Kawasaki Ki-100-1b
The Kawasaki Ki-100 was one of the best fighter planes of the Imperial Japanese Air Force. On display at our visit is the Kawasaki Ki100-1b. At first they combined the Ki-61 frame with a Mitsubishi Ha-112 radial engine instead of the original Kawasaki engine, later on a newly built aicraft was produced. This resulted in one of the best Japanese interceptors of the war capable of high speeds and good maneuverability. The Kawasaki Ki-100 was produced from 1945 as high altitude fighter and took on the challenge against the B29 Superfortress bombers. While it lacked a supercharger engine it was an awesome opponent. It was a single seat monoplane fighter aircraft. The Imperial Japanese Army designated it as “Type 5 fighter”, Go-shiki sentouki, or abbreviated as Goshikisen. The last surviving plane is in the RAF museum Cosford.
