Tachikawa Ki-74

Ki-74

Role	Long-range reconnaissance bomber Type of aircraft
Manufacturer	Tachikawa Aircraft Company
First flight	March 1944
Primary user	Imperial Japanese Army Air Service
Number built	16

The Tachikawa Ki-74 (Allied reporting name "Patsy") was a Japanese experimental long-range reconnaissance bomber of World War II. A twin-engine, mid-wing monoplane, it was developed for the Imperial Japanese Army Air Service but never deployed in combat. The Ki-74 was designed for high altitude operation with a pressurized cabin for its crew.

Development

Though already conceived in 1939 as a long-range reconnaissance aircraft capable of reaching west of Lake Baikal when operating from bases in Manchukuo (Manchuria), the initial prototype Ki-74 only first flew as late as March 1944, after its development and primary mission requirement had been changed to capability of bombing and reconnaissance over the mainland United States.^[1] The aircraft was powered by two 1,641 kW (2,201 hp) Mitsubishi Ha-211-I [Ha-43-I] radial engines. The subsequent two prototypes were powered by the turbo-supercharged Mitsubishi Ha-211-I Ru [Ha-43-II]; these experienced teething troubles and the following thirteen pre-production machines substituted the Ha-211 Ru engine for the lower-powered but more reliable turbo-supercharged Mitsubishi Ha-104 Ru (Army Type 4 1,900 hp Air Cooled Radial).^[2] The aircraft was fitted with self-sealing fuel tanks, armor and a pressurized cabin for its crew of 5.^[3]

Operational history

The Ki-74 did not progress beyond developmental testing to see operational service in combat. Nevertheless, the Allies knew of the type's existence and assigned the codename "Patsy" after it was discovered that it was a bomber, not a fighter (previously it had been assigned the codename "Pat" in Allied Intelligence).^[4]

Specifications (Ki-74)

Data from The Imperial Japanese Secret Weapons Museum ;^[5] Japanese Aircraft of the Pacific War^[4]

General characteristics

Crew: 5
Capacity: 9,200 kg (20,300 lb)
Length: 17.65 m (57 ft 11 in)
Wingspan: 18.6 m (61 ft 0 in)
Height: 5.1 m (16 ft 9 in)
Wing area: 80 m² (860 sq ft)
Empty weight: 10,200 kg (22,487 lb)
Gross weight: 19,400 kg (42,770 lb)
Powerplant: 2 × Mitsubishi Ha104 Ru turbo-supercharged 18-cylinder air-cooled radial piston engines, 1,500 kW (2,000 hp) each

Performance

Maximum speed: 570 km/h (350 mph, 310 kn)
Cruise speed: 400 km/h (250 mph, 220 kn)
Range: 8,000 km (5,000 mi, 4,300 nmi)
Service ceiling: 12,000 m (39,000 ft)
Wing loading: 242.5 kg/m² (49.7 lb/sq ft)
Power/mass: 0.154 kW/kg (0.093 hp/lb; 0.206 hp/kg)

Armament

1 x 12.7 mm (0.500 in) Ho-103 machine gun
1,000 kg (2,200 lb) bomb load

Notes

^ Francillon 1979, pp. 259–260.
^ Francillon 1979, pp. 260–261.
^ Francillon 1979, p. 260.
^ ^a ^b Francillon 1979, p. 261.
^ "The Imperial Japanese Secret Weapons Museum". Archived from the original on October 27, 2009.

Bibliography

Francillon, René J. (1979). Japanese Aircraft of the Pacific War. Putnam Aeronautical. ISBN 0-370-30251-6.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Tachikawa Ki-74.

v t e Tachikawa aircraft
Imperial Japanese Army types	Ki-9 Ki-17 Ki-24 Ki-25 Ki-26 Ki-29 Ki-36 Ki-54 Ki-55 Ki-70 Ki-71 Ki-72 Ki-74 Ki-77 Ki-92 Ki-94 Ki-104 Ki-106 Ki-110 Ki-111 Ki-114 SS-1 T.S. 1 R-38
World War II Allied reporting names	Cedar Clara Hickory Ida (Ki-36) Ida (Ki-55) Pat Patsy Sonia Spruce

v t e Imperial Japanese Army Air Service aircraft designations
1-50	Ki-1 Ki-2 Ki-3 Ki-4 Ki-5 Ki-6 Ki-7 Ki-8 Ki-9 Ki-10 Ki-11 Ki-12 Ki-13 Ki-14 Ki-15 Ki-16 Ki-17 Ki-18 Ki-19 Ki-20 Ki-21 Ki-22 Ki-23 Ki-24 Ki-25 Ki-26 Ki-27 Ki-28 Ki-29 Ki-30 Ki-31 Ki-32 Ki-33 Ki-34 Ki-35 Ki-36 Ki-37 Ki-38 Ki-39 Ki-40 Ki-41 Ki-42 Ki-43 Ki-44 Ki-45 Ki-46 Ki-47 Ki-48 Ki-49 Ki-50
51-100	Ki-51 Ki-52 Ki-53 Ki-54 Ki-55 Ki-56 Ki-57 Ki-58 Ki-59 Ki-60 Ki-61 Ki-62 Ki-63 Ki-64 Ki-66 Ki-67 Ki-68 Ki-69 Ki-70 Ki-71 Ki-72 Ki-73 Ki-74 Ki-75 Ki-76 Ki-77 Ki-78 Ki-79 Ki-80 Ki-81 Ki-82 Ki-83 Ki-84 Ki-85 Ki-86 Ki-87 Ki-88 Ki-89 Ki-90 Ki-91 Ki-92 Ki-93 Ki-94 Ki-95 Ki-96 Ki-97 Ki-98 Ki-99 Ki-100
100-	Ki-101 Ki-102 Ki-103 Ki-105 Ki-106 Ki-107 Ki-108 Ki-109 Ki-110 Ki-111 Ki-112 Ki-113 Ki-114 Ki-115 Ki-116 Ki-117 Ki-118 Ki-119 Ki-147 Ki-148 Ki-167 Ki-174 Ki-200 Ki-201 Ki-202 Ki-230

World War II Allied reporting names for Japanese aircraft

Aircraft in Japanese service

Foreign aircraft
thought to be in Japanese service

Bess (Heinkel He 111)
Doc (Messerschmitt Bf 110)
Fred (Focke Wulf Fw 190)
Irene (Junkers Ju 87)
Janice (Junkers Ju 88)
Mike (Messerschmitt Bf 109)
Millie (Vultee V-11)
Trixie (Junkers Ju 52)
Trudy (Focke-Wulf Fw 200)

This page was last edited on 22 January 2024, at 22:04

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