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#Post#: 12729--------------------------------------------------
Plane of the Week: Nakajima Ki-27
By: vonofterdingen Date: September 28, 2020, 4:08 pm
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height=567]
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I have an interest in early war planes, and this is one of
them. Until the appearance of the famed Zero, the Ki-27 was
Japan’s frontline fighter. The phase-out began in 1940, but the
Ki-27 (“Nate” in allied code parlance) saw considerable action
in China, Khalkhin Gol, Singapore, and Burma. Typical of
Japanese fighters throughout the war, it was light weight and
highly maneuverable. The maneuverability came with a cost
however: it was lightly armed and had no pilot protection or
self-sealing fuel tanks.
From Wikipedia
The Nakajima Ki-27 Type 97 Fighter was the main fighter
aircraft used by the Imperial Japanese Army Air Force up until
1940. Its Allied nickname was "Nate", although it was called
"Abdul" in the "China Burma India" (CBI) theater by many post
war sources; Allied Intelligence had reserved that name for the
nonexistent Mitsubishi Navy Type 97 fighter, expected to be the
successor to the carrier-borne Type 96 (Mitsubishi A5M) with
retractable landing gear and an enclosed cockpit.
In 1935, the Imperial Japanese Army held a competition
between Nakajima, Mitsubishi, and Kawasaki to design a low-wing
monoplane to replace the Kawasaki Ki-10 (Army Type 95 Fighter)
biplane. The new fighter was to have also a better performance
than the experimental Mitsubishi Ki-18.
The results were the Nakajima Ki-27, the Kawasaki Ki-28, and
the Mitsubishi Ki-33 (a modification of the Mitsubishi A5M
carrier-based fighter). The Nakajima design was based on its
earlier Ki-11 monoplane fighter which lost to the Ki-10 in the
Type 95 Fighter competition. When the follow-up Nakajima Ki-12
proposal with a liquid-cooled engine and retractable landing
gear was deemed too complex by the Japanese officials, the Ki-27
was designed by Koyama Yasushi to have an air-cooled radial
engine and fixed landing gear. The aircraft had the Nakajima
trademark wing with a straight leading edge and tapered trailing
edge which would reappear again on the Ki-43, Ki-44, and Ki-84.
The Ki-27 made its first flight on 15 October 1936. Although
it had a slower top speed and worse climb performance than its
competitors, the Army chose the Nakajima design for its
outstanding turning ability granted by its remarkably low wing
loading. The Army ordered 10 pre-production samples (Ki-27a) for
further testing, which featured an enclosed cockpit with sliding
canopy and larger wings.
The type was officially accepted into service in 1937 as the
Army Type 97 Fighter. In addition to Nakajima, the Ki-27 was
also manufactured by Tachikawa Aircraft Company Ltd and
Manshukoku Hikoki Seizo KK, with a total of 3,368 built before
production ended in 1942.
The Ki-27 was the Imperial Japanese Army Air Force's main
fighter until the start of World War II. When placed into combat
service over northern China in March 1938, the Ki-27 enjoyed air
superiority until the introduction of the faster Soviet-built
Polikarpov I-16 fighters by the Chinese.
In the 1939 Battle of Khalkhin Gol against the USSR in
Mongolia, the Ki-27 faced both Polikarpov I-15 biplane and
Polikarpov I-16 monoplane fighters. In the initial phase of the
conflict, its performance was a match for the early model I-16s,
and was considerably superior to the I-15 biplane. With better
trained Ki-27 pilots, the IJAAF gained aerial superiority. The
Ki-27 was armed with two 7.7 mm (.303 in) Type 89 machine guns
and as with most aircraft of the period, lacked armor protection
for the pilot and self-sealing or fire suppression in the fuel
tanks.
HTML https://i.postimg.cc/Xv3xyYGN/Screen-Hunter-424.png
Later, the Soviet Air Force received improved I-16s. The
faster, more heavily armed (with twin wing-mounted 20mm ShVAK
cannons) and armored I-16 now nullified the Ki-27's advantages
and it could now escape from the Ki-27 in a dive. The VVS
introduced new tactics consisting of flying in large tightly
knit formations, attacking with altitude and/or speed advantage
and hit-and-run (high-energy) tactics much as Claire Chennault
would later formulate for the 1941-era Flying Tigers (likewise
to fly against Japanese forces).
Japanese losses mounted but despite this they claimed 1,340
aircraft (six times the admitted Soviet losses and three times
as many as Soviet aircraft admitted to being in the theatre).
Japanese losses numbered 120 (including Ki-10s) while the
Russians claimed 215 vs. a peak Japanese strength of 200
fighters. (Overclaiming remained commonplace through World War
Two, despite gun cameras and expert intelligence assessments.)
Top scoring pilot of the incident and top scoring IJAAF pilot on
the Ki-27 and overall World War II IJAAF ace was Warrant Officer
Hiromichi Shinohara, who claimed 58 Soviet planes (including an
IJAAF record of 11 in one day) whilst flying Ki-27s, only to be
shot down himself by a number of I-16s on 27 August 1939.
The preference of Japanese fighter pilots for the Ki-27's
high rate of turn caused the Army to focus excessively on
maneuverability, a decision which later handicapped the
development of faster and more heavily armed fighters. The Ki-27
served until the beginning of World War II in the Pacific,
escorting bombers attacking Malaya, Singapore, Netherlands East
Indies, Burma and the Philippines (where it initially fared
poorly against the Brewster F2A Buffalo).
The type also saw extensive action against the American
Volunteer Group in the early months of the war. Soon outclassed
by the American Curtiss P-40 Warhawks, the Ki-27 was replaced in
front line service by the Nakajima Ki-43, while surviving
examples continued to serve as a trainer.
The Ki-27 was also exported for use with Manchukuo and Thai
armed forces, seeing combat with both. In Thai service, Ki-27s
reportedly damaged two North American P-51 Mustangs and shot
down one Lockheed P-38 Lightning.
In the final months of the war, desperate lack of aircraft
forced the Japanese to utilize all available machines and the
Ki-27 and 79 were no exception. Some were equipped with up to
500 kg (1,100 lb) of explosives for kamikaze attacks, but some
were redeployed as fighters, suffering terrible losses as on 16
February 1945 when the 39th Educational Flight Regiment
scrambled 16 Ki-79 trainers from Yokoshiba Airfield to oppose a
massive air raid from U.S. Task Force 58 carrier group, losing
six aircraft with more damaged and five pilots killed, in return
damaging at least one Hellcat and possibly downing a second.
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In game…
My first experience with this aircraft was a Dutch campaign
where the Ki-27 was a stand-in for a Fokker DXXI. Not long after
that I flew it in a Khalkhin Gol campaign. It is highly
maneuverable as advertised, but a bit slow and with a tendency
to ignite when hit. The two rather feeble machine guns make it a
bit difficult to bring down rugged adversaries also; planes like
the I-16 and P-40 can be very difficult to damage. I don’t like
it much as an adversary though. In Flying Tiger campaigns when I
am flying P-40s against the Ki-27, I get a sense of what it must
have been like to box Mohammed Ali. I line up the target, but as
I pull the trigger the target had danced out of view.
#Post#: 12732--------------------------------------------------
Re: Plane of the Week: Nakajima Ki-27
By: JG51_Ruski Date: September 28, 2020, 6:56 pm
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Stout little plane and a good article Von Thank You !!
#Post#: 12733--------------------------------------------------
Re: Plane of the Week: Nakajima Ki-27
By: ben_wh Date: September 28, 2020, 10:00 pm
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Thanks von, for another great write-up.
In-game: With the introduction of this plane and the proper
maps, we got to simulate some very 'exotic' air battles indeed
(flying in 'forgotten battles' is almost a specialty for IL-2
1946).
You may start with the air battle over Nomonhan, where the match
up between this plane against and the I-15 and I-16 actually
made for some fun dogfight, somewhere between WWI and WWII type
air battle.
And if you want more (and are feeling brave), trying flying with
the Royal Thai Air Force in this plane against P-38s and P-51s
... (more here
HTML http://www.aviationofjapan.com/2013/11/royal-thai-air-force-nates-ki-27-aces.html)
[img width=1024
height=736]
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[font=verdana]And the community has provided some great skins
for the Ki-27.[/font]
As you have stated, it is frustrating both flying in and against
this plane.
When you're flying this plane, you have essentially the same
armament as the Sopwith Camel from the last war. You need to
make every shot count. With its durability you've got to watch
your back all the time, but you can do all sorts of acrobatics
with this plane and dance around your enemies.
Flying against the Ki-27, its supreme agility makes hit-and-run
tactic a necessity, even when you're in an I-16 (let alone the
Hawk-81). Surprisingly I found the damage model of this plane
more robust than expected in-game, and it _feels_ more difficult
to bring down than a Ki-43-I. When flying the Hawk-81 against
this over Burma, I learned not only to employ hit-and-run tactic
but to hold fire until very close, aiming for the cockpit/
engine so that the 0.303 on the Hawk can be effective.
Cheers,
#Post#: 12736--------------------------------------------------
Re: Plane of the Week: Nakajima Ki-27
By: vonofterdingen Date: September 28, 2020, 11:31 pm
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My experience with the Hawk 81 is very similar. I would pursue a
Nate and suddenly realize that I had spent all of my ammo. Good
idea to get in close.
#Post#: 12744--------------------------------------------------
Re: Plane of the Week: Nakajima Ki-27
By: cafs Date: September 29, 2020, 8:01 am
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Great PoW, Von.
The Ki-27 has two quite small fuel tanks, 70 liters each, one
behind the other on each wing, very close to the fuselage, with
a smaller, 50 l, behind the engine. Having a large, but empty,
wing she can 'absorve' a lot of bullets, the same for the
fuselage half end. You need to put all your bullets around the
cockpit and on the nose, the rest is, almost, a waste of ammo,
unless you hit the wing spar with a .50 or 20mm explosive shell,
a really 'lucky hit'.
#Post#: 12747--------------------------------------------------
Re: Plane of the Week: Nakajima Ki-27
By: Beowolff Date: September 29, 2020, 8:06 am
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Whoa! SUPER nice article here...tons of good info and I like
the pictures too! Great job on this!
S!
Beo
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