TheMitsubishi Ki-83 (キ83) was a Japanese experimental, long-rangeheavy fighter designed near the end of World War II that did not reach production status.
The Mitsubishi Ki-83 was designed as a long-range heavy fighter and built by a team, led byTomio Kubo, designer of the highly successfulMitsubishi Ki-46. The design was a response to a 1943 specification for a new heavy fighter with great range. The first of fourprototypes flew on 18 November 1944.[1] The machines displayed remarkable maneuverability for aircraft of their size, being able to execute a 671 m (2,200 ft) diameter loop in just 31 seconds at a speed of over 644 km/h (400 mph).[2] The Ki-83 carried a powerful armament of two 30 mm (1.18 in) and two 20 mm cannon in its nose.[3]
Despite the bomb-ravaged Japanese manufacturing sector, plans for the Ki-83 to enter production were underway when Japan surrendered on 15 August 1945.
Both the existence and performance of the Ki-83 were little known during the War, even in Japan. It was completely unknown inAllied military aviation circles – as demonstrated by the fact that the Ki-83 had not been given areporting name. Most early photographs of the type were taken during the post-war occupation of Japan, when the four prototypes were seized by theUnited States Army Air Forces and repainted with USAAF insignia. When they were evaluated by U.S.aeronautical engineers and other experts, a Ki-83, using high-octane fuel, reached a speed of 762 km/h (473 mph) at an altitude of 7,000 metres (23,000 ft).[1][2][4][5]
Green, William (1961).War Planes of the Second World War, Volume Three: Fighters. Macdonald & Co.ISBN0-356-01447-9.OCLC655407936.{{cite book}}:ISBN / Date incompatibility (help)
Green, William; Swanborough, Gordon (1976).JWW2 Aircraft Fact Files: Japanese Army Fighters, Part 1. London: Macdonald and Jane's.ISBN0-356-08224-5.OCLC820486093.
Army Experimental Fighters (1). Famous Airplanes of the World Series 1. Tokyo: Bunrin-Do. August 1976.
