Description

Twin-engine, two-seat fighters have the advantage of being able to fight from the rear gun turrets, and
have more power than single-engine aircraft, so
they can carry more fuel and be heavily armed.
In addition, when using twin engines,
there is the advantage that weapons can be concentrated and equipped mainly on the aircraft.
Countries that took notice of this
began developing aircraft that could be used for long-range invasions, support, reconnaissance, night combat, etc. in the mid-1930s.

In October 1945, the Army decided not to adopt the Ki-45, the predecessor of the Toryu, and
ordered an improved version of the Ki-45.
In addition, at the time Kawasaki determined that the Ki-45’s performance could not be improved, it had
already started developing an aircraft that incorporated the experience of the Ki-48 (Type 99 twin-engine light bomber), with engineer Takeo Doiin
charge.
The first machine was completed in September 1945 as the 45th Kai.

Although the name seems to be an improved version of the Ki-45,
the design has been completely revised and it can be said to be a different aircraft.
It is larger than the Ki-45, and
the main wing has been changed from an elliptical wing to a straight tapered wing.
The fuselage was also simplified for productivity.
The Ki-45 Kai exceeded the required maximum speed, and its
climbing performance and cruising range were also improved compared to the Ki-45.

In February 1945, it was officially adopted and debuted as a Type 2 two-seat fighter.
Total production number is 1690 aircraft.There were “Ko”, “Otsu”, “Hei”, and “Dou” depending on their armament.

The D-type is equipped with two Ho-5 20mm cannons on the top of the C-type fuselage.
The Ho-5 was equipped at a 32-degree angle between the front and rear seats and was called an upward-pointing gun.
It is thought that the nose was equipped with a Ho-203 37mm machine gun, and
some aircraft did not have a rotating machine gun in the rear seat.
The Ding type demonstrated its power as a night fighter.

[Data]
Crew: 2 people
Overall width: 15.02m
Overall length: 11.00m
Overall height: 3.70m
Complete weight: 5,500kg
Engine: Ha102 (takeoff output: 1,080hp) x 2
Maximum speed: 540km/h (6,000m)
Fixed armament :37mm machine gun x 1, 20mm machine gun x 2, 7.7mm rotating machine gun x 1