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mdiehl -> (11/15/2003 2:47:38 AM)
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[QUOTE]So, the Ki-84 was 20mph faster than the Hellcat, 20mph slower than F4U-1, P-38 and P-47 and 50mph slower than the P-51. It could outdive and outclimb the P-47 and the P-38. It has very good firepower (4x20mm gun). It would be able to engage all of US prop driven fighters except, maybe the P-51D, if it had better production standards.[/QUOTE]
Your numbers do not accord with general stats in re a/c. Only in Axis Fanboy Fantasy Land could the Ki-84 could outdive the F4U, F6F, or P47. It could not. (Dive rate is primarily a function of weight, drag, and thrust. All of those three allied a/c models were heavier, had more thrust, and lower drag). The Ki-84, like the A6M series before it, could out climb these late war Allied a/c.... if you're talking about time from a runway stop to 15,000 feet. Above 20K feet, these allied a/c could outclimb the Ki-84.
Ki-84
Empty Weight: 2660kg Max.Weight: 3890kg
IN US weights: 5,864 lb Loaded 8,576 lb
Speed: 624km/h (392 mph) Ceiling: 11000m (about 36K feet) Range: 2920km
Armament: 2*mg13mm 2*g20mm 2*b250kg
P51-D (Note, the P51-H was the late war variant to be used in the PTO if actin went beyond August)
Maximum speed at 25,000ft 437mph (45 mph over the Ki-84; that's greater than the sped difference between the A6M and the Brewster Buffalo ... and we KNOW how that combat turned out).
Maximum range 2,300 miles
Service ceiling 41,900ft
Weight: Empty 7,125lb, Loaded 11,600lb
P51-H variant max airspeed 487 mph @ 25,000 feet. Basically 100 mph faster than the Ki-84. Against this plane, the Ki-84 might as well have been hung from a string while US pilots make passes at it.
F4U-1
Maximum speed at 19,900ft 417mph
Maximum range 1,015 miles
Service ceiling 36,900ft
Weight: Empty 8,982 lb Loaded 14,000 lb
Variant: F4U-4, the US's late war entry to the PTO (some 2000 made) top speed was 446 mph, climb rate exceeded the Ki-84 at all altitudes, and had a much higher altitude top speed. It could out accelerate every fighter produced by Japan (2.4 mph/sec in level flight) out roll every Japanese fighter, and could out-dive every Japanese fighter. At high altitude (above 20k) it could also out turn EVERY Japanese fighter. So, like the various claims about Japanese maneuverability offered in these forums heretofore, depends on what factors you consider. At high speeds, most of these Allied a/c were more maneuverable than the Ki-84 in EVERY SINGLE MEASURABLE ASPECT. In short, the Ki-84 only looks "almost" competitive with the F4U if you compare the late 1944 Ki-84 with the 1943-1944 F4U-1, rather than with the F4U-4 that was deployed to the PTO beginning in February 1945.
P47-D (again, not the N model common in the late war PTO)
Maximum speed at 30,000ft 433mph
Maximum range 1,900 miles
Service ceiling 41,000ft
Weight: Empty 9,950lb, Loaded 17,500lb.
P47-N variant max airspeed 467 mph. (Seventy mph speed advantage).
By the way, if the game lets the players mess with armament, I'd like the F4U-4/2 variant. 4x20mm Hispano-Suiza cannons. If you think Japanese planes fall apart quickly when hit by .50cal then imagine this loadout in mass-production. ;)
Consistently, across the board, the Ki-84 only seems competitive if you compare it to US 1943 aircraft models or the F6F (in production in 1942). That is why I refer to the Ki-84 as a "mediocre" fighter. I also refer to it as a good mid-war fighter (even though it was introduced fairly late to the IJN OOB) --- it was only competitive against Allied mid-war fighters.
When you consider that the US is not likely to encounter many of these Ki-84s until Jan-March 1945, you have to consider that the Ki-84 is running into late-war US fighters that are overwhelmingly superior to the Ki-84 in every aspect of performance and durability.
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