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Tachikawa Ki-55 "Ida"
| Crew |
2 |
| Dimensions | 38'9" by 26'3" by 11'11" 11.8m by 8m by 3.64m |
| Wing area |
215 square feet 20 square meters |
| Weight | 2848-3794 lbs 1292-1721 kg |
| Speed | 217 mph at 7220 feet 249 km/h at 2200 meters |
| Cruising speed | 146
mph 2356 km/h |
| Climb rate | 24 feet per second 7.3 meters per second |
| Ceiling | 26,900 feet 8200 meters |
| Power plant | One 510 hp (380 kW) Hitachi Ha-13a 9-cylinder radial engine driving a two-blade wooden propeller. |
| Armament | None |
| External stores | One 1102 lb (500 kg) bomb for suicide sorties |
| Range | 659 miles 1060 km |
| Production | A total of 1388 production Ki-55:
Tachikawa Hikoki K.K.: 1077 Ki-55 from October 1939 to April 1943 and November 1943 to December 1943 251 Ki-55 from February 1941 to March 1943 (Gifu plant) 60 Ki-55 from September 1941 to November 1942 (Akashi plant) |
The easy handling the Ki-36
led
the Japanese to begin production of a trainer version, the Ki-55.
Both
were known as "Ida" to the Allies.
It was also known as the Army Type 99 Advanced Trainer. All
unnecessary
equipment was stripped and the observation windows and wheel spats
were
removed. Army pilots
were
certified when they performed their first solo flight in a Ki-55.
A few
Ki-55s were given to puppet
governments
and three found their way into the hands of the postwar Indonesian
nationalist forces.
References
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