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U.S. Navy. Via Francillon (1979)
Mitsubishi Ki-57-II "Topsy"
|
Crew |
4 |
|
Passengers |
11 |
|
Dimensions |
74'2" by 52'10" by 16'0" 22.6m by 16.1m by 4.88m |
|
Weight |
12,313-20,106 lbs |
|
Speed |
292 mph at 19,030
feet |
|
Cruising
speed |
199 mph at 9840 feet |
|
Climb rate |
17 feet per second |
|
Ceiling |
26,250 feet |
|
Wing area |
754 square feet |
| Two 1080 hp (805 kW) Type 100 (Mitsubishi Ha-102) 14-cylinder radial engines driving constant-speed three-blade metal propellers. | |
|
Armament |
None |
|
External stores |
None |
|
Range |
932 miles (1500 km) normal |
| A total of 507 aircraft (101 Ki-57-Ia and 406 Ki-57-II) between July 1940 and January 1945 | |
|
Variants |
The Ki-57-I was powered by less powerful Type 97 (Nakajima Ha-5 KAI) engines and could reach only 267 mph at 11,155 feet, but it had a slightly better climb rate. |
The Mitsubishi Ki-57 "Topsy" was the standard
transport aircraft of
the Japanese Army. It was a 1939 civilian derivative of the Sally produced
for Japan Air Lines (Nihon Koku K.K.) whose production
was redirected back to military use.
The transport retained the wings, cockpit and tail
of "Sally" but had a redesigned fuselage with two rows of single seats
accomodating 11 passengers. The wings were also lowered. The prototype
flew in Auguest 1940 and production commenced by the end of that
year. It was known as the MC-20-I in civilian service and a few
were acquired by the Navy as the L4M1.
"Topsy" was used to drop paratroops in the Palembang
area on 14 February 1942, but most of its operations were much less
spectacular. A very small number continued to operate until October
1945, two months after the surrender,
under strict Allied control.
References
The Pacific War Online Encyclopedia © 2007, 2009 by Kent G. Budge. Index
