Monthly Archives: August 2024

Fighter, Fighterbomber, Reconnaissance

Mitsubishi Ki-46-III KAI (Army Type 100 Air Defence Fighter), (DINAH), (LS-Models)

Gallery

TYPE: High altitude interceptor

ACCOMMODATION: Crew of two

POWER PLANT: Two Mitsubishi Ha-112-II Army Type 4 radial engines, rated at 1,500 hp each

PERFORMANCE: 404 mph at 19,095 ft

COMMENT: The Mitsubishi Ki-46 was a twin-engine reconnaissance aircraft used by the Imperial Japanese Army in WW II. Its Army  designation was Type 100 Command Reconnaissance Aircraft; the Allied nickname was DINAH.
At the beginning of the conflict the newest version of the Mitsubishi Ki-46-II were able to performe their missions with almost complete freedom from interception as, without the benefit of ground control radar to guide them, the Allied squadron‘ obsolescent fighters failed to reach the elusive Nipponese aircraft in time.
As the production of the Mitsubishi Ki-46-III (Army Type 100 Command Reconnaissance Plane Model 3) gained tempo, a high-altitude interceptor fighter version was developed by the Rikugun Kokugijutsu Kenkyujo (Army Aerotechnical Research Institute) as a stopgap pending production of specialized aircraft. Initially studies for this aircraft bgan in June 1943 and ist development was persued actively from May 1944 onwards. A modification programme was initiated at the Tachikawa Dai-Ichi Kokusho (First Army Air Arsenal at Tachikawa) where the photographic equipment of the standard Ki-46-III was removed. Modifications also included the redesign of the nose to provide space for two 20 mm Ho-5 cannon and the replacement of the top centre fuselage fuel tank by an obliquely mounted forward-firing 37 mm Ho 203 cannon. The first Army Type 100 Air Defence Fighter (Ki-46-III KAI) was completed in October 1944 and, a month later, aircraft of this type were issued to various units operating in defence of Japan. Operational results were disappointing as the Ki-46-III KAIs did not have the climbing speed required for an interceptor, but further developments of this variant resulted in the Army Type 100 Assault Plane (Ki-46-IIIb), of which only a few were built, and the Ki-46-IIIc which remained on the drawing board.
Retaining the Ki-46-III airframe but powered by two Ha-112-II Ru engines fitted with exhaust-driven turbosuperchargers, four Ki-46-IV prototypes were built in 1943-44. With a military rating of 1,100 hp at 33,465 ft, the Ha.112-II Ru gave the aircraft superior performance at altitude. Compared with the Ki-46-III, the Ki-46-IV differed by the installation, in the lower rear portion of the engine nacelles, of the turbosuperchargers, the air intake being methanol-cooled as space restriction prevented the use of an intercooler, and by an increase in internal fuel capacity to 1,977 litres. Tests began in February 1944, but difficulties with the turbosuper-charging system delayed the production of the Army Type100 Command Reconnaissance Plane Model 4a (Ki-46-IVa) and its fighter version, the Ki-46-IVb with nose-mounted cannon, both aircraft being finally deleted from the production priority list.
While the Mitsubishi Ki-46-IIs and Ki-46-IIs operated until the end of the war, two Ki-46-IVs demonstrated in February 1945 that the Dinah was still one of the best reconnaissance aircraft of the time by covering, with the help of strong tailwinds, 1,430 miles at an average speed of 435 mph (Ref.: 1).

Fighter, Projects

Messerschmitt Me P.1112, 3D-Print, (my3dbase)

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TYPE: Fighter, Project

ACCOMMODATION:  Pilot only

POWER PLANT: One Heinkel-Hirth HeS 011A0 turbojet engine, rated at 1.300 kp thrust

PERFORMANCE: 680 mph (estimated)

COMMENT: The Messerschmitt P.1112 was a proposed German turbojet fighter, developed by Messerschmitt AG during the closing stages of World War II, and intended for use by the Luftwaffe (German Air Force). The progress of the war prevented the completion of a prototype before the fall of Nazi Germany. Its design, however, had a direct influence on postwar US Navy carrier fighters.
The work on the  Me P.1112 started on February 1945 ( Ten weeks before the unconditional surrender of the Reich!!!!!) after Willy Messerschmitt decided to halt the development of the Messerschmitt Me P.1111, which would have required, as standard equipment, a pressurized cockpit and ejection seat. Designed by the head of the Messerschmitt Project Office W. Vogt, between 3rd and 30th March 1945 as an alternative to the Me P.1111, the Messerschmitt Me P.1112 design was less radical than the Me P.1111 and incorporated the lessons learned from the development of the Messerschmitt Me P.1110 design. Voigt estimated that the Me P.1112 would commence flight testing by mid-1946.
Intended to be powered by a single Heinkel-Hirth HeS 011 turbojet engine, three design concepts of the Me P.1112 were developed. The last proposed design was the Me P.1112/V1 using a V-tail design and fuselage lateral intakes; the two first were the Me P.1112 S/1, with wing root air intakes, and the Me P.1112 S/2, with fuselage lateral intakes, both with a larger, single fin; both designs lacked conventional horizontal stabilizers. All three had a fuselage maximum diameter of 1.1 metres.The aircraft’s wing design was similar in appearance to that of Messerschmitt Me 163 Komet rocket fighter. The pilot was seated in a semi-reclined position, and was equipped with an ejection seat.
A partial mockup of the Me P.1112 V/1, consisting of the aircraft’s forward fuselage section, was constructed in the “Conrad von Hötzendorf“ Kaserne at Oberammergau, Bavaria, but the Messerschmitt facilities there were occupied by American troops in April 1945, before construction of the prototype could begin
Although the Me P.1112 was never completed, follow-on designs were already proposed, even as design work on the type itself was done. These included a proposed night fighter version, which was intended to be fitted with twin engines mounted in the wing roots of the aircraft.
Following WW II, Voigt’s experience in tailless aircraft design was put to use by the Chance Vought Company in the United States, where he was involved in the design of the Chance Vought F7U Cutlass fighter (Ref 24).