The Imperial Japanese Army needed a fast, long-range reconnaissance plane and Mitsubishi delivered one of the fastest aircraft to come out of Japan during World War II. The first version (Ki-46-I) and second version (Ki-46-II shown here) roamed the Pacific flying recon missions and would simply fly at full throttle to escape from any fighter aircraft. It was nearly uncatchable until the P-38 Lightning showed up in 1942. A third version (Ki-46-III), introduced in late 1942, was given a more streamlined nose and more powerful engines giving it a top speed of nearly 400 mph! The Ki-46, like the de Havilland Mosquito, was fast enough to be used for combat as well as reconnaissance. Two combat designs were made - the first was an interceptor that used the Ki-46-II body with a couple of 20 mm cannon in the nose and a 37 mm cannon in the fuselage. This plane was meant to take out B-29 bombers, but its fragile frame was not really up to accurately firing a 37 mm cannon or taking fire from the bomber's anti-aircraft gunners. The second combat design removed the 37 mm cannon and was used as a ground attack aircraft. A total of 1,746 Ki-46 aircraft were built by Mitsubishi between 1941 and 1944.
 

 Class: Reconnaissance/Ground Attack/Interceptor

 Crew: 2

 Engine: 2 x Mitsubishi Ha-102 14-cylinder twin-row radial (1,050 hp each)

 Max Speed: 375 mph at 19,029 ft

 Climb Rate:  1,458 ft/min

 Service Ceiling: 35,170 ft

 Range: 1,537 miles

  Model Scale:  1:100