Kawasaki Ki-10


The Kawasaki Ki-10 was the last biplane fighter used by the Imperial Japanese Army, entering service in 1935. Built by Kawasaki Kōkūki Kōgyō K.K. for the Imperial Japanese Army, it saw combat service in Manchukuo and in North China during the early stages of the Second Sino-Japanese War. Its reporting name given by the Allies was "Perry".

Design and development

The Ki-10 was designed by Japanese aeronautical engineer Takeo Doi, who had succeeded Richard Vogt as chief designer for Kawasaki. The design was in response to a requirement issued by the Imperial Japanese Army for a new fighter, and was the winner of a competition against Nakajima's Ki-11. Although the low-wing monoplane offered by Nakajima was more advanced, the Army preferred the more maneuverable biplane offered by Kawasaki. In order to overcome the speed disadvantage the Kawasaki team used a metal three-blade propeller in the third prototype, while flush-head rivets were used in an attempt to reduce drag.
The Kawasaki design had sesquiplane wings, braced by struts, and with upper-wing ailerons. The structure was of all-metal construction, which was then fabric-covered. Armament consisted of two 7.7 mm Type 89 machine guns, synchronized to fire through the propeller. The initial production version was powered by a liquid-cooled Kawasaki Ha9-IIa V-12.

Operations

The Ki-10 was deployed in Manchukuo and in the initial campaigns of the Second Sino-Japanese War in northern China.
On September 21, 1937, Major Hiroshi Miwa, formerly hired as a military flight instructor for Marshall Chang's Fengtian army air corps and well-known in the Chinese military aviation circles of the time, commanded a flight of 7 Ki-10 fighters of the 1st Daitai-16th Hiko Rentai, on an escort of 14 Mitsubishi Ki-2 bombers to attack the city of Taiyuan where they encountered Chinese air force V-65C Corsairs and Curtiss Hawk IIs, shooting down a few, but Major Miwa himself was shot down and fatally wounded by Captain Chan Kee-Wong, commander of the 28th Pursuit Squadron of the 5th Pursuit Group flying a Curtiss Hawk.
By the time of the Nomonhan Incident in 1939, the Ki-10 had become largely obsolete, and was being superceded by the Nakajima Ki-27.
At the beginning of the Pacific War, the Ki-10 was retired to training and secondary missions, but later returned to front-line service, performing short-range patrol and reconnaissance missions in Japan proper and China in January–February 1942.

Variants

data from Japanese Aircraft of the Pacific War
Total production: 588 units

Operators