FACTOIDS & TRIVIA

The Japanese Imperial Navy got out of the biplane era with the A5M4 "Claude" in 1936. The Japanese Imperial Army also wanted a monoplane of their own and held a design competition in 1935. Several companies submitted designs and Nakajima won the contract in 1936 with their Ki-27 (allied code name "Nate") to replace the Army's obsolete Kawasaki Ki-10 biplane fighter. Like the Navy's A5M4, the Ki-27 was a modern fighter by 1936 standards with stressed-skin construction and skirted, fixed landing gear. It was far faster and agile than any biplanes of the era and was a match for most modern monowing fighters, including the Navy's A5M4 which was 20 mph slower and did not have an enclosed cockpit. Its biggest drawback, in addition to lack of self-sealing fuel tanks, was that it was only fitted with a pair of .303 inch machine guns which did not provide much firepower. The Ki-27 shown below was the final variant (Ki-27b) that had underwing hard points for bombs or a pair of 34 gallon fuels tanks.

The Ki-27 was used as a general fighter serving as an interceptor as well as bomber escort. It saw action in China during the second Sino-Japanese War where its main rival was the Soviet Polikarpov I-16 flown by Chinese and Soviet pilots. Leading up to World War II, the Ki-27 saw extensive action in China against the famous AVG "Flying Tigers" with their Curtiss P-40B Warhawks. The Ki-27 was was used by Nakajima as a springboard to develop the Ki-43 Hayabusa "Oscar" which quickly replaced the Ki-27 once World War II began. Remaining Ki-27s were used as trainers and for kamikaze missions at the end of the war. However, the "Nate" was so successful that Nakajima built 3,368 of them! Here's a mock battle sequence from a Japanese propaganda film where a squadron of Ki-27s takes on "Polikarpov I-15" Soviet biplanes (actually Kawasaki K-10s) flown by "Chinese" pilots. Fast forward through it the interesting parts. 

NAKAJIMA Ki-27b Type 97 "Nate"

 

 

 Class: Fighter

 Crew: 1

 Engine: Nakajima Ha-1b Kotobuki 9-cylinder radial (780 hp)

 Max Speed: 292 mph at 11,500 ft

 Climb Rate:  3,018 ft/min

 Service Ceiling: 32,940 ft

 Range: 390 miles

 Armament:  2 x .303 inch machine gun (fuselage mount)

                        4 x 55 lb bombs

                   

 

  Model Scale:  1:87



















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