked by the long lasting war so much, that noticeably lacked the key ingredients necessary for example for the production of alloys of light metals, the designers have therefore tried to replace these deficient metals, steel or wood. This deal wasn't the only aircraft Ki-54, but also many others. In Tachikawě was built one aircraft with all-wood construction, marked キ110 – Ki-110, which was a modified transport aircraft Ki-54c, this machine was destroyed by american bombers, probably prior to zalétáním.

The other two proposals emanating from the Ki-54, which did not exceed the stage of the project, this was an interesting project flying tanks キ111 - Ki-111, this aircraft should help supply the parent islands with gasoline. American submarines at the end of the war, with high efficiency destroy japanese shipping, and so should help this flying tank. In the fuselage of the Ki-111 was installed the fuel tank, which had to be refuelled in overseas refinery, the aircraft during its flight consumed fueled fuel, but a substantial part would be left to its further use. On the tables of designers also remained radically improved wooden aircraft Ki-110, which was designed under the designation キ114 - Ki-114.

The company's factory Tachikawa as to the surrender of Japan made 1 368 aircraft, yet in the last year of the war was made of 138 aircraft. As the type of Ki-54 specifically proved, he flew throughout the war and the allied intelligence service assigned by the code name Hickory, the aircraft was greatly liked by both flying and ground personnel. This type of aircraft performed the last few flights after the surrender of Japan, when the appropriate japanese characters Hinomaru, were white squares with a green cross, they were the characters of humility and aircraft were used to transport the japanese surrender group.

Allies of this type were assigned one code name - Joyce, female names was allocated to the bombers, but such a version of the Ki-54 did not exist. It was probably about the erroneous determination of the type, or could be the anti-submarine Ki-54d, which was spotted over the sea?


Used springs:
René J. Francillon Ph. d., Japanese Aircraft of the Pacific War, Naval Institute Press, Annapolis, Maryland, 1987, p. 255, ISBN: 0-87021-313-X
Tachikawa Ki-54 Hickory, Classic Wings, Vol. 19, Issue 88, no. 5/2012. Blueprint media.
L+To no 2/1971 and no 10/2004, Václav Němeček, Aircraft 1939 – 1945, Tačikava Ki-54 (Hickory).
http://www.airwar.ru/enc/cww2/ki54.html
archives of the author.
.
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