Kawasaki Ki-61 Tony, Japan's Answer to the P-38.

The Ki-61 Hien, code named Tony was the IJAAF's only real answer to the P-38 Lightning during the battles over New Guinea in 1943. Let's take a look at the design history, performance as compared with US aircraft in theater, and the combat record of the Ki-61.
This video will be a little less accurate than my normal work because I have to speculate to fill in the blanks a bit more than I would like. Information on Japanese airplanes is a bit scarce, and often all we have are intelligence reports from the period, which were often inaccurate. For example, U.S. intelligence thought this was an Italian plane, which it wasn't.
Thankfully, we do have a lot of really solid performance information, speed, climb, turn and so on. We also have great information on the aircraft system, armor, weapons and more, , so the key data is accurate
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[@bachiistsho2940]

My father was in high school when he was installing Ha-40 engine into Hien airframe in the nearby Kawasaki factory. My aunt was also making wing to fuselage fairing (large, to fill the void behind Kinsei radial engine) on Ki-100 in girl’s school. 50 years later, when I got my engineering job at the same factory, I had a chance to meet and talk to Hien’s chief engineer (Mr. Takeo Doi). Unfortunately, my father had passed away by then. Thank you Greg, for discussing this memorable plane.

[@nunya9555]

That is so cool! It is a good thing to keep family history alive. And I wish there were more examples of all of these wonderful Nipponese aircraft in existence. Have a good day!

[@pac1fic055]

すごい！

[@bachiistsho2940]

Thank you all🙇🏻‍♂️

[@kimmogensen5390]

Always very nice to hear personal connections to the production of these great machines Greetings from Denmark

[@Ausf.D.A.K.]

I love the Empire of Japan !

[@plastictsubasa1390]

A few (helpful?) hints about Japanese aircraft nomenclature. Hien is the word 飛燕, which means "swallow in flight". The it's two syllables, like "he" and the "en" from end. Kai is the Japanese word 改, 'revision', often translated as 'improved' and not an abbreviation. The type one Ki-61s are further subdivided into kou 甲, otsu 乙, hei 丙, tei 丁 which are used as ordinals just like the US uses A, B, C, D as suffixes to show minor revisions. Kou rhymes with "go," otsu sounds a bit like "oats," hei and tei both rhyme with "hay" or "say". The Ha in Ha-40 is indeed ハ, and read like the laugh, rather than as two letters. The "Ki" designation system is rarely used in Japan; typically it would be referred to as a ３式 or "type 3" and as mentioned, the three is the year 2603 in the Imperial Japanese calendar. It's a bit like how the Wehrmacht used informal names (Panzer III) but also a formal designation system with the Sonderkraftfahrzeug designation (Sd.Kfz. 141). Thus, the Mauser-armed San-shiki Ichi-gata Hei (三式一型丙) would be formally designated キ61-I 丙 (Ki-61-1 hei). To "Americanize" that, it's a bit like calling it an M1943-A1E3!

[@leftistsarenotpeople]

What an outstandingly concise yet thorough explanation! Well done!

[@francisbusa1074]

@@leftistsarenotpeople Love your handle! Rumor is that they're primarily transhumans.

[@leftistsarenotpeople]

@@francisbusa1074 lol, yeah well... I'm NOT exactly a fan of the left nor their very existence. The only good leftist is one that has taken a helicopter ride... only once!

[@Mishn0]

Ki is the first character of the word Kitai which carries the meaning "airframe", so Ki-61 sort of means "Army airframe type 61" more or less. It was an index number for differentiating different aircraft types. Using the type number based on year wouldn't work if more than one type was made in a particular year.

[@nicolatesla9429]

@@Mishn0 For the designation to work without causing confusion you'd have to add more information (which of course could leak to the enemy). For example, the Ki-44 is the Type 2 single seat fighter, and the Ki-45 is the Type 2 two-seat fighter. And thus, as far as I know, the Ki- designations or the popular names (like Hien, Toryu, Hayabusa etc.) were used to prevent information about the planes from falling into enemy hands. I could be mistaken though, it's been a while since I've read about the subject.

[@AhnkoCheeOutdoors]

Aloha Greg. Thank you for mentioning the YS-11. I was born in post war Japan to an American father and Japanese mother. My father during the war served in the SW Pacific in New Guinea, Dutch East Indies, and finally in The Philippines. He had a great appreciation for aviation of that theater both Japanese and Allied. He got me started building models on my 7th birthday, and I still have most of the 75 or so models over 55 years later. Back to the YS-11. My father was transferred to a job in Hawai'i after 21 years in Japan, and the YS-11 was a very popular plane here with various local inter-island airlines such as Hawaiian Airlines, and Mid Pacific Airlines. I had many opportunities to fly in these, and always appreciated these planes, very smooth confidence inspiring. After their careers were over a few of these YS-11 had there fuselages dumped in offshore waters off Waikiki to form artificial reefs for the scuba diving tourist industry, an inglorious end to a fine plane. Another side note, I had an uncle in Japan who flew Mitsubishi Ki-46 "Dinah" during the war. In fact my father and this uncle were on opposites sides during the US Landing at Lingayen Gulf, PI. Of course they became great friends after the war. A video if possible, on the Mitsubishi Ki-46 would be much appreciated. Keep up the good work.

[@nunya9555]

That is a great family history!

[@kosmokat111]

for what it's worth, I can scarcely think of a better way to go than being immersed in some of most beautiful waters on earth to become a haven for equally gorgeous and fascinating wildlife.

[@jiyushugi1085]

Fantastic, Greg, thank you! I translate Japanese-language documents into English for companies in Japan, and have translated other WWII/Airplane stuff in my free time. Before Kawasaki got the engine for the Ki-61 operable (sort of) all those engine-less 61s littering the factory grounds were called 'the headless Hien). The brass was very reluctant to fit radials to them, but when they finally did they were astonished at how well they performed. Another tidbit: among the many MX issues afflicting the 61 was Kawasaki's inability to manufacture needle bearings to the required tolerances, so they recruited school girls to hand-finish them. If I can track down the article where I found all this I'll translate it. Good of you to mention the brutal and sadistic training methods of the WWII Japanese military. Juzo Mori, in his autobiography 'The Miraculous Torpedo Squadron' (Kindle) describes this, while a much more disturbing account is given in Yutaka Yokota's autobiography 'Kaiten Special Attack Group' (Kindle).

[@GregsAirplanesandAutomobiles]

Thanks for this very good post.

[@MW-bi1pi]

Saburo Sakai also touched upon the sadistic cruelty of Japanese training methods.

[@jeffmoore9487]

Limitations in Japanese industry and substituting girls for machine tools says a lot, by itself, about the iffy state of some supplies in Japan at the time,

[@oldplace2844]

@@MW-bi1pi I read one of his books and several of his accounts. It also seemed to be a mentality that soldiers or pilots were simply replaceable. The brass put no value on their experience, assuming them to be gears in the machine. Apparently it wasn't until late that they realized that experience was too valuable to simply fritter away. Sakai's encounter with the medical transport was an interesting account. (C-47? I can't remember).

[@roderickcampbell2105]

@@MW-bi1pi I have read Saburo Sakai. Many years ago. Saburo was a very rare human being. The training was very difficult. Saburo was also very young.

[@JohnBrowningsGhost]

Thanks Greg, it’s high time the lesser known Japanese aircraft got some love.

[@allangibson2408]

The Ki-61 wasn’t exactly unknown… The DB 605 derivative engine was the go to high powered inline engines in late war Japan.

[@thurbine2411]

@@allangibson2408 it’s still much lesser known to most people compared to spitfire, zero, bf 109 etc

[@allangibson2408]

@@thurbine2411 The guys who flew allied bombers in the Med were VERY familiar with Macchi products (and took them very seriously) (but like Italian sports cars they are maintenance hogs…).

[@thurbine2411]

@@allangibson2408 ok.

[@tonedeaftachankagaming457]

@@allangibson2408 In most Western history circles, Japanese aircraft are by far the least widely known and spoken of. I think that’s what OP was referring to

[@brianperry]

I Built a RC model of the Hien about thirty five years ago. It had about 3 foot wingspan, no undercarriage so it meant throwing it into flight. Landing was performed over long grass to save the radiator scope from damage. It flew remarkable well considering it was to scale. A friend of mine... who was a far more accomplished flyer than I...would roll in to a very low-level 'strafing pass'... scared the hell out of me...The Tony was then a rare RC model...it looked wonderful in flight...

[@JoeC88]

👍

[@Mike-eq4ky]

HA! I just suggested doing one in 1/3 scale. Now that's fun!!

[@JoeC88]

awesome work, I would have love too see it.

[@timrea9003]

Hi Greg my Grandfather was part of Allied Technical Air Intelligence Unit They recovered a example that was test flown in Brisbane Australia against allied aircraft I can remember him saying that the Japanese had issues with these engines failures due to a change in design. All of his wartime photos and work were sent to America at the end of the war

[@GregsAirplanesandAutomobiles]

That's awesome, thanks Tim.

[@Eric-kn4yn]

@@GregsAirplanesandAutomobiles captured trophy a/c for testing would never have been prime examples captured fw190 was superior to spit mk5 yes but Brits noted fw190s engine was rough idle when throttled back a perfect example landed undamaged in GB but unable to get engine smooth op

[@dbeasleyphx]

@@Eric-kn4yn Were you driving and doing voice to text when you wrote this reply?

[@lashutterbug]

The engine problem was not unique to the Ki-61. Indeed, this is one of the major issues that plagued Japan throughout the war, in multiple aircraft designs, and it directly curtailed the effectiveness of their airmens' ability to fight.

[@twrea]

@@lashutterbug Very true the octane rating suffered they also had Oil issues.

[@iflycentral]

fascinating stuff. I don't think these Japanese planes are covered well enough in English media, so I look forward to what you do with the Japanese stuff.

[@GregsAirplanesandAutomobiles]

Thanks Central.

[@leojeidy1143]

@@GregsAirplanesandAutomobiles I agree fully with central and thanks for all your work . Great video

[@kevindolin4315]

The book you need to get is "Japanese Aircraft of the Pacific War" by René J. Francillon. 570 pages of just about everything you could possibly want to know about the subject. It includes prototypes that never made it into production, engines, armament, rockets and a lot about production methods.

[@kg_sroberth2238]

I'd also love to see some Pacific theater stuff - be it on your channel or on the simulation site. It's a pity that there hasn't been so much interest shown yet.

[@StalinLovsMsmZioglowfagz]

Radio check

[@ivanthemadvandal8435]

Interesting that the FW190 would help facilitate the transition of the KI61 to a radial while it would transition to an inverted V12

[@aprilius3348]

You can check other videos from Greg, on the FW 190 transition to inline engines. The main reason is that, while more durable (and more powerful) in the beginning of the war - the radial required more manufacturing time at higher precision (low tolerances). While Germany was bombed, it was more efficient to make an inline engine faster, than to spend more time, per engine, machining a radial engine. So time (and more materials used) were an issue.

[@ivanthemadvandal8435]

@@aprilius3348 I'm aware

[@ronjon7942]

@@aprilius3348 That’s interesting, I didn’t realize that was the case. Actually, I assumed the opposite.

[@Packless1]

...the FW-190 also influenced the Hawker Typhoon and the Grumann Bearcat...!

[@Packless1]

@sel724 ...the FW-190 / Ta-152 used Junkers-engines (Jumo), DB-engines were reserved for the Messerschitt-fighters...!

[@bruceparr1678]

That commentary on the inclinometer reminded me of an interview with an old P40 pilot who had served in the SWP. He said he often flew in a skid because if he got jumped the enemy pilot would lead out along the length of the fuselage and shoot off to the side.

[@XSpamDragonX]

Greg, your videos on Japanese aircraft have been fantastic so far, and your pronunciation is actually quite good compared to most WW2 history channels. a = ah i = ee u = oo e = eh o = oh You seem to have a strong grasp on the syllable structure, but for anyone else who doesn't know, you pronounce each consonant-vowel pair separately. The only exceptions are vowels without consonants, vowel combinations, (such as Doi which Greg pronounced well,) and n at the end of a syllable.

[@grizwoldphantasia5005]

Also, "ki" is one of the syllables in their two syllable alphabets.

[@Garthbrooks4756]

@@grizwoldphantasia5005 ka ki ku ke ko

[@icewaterslim7260]

I'm betting his pronunciations will beat my monotone Texas accent Thai in any communication contest.

[@kevindolin4315]

A couple of things about Japanese: You have to think in terms of syllables, not letters. Japanese hear words as strings of syllables, not letters as we do in English. With the vowels you have to be very careful differentiating between 'short' and 'long' vowels, which has nothing to do with what it means for English vowels. 'Short' vowels means short duration, as in 'koko' (here-2 syllables) , whereas in 'kōkō' (high school-4 syllables), the vowel is held longer. In musical terms you can think of short vowels being held for one beat, long vowels for two beats. 'Vowel combinations' is a bit of a misnomer. There are no diphthongs in Japanese. Two or three vowels in a row are pronounced separately. Thus, 'aoi' (blue or green) is ah-oh-ee, three syllables. Also, doubled consonants are held for two beats. Pronounce words like 'zannen' (unfortunate) or gakkō (school) as if they were two words: 'zan-nen' and 'gak-kō'. Finally, be very careful when the 'n' (which is a syllable in its own right) at the end of one syllable in a word is followed by a vowel. 'Zenin' (approval) is 'ze-ni-n', three syllables, while 'zen'in' (everybody) is four syllables. The 'n' in 'zen' is pronounced like a short 'ng', as in 'sing' to show it's not connected to the following vowel. When you see that apostrophe in transliterations, that's what's happening.

[@kevindolin4315]

@@grizwoldphantasia5005 Japanese doesn't have an alphabet. They have the two syllabaries, the cursive 'hiragana' and the angular 'katakana', plus the 'kanji' their Chinese-based characters. Japanese hear words as strings of syllables, not letters. Their syllables are: single vowels, consonant-vowel combinations and 'n', a syllable in its own right but can only come at the end of a syllable or word. 'Ki' is one syllable, 'kin' (gold) is two. Don't forget that the 'ki' in Ki-61 is short for 'kitai' (airframe).

[@NaishoTheNeko]

I really enjoyed this. I hope you do more. Quick Japanese primer for ya though, Japanese is a syllabary language. That means that they typically will use letters in pairs, except for vowels which can exist on their own. (And sometimes n) You wondered why they listed ki instead of phonically writing Kii it was probably because they pulled the information from Japanese as ki instead writing it in English. Ki is short for kitai meaning airframe. It was the naming system of the Japanese army airforce. Ki 61 is literally airframe project 61. That is why ki 100 and ki 61 have different name designations. Instead of just calling it ki 61 mark 25. They would instead use things like ko and otsu to refer to the increasing forms of modifications to an aircraft. Kai would refer to major modifications from the original but not enough to give a new ki designation.

[@icewaterslim7260]

And as I understand it is not a tonal language so reading of it as described without hearing it spoken would give a westerner the impression that it might be simpler than a five tonal language until you hear it's subtleties in a syllable structured language as spoken. I'm betting "Rosetta Stone" might verify what you're doing with it quickly . . . or show you what you're doing to it. ..

[@SnakebitSTI]

@@icewaterslim7260 Standard Japanese uses pitch accent and moraic timing, as opposed to stress and syllables. Though I wouldn't worry about it for an English language video. When speaking English, it makes sense to adapt foreign words to English phonetics. And from my experience, it takes practice for native English speakers to be able to hear the differences anyway.

[@specialagentdustyponcho1065]

"Ki" is pronounced "kee" because it's romanized Japanese using the International Phonetic Alphabet. In the IPA the letter "I" is the "ee" sound, as in Romance languages like Spanish. The Spanish vowels are used as a basis because they are consistent, they're always pronounced the same way regardless of their position in the word. Contrast with English where vowels can make whatever noise you feel like at the moment.

[@DCS_World_Japan]

Adding onto this, the Japanese is キ61, with キ being "ki."

[@ThePussukka]

Greg seems like an intelligent guy but not knowing more than one language is major American cringe

[@drstrangelove4998]

That’s interesting, the IPA. Thanks.

[@TonboIV]

I don't think it's really about the IPA or Spanish. It's just the Japanese has five vowel sounds ( 'ah' 'ee' 'oo' 'eh' 'oh' ), and English happens to have five vowel letters (A E I O U), and it's just not possible to assign them in a totally intuitive way. If they'd assigned the "ee" sound to the letter E, then the "eh" sound would have to be assigned to a different letter, and the letter I would have to be assigned to "ah" "eh" "oo" or "oh", all of which would be even more confusing.

[@PotatoeJoe69]

@@ThePussukka "major American cringe" The US is a country that's roughly the size of the entire European continent; it's native tongue is English, it's Northern neighbors native tongue is English (although there's plenty of French speakers) and the Southern neighbors native tongue is Spanish. It takes 7-9 days to drive across the entire United States in a reasonable time at a reasonable pace. This isn't Europe, where a few hours in any direction is an entirely different country, with an entirely different language and culture. In the US, there is little to no need or point in knowing any other languages than English; however you'll find that in states which border Mexico, many people do speak Spanish as a second language. Never the less, as an American, it's flattering that the rest of the world is always comparing themselves to us. We generally don't notice you or your country, as it would speak to your insignificance on the world stage; but it seems like you can't stop noticing us. Something about "living in your head, rent free."

[@turbografx16]

I'd love to see you do the Ki-43 or Ki-27. I think they have some of the most beautiful lines in the fuselage of any aircraft.

[@Leon_der_Luftige]

Ki43 is also the most successful military aircraft with negatively swept wings. And those butterfly-flaps....

[@wrathofatlantis2316]

@@Leon_der_Luftige I think the Ki-43 leading edge was straight (same as Ki-84)... You are right about the butterfly flaps though, and its success overall, despite the weak prop slowed armament which kind of ruined it... The Ki-43-II probably did better than the Zero in kills, since the Zero was used almost exclusively in hit and run tactics, which was a bit of a waste. See more on this here at the 1 hour mark: kzbin.info/www/bejne/d6Gyl5WupbFnesk The Ki-43 also got its wings chopped shorter by only a very small amount compared to the Zero, which probably did not help the Navy fighter in combat, though it did look good.

[@Leon_der_Luftige]

@@wrathofatlantis2316 I am pretty certain the Ki43 features ever so slightly forward swept wings. It's barely noticeable. Don't know if Ki84 is the same. Atleast you get some information backing this claim up on Google but ofc that doesn't mean all that much. I really have to go visit a museum and see for myself.

[@wrathofatlantis2316]

@@Leon_der_Luftige That's fascinating. Hasegawa's 1999 Ki-84 1:48 kit seems straight in the leading edge (but its wings are far too thick, even though it seems otherwise well-researched). As far as I know there no leading edge "sharpness washout", at least in the Ki-43 case, probably both). I will definitely try to find out more about this, as even a slight forward plan view sweep would be fascinating and completely unique in operational WWII fighters. Thank you for mentioning this.

[@timmayer8723]

The Italian Macchi line of WW2 fighter planes are beautiful by design. Form before function

[@imadrifter]

This is a phenomenal video, in both quality and amount of detail, Greg. I love military aviation history, and have learned a lot about world War 2 era aviation, even when I was a young boy I loved it all and I'm coming up on my 38th birthday soon, but I've never heard about the Japanese primarily using offensive tactics or their lack of competent training before. I always wondered why the Pacific theater Allied fighters had such higher kill ratios than the European theater, but now it all makes sense, especially when you factor in the lack of radios in the Japanese fighters. I mean I always knew Japan had put a lot of eggs into the expansion and offensive basket but I didn't think it was to that extreme extent. Thanks again for a very interesting and entertaining aviation video 👍🏻

[@MrLobstermeat]

OK This Video hit home! The Fly for your Life book brings back great memories. I had a friend I was introduced to when I was young, 13 ish he was a WW2 pilot. His call sign was Crash. He got this call sign from flying a Kingfisher on patrol in the Gulf of Mexico. So on one mission he had engine problems which made him land out in the gulf. That is how he got the call sign crash!! An this kind sole gave me that book signed by him and I have it to this day! Great episode! He also hooked me up on my first flight in a AC.

[@R281]

As a kid, I always wanted to learn more about this airplane. As I got older, I forgot that there were resources out there with more readily available jnformation. Thank you Greg for taking the time to do these videos.

[@k9killer221]

This is basically just a Japanese Bf 109. It has some of the same attributes but is actually inferior because the Bf 109 was constantly improved way beyond this basic copy.

[@FirstDagger]

It really is a great time in human history to get information on really any topic one desires. Which is also why we have to make sure that this new Alexandrian library isn't burned by people at the top.

[@belliott538]

The Ki-61 is my second favorite series of Japanese WWII Fighters… Right behind the Ki-84 series. Great Video! Please Continue to turn out Outstanding Content!

[@Mango62uk]

I want to add my thanks and congratulations to Greg for doing such a detailed review, which to us plane nerds, is like manna from heaven. These detailed documentaries are now mainly found on KZbin and no longer on 'normal' TV, which has abdicated its previous position from 'educate and entertain' to 'make more shows about house-improvements, cakes and Nazis'. Preferably combine all three.:) . Also, the comments section is such a delight to read. Lots of knowledgable commenters adding info to supplement Greg's excellent video and no silly political arguments. Thank you ladies and gents for your contributions.

[@BlueBaron3339]

Ah, yes, the ill-fated Discovery Wings channel comes to mind 😥What's worse, the only place you can find those original programs such as Wings, Wings of the Luftwaffe, and Wings of the Red Star is on KZbin in a quality so poor that they must be copies of those series made on VHS tapes when they were broadcast.

[@Mango62uk]

@@BlueBaron3339 Bingo! "Battlefields" was another excellent series. They really went into great detail about how things worked out, tactics, logistics, etc. A golden age that's now vanished.

[@BlueBaron3339]

@@Mango62uk Oh yes, I recall that series well. Nowadays I'm not so much surprised that it and those Wings series vanished but, rather, that they were made at all given how market-driven television is.

[@theleeharveyoswaldexperien1883]

I’m glad you hit on the turn slip indicator. I made the same observation in the IL-2 GB series, as the stock P-51 D has one attached to the gunsight, making it much more efficient in a dogfight for me.

[@WhiteWineGaming]

Just stumbled on this channel. Wow. What a video. That’s probably some of the most informative and expanded content I’ve seen regarding ww2 aircraft on yt. Love the hour (ish) long format. You really got into this aircraft and it’s history. I look forward to more

[@cinnamanstera6388]

Oh, you've got to dig into his archive a bit. Greg digests this stuff like no other. The series on the FW190 and his Wright Brothers video are two of my personal favourites.

[@Mike-eq4ky]

Watch the supercharger/turbocharger videos!! I make all my gearhead buddies watch them. You won't find this caliber of information available along with proper context anywhere else. Enjoy!

[@saiajin82]

I highly recommend Greg’s previous videos, the man is just amazing. Glad you found your way here!

[@korbendallas5318]

Welcome to the rabbit hole.

[@densealloy]

25:18 another advantage the Lighting had was the nose layout of its guns and how the rounds didn't have impact configuration at set distance. Another excellent video Greg! You are knocking it out of the park Sir! Have a wonderful day! Thanks

[@20chocsaday]

Good video, wasn't it. Some aircraft were set up so their eight 0.303 guns would converge at ?00 yards. Some pilots wanted to know how much they missed by and wanted the two outside guns to shoot straight ahead. Eventually the survivors got cannon to replace the inboard guns.

[@wardduffield489]

Thanks, Greg for another great research project! My Revell 1/72 scale Tony is still hanging from a ceiling, where it has spent the last 55 years or so. I better replace the suspension lines soon!

[@Anlushac11]

You did a video on the my favorite US aircraft, the P-39, and now your doing my favorite Japanese plane, the Ki-61 Hien.

[@Soulise1o1]

Hey Greg, is possible to do videos on the Ki-84 or even the N1Ks ? Comparing them to their contemporaries. That would be awesome 👍.

[@scullystie4389]

@Kirk Wolfe i absolutely hated running into Ki-84s in IL2: Pacific Fighters. Completely OP in the online lobbies lol

[@kyle857]

@Kirk Wolfe It is a monster in War Thunder Sim, although that game always has a loose connection to reality.

[@Cuccos19]

Good pick, also the Mitsubishi J2M Raiden (Jack) and the Ki-61 derivative Ki-100 too, please. :)

[@josephkool8411]

I also would like to learn more about the Ki-84 Frank and the P63 King Cobra

[@nickmitsialis]

@Roy Szweda Then I have to post this for you: kzbin.info/www/bejne/oaWlh6VsjNpsZtk For the men of the 64th Sentai==the first IJAN fighter unit to use the Hayabusa in combat.

[@th3lunchb0x]

I remember reading about the Japanese having a hard time manufactuing the engines for the Ki-61 to the tolerances that were required and as a result engine performance and reliability was a pretty big issue and played into the heavy maintenance toll these aircraft demanded. I really liked flying the Ki-61 in the Pacific Theater in IL-2 1946. Hope to see this plane if the current IL-2 series ever goes to that theater.

[@chpet1655]

Always really liked the Ki-61 series, it’s a very attractive airframe and has a pretty cool shape very shark-like. It’s easy to see how the plane had some success.

[@Mike-eq4ky]

It'd make an interesting RC model subject in 1/3 scale... Hmmmmm...

[@krautyvonlederhosen]

Greg, you have the ability to keep the interest flowing while supplying technical points without becoming overly complicated. Don’t know how but please keep up the good work. You have the loyal following while remaining objective.

[@kalui96]

If you search here on KZbin "Japanese Ace Pilot Interviews" you'll hopefully end up at the video with a Hien (Ki-61) pilot... and it may be a good supplement to this video. The Kai（改 pronounced like "sky"）models indicate a "optimized / improved / modified" version. This denomination was used with the Shiden N1K (to make up for the poor release version Shiden), so those are called Shiden 改　－　紫電改 So Greg, you could say your Fiat is a 124改 due to the fact that you have modified it! edited for correction

[@FirstDagger]

You are confusing the N1K Shiden and N1K2 Shiden Kai with the J2M Raiden, the use of Kai on Ki-61 Hien is different from the use on the Shiden, as with the Shiden the entire aircraft was basically changed to a new type. On the Hien the Kai refers to improvements to each sub-model (what we would call Block today).

[@kalui96]

@@FirstDagger You are correct

[@imadrifter]

@@kalui96 its still a pretty funny joke.

[@thelonious2213]

I saw that a while ago. For some reason I found it hilarious when he would be asked about protection on japanese aircraft, and he'd say "Haha no Japanese engineers didn't bother with that!". Also when he said the rounds they fired at B-29s would bounce right back. This may be exaggeration, or maybe they mistook return fire from turrets, but it was still funny as well.

[@godthunder2706]

I've waited so long for a video about this plane, now all I need is for someone to make a video on the J2M and I can die happy.

[@foxhoundmj2056]

Greg videos always remind me of university days way back. highly detailed and methodical yet at the same time with a special personal blend and a unique flexible style. Thanks and yes, more material on Japanese aircrafts.

[@Teh0X]

I would like to recommend "Kawasaki Ki-61 Hien / Ki-100" (Monographs) by Leszek A. Wieliczko. It has most of the facts about subvariants, armament, armor, prodution figures etc. correct and precented in handy list at the end. It's not certain how soon they were started asking for heavier armament, but the MG 151/20 was already intended for Ki-60. 7.7mm was never really meant for the wings, but they simply didn't have enough 12.7mm Ho-103 when Ki-61 got into production. Unfortuantely the Browning derived 20mm Ho-5 became too large for the wings. The armour below pilot could probably mean the angled 8mm radiator armour plate. It's exact location is not known very well. Interestingly it was first mounteded after they removed a rear fuselage fuel tank. Also note the plate covering pilot's upper torso was 16mm thick in most units. I don't remember ever hearing about the manually operated variable speed prop in Ki-61s. It must have been gone very early, since the unit with constant speed prop captured by Americans was 150th production Ki-61. Overall Ki-61 controls and handling were liked by both Japanese and allied pilots. Known issues were obvious: Poor forward visibility for landing and limited rear visibility. In the South there were also some cooling issues, specially on ground with no ram air. Takeo Doi claimed that 850km/h was done in a test dive with a Ki-61. The aircraft received no damage, so they concluted it could do more in practice and probably did, but the gauges were not accurate at those speeds.

[@WisGuy4]

@Roy Szweda. What???

[@hippoace]

@@WisGuy4 I think he meant the books with these titles

[@tincannavy3188]

The air war in the Pacific is so overlooked especially with the 5th air force over new guinea love the video

[@pandapandapanda3659]

Jason when???

[@paulcaine2603]

Very, very over looked, what the USA air force did out of Northern Australia and NG in early years is nothing short of epic. The conditions for ground crew were so very primitive and the elements were punishing day and night. It was a super human effort by all involved.

[@thurbine2411]

@@pandapandapanda3659 I guess you mean give us this in il2?

[@WALTERBROADDUS]

Overlooked? Try the CBI or Alaska fighting....

[@thurbine2411]

@@WALTERBROADDUS what is CBI?

[@keitatsutsumi]

Hey Greg, I always love your videos, and I really respect how much research you put into them. The name “ki” is the romanization for the japanese letter “キ”. The plane was named “キ61”. The “ki” was an abbreviation for “kitai” (機体), which means airframe, similar to how the USAF uses f for fighter, p for pursuit, etc. Kai is just the romanization for “改”, which denotes a modified machine. You might like this info too. As far as I can tell, the various version denotations on Japanese planes go in this order: Ko -> Otsu -> Hei -> Cho

[@Pojist]

Great job, Greg! Been waiting for a video on this bird.

[@FiveCentsPlease]

There are three Ki-61 that have been in reconstruction in New Zealand for many years, using recovered wrecks. Two will by flyable examples, although I think there is only one Ha40 engine that is "good enough" for the project. Kermit Weeks owns one of them and I think I heard him say that he was going to use a DB-601 instead. Another of the three will be going to the museum in Virginia Beach, and I don't know where the third example will go.

[@LolTollhurst]

Kermit is a blessing to the art of aviation isn't he

[@miquelescribanoivars5049]

Nice to know that efforts for an airworthy Ki-61 are still on-going.

[@spottydog4477]

Hey Fivecents...alway great to see you around...love your comments/interest....hope your well...regards, Spotty

[@FiveCentsPlease]

@@spottydog4477 Thanks for the shout, Spotty. Keep making those videos.

[@user-vgrau]

Was amazed when I saw the cockpit of Ki-61 from the inside in Il-2 Sturmovik 1946 - old sim that included Pacific theater. It's an oldie, but I still return to that game from time to time just because of the sheer amount of airplanes in it. Thank you Greg for this video.

[@imadrifter]

Il-2 is an amazingly detailed game

[@crazyforblues1967]

Best combat sim ever.👍

[@whoprofits2661]

This is a great, and in many ways unique, overview of this often overlooked aircraft. Thanks Greg.

[@funkyschnitzel]

I love these in depth analysis videos. You could pick a plane I've never heard of and I'll still watch it, because I know you'll make it so interesting.

[@m.streicher8286]

I appreciate the work you do parsing through possibly contradictory sources to bring us something entertaining and informative.

[@Silverhks]

Outstanding Greg. In regards to the slip indicator. The only Western fighter I know of with something similar is the P47 non-gyro sight. It has a slip indicator and I love it. Anyway, yes more Japanese planes if you can find enough information for a good video.

[@andrewumstead3664]

Love your videos Greg. I really appreciate the content you’re putting out, especially as there doesn’t seem to be many content creators out there willing or capable of going into the level of depth you do. Cheers and thanks!

[@shawncarroll5255]

Awesome video, great contextual analysis. You might have added the reputed issues with the manufacturing (and metallurgy - that is a vague memory from extensive reading) with the DB601 licensed copy. Of course you summation that it was a maintenance hog sums that up without adding another 2-3 minutes. Would love a Ki601-2 video. Did it's DB605 have the same "sick engine", i.e. oil system issues the German originally did. I came here hoping for some more Ki100 coverage, though it deserves its own video. The Ki100 had good range and solid performance, even though it came too late. Just like the N1K and it's unique development as a combat floatplane turned into a first class fighter, albeit much too late. I'm being greedy, that would be four videos. You mention it for the pilots, but the malaria and other tropical diseases were crippling for ground units. WW2 may have been the first war where disease did not kill more than bullets, but New Guinea tried to turn the clock back. Watch some of the limited videos of Aussies supporting McArthur's ground campaign, you can tell some of those men have had massive weight loss and frankly shouldn't be trying to march with the condition of their bodies. Their arms are almost like sticks and they're still soldiering on through those jungles. You can tell they've lost a LOT of body mass. But they are still staying with their buddies, trying to stick it out when they have no business anywhere but a hospital.

[@RadMax8]

I don’t know if you got the views you’d hoped for, but I for one really enjoyed learning about the Hein. As a model builder and someone who is interested in the history and engineering side of things, this video (and honestly the entire channel) is right up my alley.

[@alexanderk5522]

Wow that one is rare. Wish there were more of Japanese aircraft vids, because once you see some IJAAF veterans interviews the world just can't be the same for you... Their passion is just too infectious...

[@filakyle3663]

I like to listen to your documentaries before going to sleep. I love it not just becouse of aviation stuff. But there is something nice about your voice and the way you speak. Always great.

[@EffequalsMA]

Love this stuff, Greg. These detailed deep dives are right up my street. Your presentation skills are excellent, like Drachinefel or Chris MAH excellent.

[@bengunderman5382]

My first thought was the video would be about the KI-44 or 84, but I'm very pleased its the KI-61

[@billballbuster7186]

Great presentation, as well as covering the airplane the information on tactics and operations was priceless. Explains how and why the P-38 was so successful in the Pacific.

[@hissingoose]

3:48 “it’s only about 7 inches” That’s still pretty good man, be proud of that.

[@GregsAirplanesandAutomobiles]

It's a question of how the inches were used. It's not always the size of the weapon, but the fury of the attack.

[@nivlacyevips]

Hello Greg! Thank you for choosing one of the lesser known and very interesting fighters of WWII. Like many of your subscribers I have been fascinated with WWII aircraft since childhood. Choosing a more rare plane, you really sparked me into research on late war Japanese interceptors. We always have so much more to learn. I now am reading about the Indonesian war of independence because of the trail this video set me on. A conflict I never had heard of. Thank you for the many hours of entertainment.

[@hiyamasky4052]

Thank you very much for focusing on Japanese WW2 fighter plane. I am a Japanese post WW2 born, retired ailine pilot. I respect your deep study. Will keep watching your chanel.

[@stevefriswell5422]

This is a well researched and objectively presented piece of work. I love this channel because of these attributes. Keep up the good work sir.

[@Paragoth]

Great video, thanks. I was familliar with this aircraft from playing IL-2's pacific expansion as a kid, but I never thought to get some more detailed info until I saw this video's thumb nail. I've put some of your videos on to listen to while I'm working on something, but I gave this one my full attention. Great work!

[@johnalexander5078]

Thank you for the video. As a kid in the 1960s, in grades 4 or 5 perhaps, I had a 1/72 scale model of the “Tony.” It was the first time I learned of the advanced technology in aircraft the Japanese had in WWII. My father was a combat platoon leader in Italy in WWII. After the war, he was in the occupation forces in Japan for 2+ years (Infantry detailed to Army Intel) and used to talk about the advanced state of Japanese technology (and fighting spirit). Something we in the west were not necessarily aware of. I think we might have been more focused on the European Theater (?).

[@gooraway1]

Great video Greg and good to highlight the often overlooked New Guinea theatre. Those B25s had no bombardier the nose was packed with 50 cals and or Canon so all ground attack to beat up those airfields.

[@Vallhallen_]

Amazing video. Easily the best and most comprehensive on this elusive fighter. I think the "Tony" had some of the coolest camo schemes of any faction in WW2 and certainly unique among Japanese planes.

[@mylanmiller9656]

Glad to see an article on the Tony Fighter, over the years I have found vary little information on them.

[@rexyoshimoto4278]

This was a great video. I've never understood this water cooled Ki-61. I would've love to see the Ki-100 more in this video. Both of these fighters were great.

[@ThatAdamIsMild]

For an horrific description of exactly what it's like to try and push an army over the Owen Stanley ranges in Papua New Guinea, I'd recommend 'Those ragged bloody heroes', by Peter Brune. Love your work, as always.

[@METT-TC]

@hypohystericalhistory has a great series on the New Guinea campaign, he's an Aussie and a great storyteller, focusing on portions of the war that don't get good coverage in mainstream historiography.

[@mpetersen6]

Another good source would be The Ghost Mountain Boys

[@drstrangelove4998]

A fab production as usual Greg, many thanks. I always liked the look of the Tony from my aircraft picture books. Thanks for reminding me if Bob Tuck’s book, I probably read it at least two decades ago. It’s on my bookshelf somewhere, I’m going to look it out.

[@user-njyzcip]

Ki is Romaji (romanised spelling) for キ. For example, the Japanese designation for the Ki-61 was the キ６１, AKA the 三式戦闘機 (Type 3 Fighter Machine). Upon some research, Ki is actually the designation for the prototype stage vehicles, being short for 機体 (Kitai, or machine/aircraft body), and Type 3 Fighter was the formal designation

[@SavageTactical]

Thanks Greg, I knew about this plane from playing Aces Over the Pacific when I was a kid. Interesting to see a detail analysis of it.

[@vmoney9106]

Same here, that game had a great user manual

[@jeffpiatt3879]

Fantastic video on one of my favorite WW2 planes! Really glad that you mentioned the pilot/radiator armor and the self sealing tanks. It's a very aesthetically pleasing aircraft and definitely looks "Italian" in design. Love your channel!

[@call_me_stan5887]

Oh I hope this video does great, because loved it and I am looking forward for more Japanese fighters!

[@GregsAirplanesandAutomobiles]

It's done pretty well. There is now a Ki84 video on the way. Apparently I need to focus on the Pacific a bit more.

[@hughbond1908]

The ki 61 was very similar in engineering and identical in powerplant to the me 109 but in its aesthetics it makes the me 109 look look like junk

[@williamromine5715]

Very good video, as always. Keep bringing them on. We will continue to watch them.

[@john88benson]

Great stuff. Japanese aircraft besides the A6M and the eastern front with the VVS are definitely areas of WW2 aviation that I do not know much about and would be happy to learn more about.

[@pm7353]

Excellent video as usual. I am sure that there are many of us who would like to see you cover on the Ki-84.

[@kilianortmann9979]

Thanks for this video, I hope it does well. I find the three DB-601 "cousins" BF-109, MC.202 and Ki-61 really interesting, deceptively similar but then in some ways very different.

[@dieterrahm4044]

And number four the Heinkel He100.

[@stevoschannel4127]

These videos are just amazing, highly researched, very technical, just excellent…Thank You for making these Sir!

[@ogaugeclockwork4407]

Great video! Wewak is on the Sepic river delta. It is probably the most malaria infested area in the entirety of PNG. I’ve been there a few times, you need to go completely over the top with the anti-malaria / anti-mosquito measures.

[@mpetersen6]

Being the most malaria infested area of PNG takes being malaria infested to an 11. 😱

[@cptmiller21]

As an old il2 veteran the ki61 is nothing new but the amount of new Information is awsome!

[@Colt45hatchback]

Excellent video as always, bonus info at the end is nice too. I'm probably more interested in J aircraft than alot of people, but im quite sure the people who find your videos as interesting as i do, will love to hear about others, ki44, the shitshow that was the n1k prior to the n1k2, the ki43's early development and plenty more. Hell even the a5m and g3m would make excellent videos pending sufficient info being available. Prior to finding your channel i never thought id be that interested in a p47, but ive watch the series a few times over now haha

[@robertmchugh4639]

It's good to hear an educated narrative on WW2 airplanes. Excellent video!

[@mikewysko2268]

I have been interested in the DB 600 series engines used on Japanese and Italian aircraft. Enjoyed the well presented and informative video. We thank you Sir! ✈

[@rhondohslade]

Fantastic video, Greg. Most informative. All your productions are top notch, in my book. Please keep up the good work. I always look forward to your videos.

[@IL2TXGunslinger]

Il2 1946 has Ki-61 across several variants. Quite a few people still fly that sim. As I recall the characteristics between Ki-61 and P-38 are as you present.

[@gregorybrennan8539]

Greg I just wanted you to know that I have used this lecture and others ( with full acknowledgement of your author ship) to volunteer instruct young people in systems and engineering design. Your work is helping young people to evolve to there full potential. THANK YOU.

[@GregsAirplanesandAutomobiles]

Thanks, I appreciate you helping spread the word.

[@F0KK3RM4N]

More Japanese stuff please, it’s so interesting, and the more obscure the better

[@gregsutton2400]

you have a some great pictures there, I like the one with the F4U1c behind the Tony. Never seen that shot of the 1c before.

[@GregsAirplanesandAutomobiles]

Thanks, I do put some effort into finding some rarely seen pictures.

[@breckhollis1089]

The comments on the hostility of New Guinea are well taken. There's a book called Fire in the Sky which details the SW Pacific air war. It documents that pilots would have rather have gone down in the middle of the ocean than in the middle of New Guinea.

[@SCFoster]

Excellent video. What's sad is I worked with men who were retiring from Kawasaki in the 80's who could have been a wealth of information for this video. Spent a few years at the Kawasaki Gifu works in Kakamigahara Japan. They were developing and building a number of aircraft under license for the Japanese Self Defense Forces. A lot of the engineers and pilots had parents who worked there during the war and had the good fortune to share many a meal with veteran pilots, the few that remained. Your observation about the location of the turn and bank indicator was spot on. I asked one of the retired engineers about it. The folks at Kawasaki were annoyed that people attributed the design to the Germans or Italians. I can say that the engineers I worked with were very bright and highly motivated. I have a picture on my office wall of me and a Japanese test pilot flying over Gifu castle, not far from the airfield. Again, thanks for making the video.

[@dubyacwh7978]

Thanks for the video one of my favorite Japanese World War II aircraft another interesting aircraft is the KIA 44 I don’t know how many of them were built but I think they were built as a high altitude interceptor with heavy fire power might be another good candidate thank you again

[@kevindolin4315]

There were 1225 Ki-44s built during the war. At first they were disliked by pilots for its lack of maneuverability, but later in the war, pilots, especially younger ones with no experience with the lighter Ki-27s and Ki-43s, learned to take full advantage of its rate of climb and diving speed.

[@Flies2FLL]

Nakajima? After the war they were merged into a conglomerate with six other companies and they built....scooters. Eventually this company became Fuji Heavy Industries, and they produced a car: Subaru. Great video, lots of detail!

[@dennisfox8673]

I’m always interested in Pacific theater stuff especially the often overlooked Japanese planes. I’d like to see stuff on the Ki 84.

[@joewellman7205]

The New Guinea campaign is one the most interesting of the war. This was very informative and I enjoyed this as any you have done to date.

[@claytonwoolcock4723]

Great video as always Greg. If you could do the Ki-44 sometime in the future that would be great. My favourite Japanese fighter - small, stubby, fast!

[@rickyjaworek1268]

Hi there, J2M3 Raiden for me.......... same description ! Have good days.

[@tiitsaul9036]

Thanks for sharing as always. Funny. I'm in Japan and been to a museum, where I saw an engine you've shared in your video. I immediately recognised it.

[@timo25ification]

Always thought the ki61 looked like the love child of a p51 and bf109

[@awwgordy]

the Ki61 is one of my favorite Japanese planes and one of the best looking fighters of the war, thanks for the video greg

[@monsieurcommissaire1628]

I'm with you regarding the Ki-61 being a particularly attractive aircraft. That goes for the radial engined version, as well.

[@miquelescribanoivars5049]

The razorback Ki-100 always a little stumpy for my liking, now the one with the bubble canopy? Sleek as hell!

[@jimbe01]

Yes, in “Fly for Your Life” R.Tuck mentions that he would glance/check his turn indicator to verify having the ball centered before firing (usually at close range) to help insure him hitting his target.

[@spingebill8551]

I honestly love the Japanese fighters. The Japanese made such unique designs, probably due to their tendency to prioritize fast turn and low weight over everything else. I would like to see more videos on Japanese planes in the future, especially the Ki-45s and/or derivatives.

[@davidpf043]

Good choice. First in-depth discussion of the Ki-61 performance I have ever seen. Osprey Aircraft of the Aces series has a volume on Ki-61/Ki-100, however, it doesn't get much attention compared to better known Japanese fighters.

[@thomaskositzki9424]

8:30 German native speaker here - the parts that you labelled "bracket of some sort?" and which are labelled "Heißösen" in German translate literally as "hot lug". It is technical German I never heard the term before. One technical translation is "hoisting eye" which seems logically. From the placement I would also think they are attachment points for lifting the engine in case of dismantling. Hope that helps. :)

[@nightjarflying]

Heißöse [plural heißösen] means "lifting eye" or "lifting eyebolt" in most German/English dictionaries.

[@theonlymadmac4771]

„Heißen“ in this content derives from seaman’s language in German and means lifting. It has nothing to do with the more common „heiß“ which means hot.

[@thomaskositzki9424]

@@nightjarflying Just as I wrote.

[@thomaskositzki9424]

@@theonlymadmac4771 "Heißen" that makes sense. Thanks! :)

[@GregsAirplanesandAutomobiles]

I love reading things like this in the comments. I knew with absolute certainty that someone here would know more about what that was. Thanks guys!

[@arvatas]

Such a great airplane, thanks for the video, Greg. On the topic of armament, the Ho-103/Type 1 12.7mm machinegun (the Ho-103, despite being based on the M2 Browning, actually used the same cartridge as the Italian Breda-SAFAT 12.7mm machinegun) used by the Ki-61(and other IJAAF fighters) had a plethora of ammo types available. Most notably Italian ammuntion including HE bullets (the Japanese likely domestically manufactured these too) and the "Ma-102" bullets. It's hard to find sourced information on this, just images on game forums and the like. Most of these look perfectly legit, but you unfortunately can't be sure. What I could find was a mention of this "Ma-102" bullet in "The United States Bombing Survey - Japanese Air Weapons and Tactics" (pages 35 and 36), stating "[...] in the Ma, the Japanese had an efficient fuseless projectile, simple to manufacture and with excellent incendiary properties." Japanese estimates apparently even went as far as considering destruction of a B-24 with a mere 5-6 hits possible. Of course, this was based on ground testing and probably very optimistic, but this is nonetheless impressive. I don't know when this specific ammo was available, or if it was widely available at all (researching Japanese stuff, well yeah, you know), but considering the wide variety of tried and tested Italian ammo already available, the Ho-103 is probably a quite underrated machinegun. I'm surprised you didn't at least mention it in passing, but the Japanese actually had a plane in 1943 that would outperform the Ki-61 and probably even the P-38s, namely the Ki-44-II. It mostly saw action on the Asian mainland and later in a home defense role iirc, and not that many were manufactured, but purely going by the specs, it's probably the most underrated single-seater of WW2.

[@cheesenoodles8316]

Big interest. One of my favorite Japanese fighters. Excellent video.

[@MyFabian94]

Hey Greg, looking at the 61s Elevator Placement, Gear, Radiator Position, Canopy and general Fuselage Shape I believe that the strongest Inspiration would have been the failed He-100D. The Wings seem to be a full In-House Development though.

[@dmw7320]

That’s what I’ve always thought I never saw any similarities to the 109 other than the inverted v12

[@juslitor]

@@dmw7320 The cockpit certainly resembles a 109 from a distance

[@hitomarusensha]

I have a slight problem calling aircraft designed by Takeo Doi a copy or even an inspiration per se though its not impossible for him to be inspired by another countries works. Doi was taught aircraft design by Europeans in the late 20s early 30s so to me it seems that he's just going off of what he learned in the way of aircraft design. He was trained by Dr. Richard Vogt to be his successor. Sort of like if a middle ages architect learned everything he knows about castle design from Japan there's likely to be some design choices they fall back on because its familiar and it works. One thing that for sure was inspected by Japanese engineers was how engines were attached to the airframe, it seems to be one of the only things they cared about when looking at foreign planes.

[@pedroandrade4203]

You post undoubtedly the most informative ww2 aviation videos on the web. Thank you for sharing the knowledge.

[@AndrewBlucher]

You've mentioned RS Tuck a few times. He had an amazing ability to learn effective weapon use just from observation. Fly for Your Life is a great read. I wonder where my copy went?

[@nickmitsialis]

I recall and OLD story from RS Tuck: when he got shot down by flak he strafed a 20mm gun position. When the Germans ran up to him, he thought he was gonna get lynched or beaten up. Much to his surprise they were laughing...when they walked over to the destroyed gun position, Tuck saw that one of his shells went down the flak gun's barrel and split it open like a flower petal. The Germans were all laughing and yelling 'Good shooting, English'.

[@stevepirie8130]

Yes when his spitfires engine got knocked out he noticed the gun position so strafed it killing the crew. That’s why he thought he was a dead man when roughly dragged by their comrades to the position. He noted the grisly scene and macabre humour of the soldiers pointing out the peeled barrel ignoring their dead mates. Great book of his.