Ki-84 ko

This page is about the Japanese fighter Ki-84 ko. For other versions, see Ki-84 (Family).

Ki-84 ko

Ki-61-I hei

Ki-84 otsu

Ki-84 ko

Ki-61-I hei

Ki-84 otsu

Japan

IV Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
6.0	5.3	5.0

Class:

Fighter

Research:54 000

Purchase:185 000

Description

The Ki-84 ko Hayate is a rank IV Japanese fighter with a battle rating of 6.0 (AB), 5.3 (RB), and 5.0 (SB). It was introduced in Update 1.37.

General info

Flight performance

Max speed

at 6 000 m692 km/h

Turn time19 s

Max altitude13 000 m

EngineNakajima Homare 21

TypeRadial

Cooling systemAir

Take-off weight4 t

The Ki-84 ko is the first truly fast aeroplane in the Japanese tech tree. Equipped with a 2,000 hp engine, this aircraft's performance is on par with that of the legendary P-51 Mustang. However, unlike the Mustang, the Ki-84 has slightly better turning characteristics and climb rate thanks to its lighter weight. This being said, the Ki-84 also has good energy retention, so try to make your opponent bleed energy to have an edge. The Ki-84 was also one of the first mass-produced Japanese aircraft to come equipped with armoured glass, armour plates and self-sealing fuel tanks, but the armour is still lacklustre compared to its Russian and American counterparts. However, as always, not everything is perfect. The aircraft controls stiffen significantly at speeds above 630 km/h, making even slight adjustments to heading impossible. Thus, at higher speeds, its elevator suffers. The Ki-84 also suffers a lot when no modules are researched, making the aircraft almost useless until modifications are unlocked.

This aircraft should be played as it appears: a lightweight Japanese version of the Mustang, retaining good engine performance, decent climb-rate, high diving performance, but relatively lacklustre armament.

Characteristics	Max Speed (km/h at 6,000 m)		Max altitude (metres)	Turn time (seconds)		Rate of climb (metres/second)		Take-off run (metres)
	AB	RB		AB	RB	AB	RB
Stock	669	650	13000	20.2	20.8	14.1	14.1	421
Upgraded	718	692		19.1	19.4	22.6	17.9

Details

Features
Combat flaps	Take-off flaps	Landing flaps	Air brakes	Arrestor gear
✓	✓	✓	X	X

Limits
Wings (km/h)	Gear (km/h)	Flaps (km/h)			Max Static G
		Combat	Take-off	Landing	+	-
837	270	500	380	280	~13	~9

Optimal velocities (km/h)
Ailerons	Rudder	Elevators	Radiator
< 400	< 480	< 430	> 324

Compressor	Optimal altitude	100% Engine power	WEP Engine power
Setting 1	2,000 m	1,875 hp	2,100 hp
Setting 2	5,300 m	1,675 hp	1,876 hp

Survivability and armour

Crew1 person

Speed of destruction

Structural837 km/h

Gear270 km/h

• 70 mm bulletproof glass in front of pilot
• 6 mm steel behind pilot's head
• 13 mm steel behind pilot
• Self-sealing fuel tanks (1 under pilot's feet, 1 in each wingroot)

Modifications and economy

Repair costBasic → Reference

AB2 590 → 3 294

RB5 861 → 7 455

SB8 203 → 10 434

Total cost of modifications46 900

85 500

Talisman cost1 500

Crew training52 000

Experts185 000

Aces940

Research Aces480 000

Reward for battleAB / RB / SB

100 / 210 / 440 %

166 / 166 / 166 %

Modifications

Flight performance	Survivability	Weaponry
Fuselage repair Research: 2 400 Cost: 4 400 180 Radiator Research: 2 400 Cost: 4 400 180 Compressor Research: 2 600 Cost: 4 700 195 Wings repair Research: 2 900 Cost: 5 300 220 Engine Research: 2 900 Cost: 5 300 220 Engine injection Research: 5 100 Cost: 9 300 380	Airframe Research: 2 600 Cost: 4 700 195 Cover Research: 5 100 Cost: 9 300 380	safat12_belt_pack Research: 2 400 Cost: 4 400 180 9 in (mod23) Research: 2 400 Cost: 4 400 180 ho103_new_gun Research: 2 600 Cost: 4 700 195 10 in (mod24) Research: 2 600 Cost: 4 700 195 ho5_belt_pack Research: 2 900 Cost: 5 300 220 12 in (mod27) Research: 2 900 Cost: 5 300 220 ho5_new_gun Research: 5 100 Cost: 9 300 380

Armaments

Offensive armament

Weapon 12 x 20 mm Ho-5 cannon

Ammunition300 rounds

Fire rate948 shots/min

Weapon 22 x 12.7 mm Ho-103 machine gun

Ammunition700 rounds

Fire rate900 shots/min

The Ki-84 ko is armed with:

• 2 x 20 mm Ho-5 cannons, wing-mounted (150 rpg = 300 total)
• 2 x 12.7 mm Ho-103 machine guns, nose-mounted (350 rpg = 700 total)

Suspended armament

List of setups (3)

Setup 12 x 50 kg Army Type 94 GPHE bomb

Setup 22 x 100 kg Army Type 94 GPHE bomb

Setup 32 x 250 kg Army Type 92 GPHE bomb

The Ki-84 ko can be outfitted with the following ordnance:

• Without load
• 2 x 50 kg Army Type 94 GPHE bombs (100 kg total)
• 2 x 250 kg Army Type 92 GPHE bombs (500 kg total)

Usage in battles

Realistic Battles

The Ki-84 ko is a very good multi-purpose fighter, its capable of energy fighting and sustained dog fighting making it a menace to face with few enemies matching it, it takes a rather skilled pilot to shake these off as they have great turn fighting capabilities, good climb rate and a decent top speed for their BR.

It is important to remember that when uptiered, you will be fighting aircraft such as the Spitfire F Mk 22, which is faster both in a straight line and in a shallow or step dive, the best way to reliable deal with this threat is to coax your enemy into a rolling scissors or sustained dog fight as the Spitfire F Mk 22 does not have a faster turn rate than the Ki-84 ko, alternatively if they do not dog fight and they are above you, you can force an over-shoot with some defensive flying and catch the Spitfire either as it passes or when it starts to go back up into its climb thanks to the Ki-84 ko's good climb rate.

The Ki-84 ko is not very well armoured at all and should avoid any head on engagements or well defended aircraft such as B-24s as it is rather fragile to enemy fire. The weaponry isn't spectacular either and may require a bit of practice as they are rather lacklustre compared to other planes you will fight.

As a Ki-84 pilot your safest bet is to climb above your opponents and pick and choose your battles, often a good strategy to use is to hunt down the highest altitude enemies and pick them off one by one, remember not to waste all the altitude you have obtained as altitude is your friend in the Ki-84, whether you prefer Boom and Zoom or Dogfighting, the Ki-84 ko is sure to please you.

Simulator Battles

In Simulator, the Ki-84 is overall a decent plane to fly. It enjoys lovely visibility towards the rear, sides, above, and over the nose, giving the pilot great situational awareness. It has nice handling, good climb rate, great speed and acceleration. Armament-wise, the guns have enough fire rate to put quite a few projectiles into the target in one pass. However the Ki-84's disadvantages are the limited damage, rudder efficiency at high speeds, the rather poor roll rate, and the compass at the front-right of the gunsight that can obstruct your view. This aircraft can be used in BnZ fighting, turn fighting, intercepting (to some extent) and some ground pounding.

Before taking off, bring at least 30 minutes of fuel for longer patrol time. Set the convergence to around 250 m since your weapons have low velocity, therefore needing more precise aim at longer range. While your Ki-84 roars down the runway, you will notice that it shifts severely to the left, thus you must put rudder input to the right to taxi straight. As with other Ki series aircraft, only elevator trim is available, so when the stick is at its deadzone, the Ki-84 will roll and yaw to the left side. Therefore you always need to pull the stick a little to the right which can get a bit annoying. Usually, trim for around -1% when cruising around 470 km/h, around -5% when diving around 600 km/h, and when fighting at around 400 km/h no negative trim is needed. When carrying the 2x 250kg bombload, no negative trim is needed as well. Landing characteristics are forgiving: cut throttle to make sure you are not above 350 km/h before touchdown. Deploy combat then takeoff flaps to further decelerate in preparation for extending landing gears. Extend at around 260 km/h, control your descend rate throughout. Right before touchdown, deploy landing flaps. The gears are quite sturdy. You can break until the plane reaches full stop and not worry about propeller strike.

For dogfighting, it is always safer to enter with an altitude advantage. Most dogfights in Sim happen around or below 3,000 m so the Ki-84 can easily climb up to that altitude. Once at an advantageous height, boom & zoom the enemies. The Ki-84 can easily accelerate to more than 550 km/h in a dive which is decently fast but requires more precise manoeuvres to get the correct lead, since the faster you go the smaller the shooting window is. Important note: when fighting above 550 km/h, you want to be more precise in the roll and pitch axis, since at this speed the rudder locks up severely, preventing you from making aim adjustments which negatively impacts the lead. You must pretend that your rudder doesn't exist and fully rely on the ailerons and elevators to lead. A successful pass will not usually cripple the enemy given the projectiles' lacklustre damage, so multiple attacks are needed to destroy one plane. Aside from BnZ, the Ki-84 is also excellent at turn fighting - with the appropriate opponent, of course. Except a few dedicated turn fighters, the Ki-84 can out-turn and get on most opponents' tail with combat/takeoff flaps deployed, and can sustain its turning ability throughout the fight. The Ki-84's stable handling allows you to pull some tight manoeuvres, so don't worry too much about flat spins. If you become a prey, try some defensive manoeuvres like barrel rolls or disengage by diving steeply towards a nearby friendly airfield. Note that the Ki-84's roll rate is very average so avoid manoeuvres like scissors.

When performing the "destroy enemy surveillance aircraft/attackers/bombers" task, it is crucial to constantly evade the turrets. If it is a bomber/attacker with decent defensive firepower or robust protection, then you might want to disengage after some attempts if you don't want to die. Pay special attention to any plane equipped with M2 Browning MG, they can critically damage the Ki-84 especially on the engine, fuel tanks, and pilot which can always lead to a later crash. Before attacking try to get an altitude advantage and perform deflection shots. To maximise the damage it is better to aim for their wings and engines, as the fuselage usually soaks up quite some bullets. Only fire when the bomber passes in front of your guns. This short window is not enough to cripple a twin-engine aircraft given the slow velocity, light projectiles and low one-second burst mass. However sometimes it only takes one bullet to set the target aflame. DO NOT follow behind a bomber's 6 unless you are sure that its tail gunners are unconscious. Chasing behind a bomber makes yourself pretty much stationary for the tail gunners, and you will be showered with bullets.

For ground pounding, the best loadout is the 2 x 250 kg bombs. With an extra 500 kg of weight attached outside, the Ki-84 handles much clumsier during take offs, especially on the roll axis. Longer distance is needed before lifting off. It is quite easy to drop bombs accurately with a Ki-84 because this aircraft is able to quickly accelerate above 550 km/h in a dive, the bombs will travel an almost straight line towards the target, therefore you can aim the gunsight directly at the target and expect the bombs to land very close. After bombs away, immediately pull up. The 2 MGs perform well in killing trucks, AA guns and artilleries as they have plenty of ammo, but avoid wasting cannon shells. However, constantly watch your surrounding, especially your high 6 for any incoming enemies.

Enemies worth noting:

• Me 264: The Me 264 is armed with large calibre MG and cannons all over it, therefore tailing a 264 is basically suicide unless all of their gunners are knocked out. You can treat the 264 almost like a B-29 or B-17 as they are very similar in both design and defensive capabilities. It is best to head-on the 264 if you can as you can easily knock out the pilots due to its glazed nose while also taking minimal damage. However the bomber lacks a ventral turret on its belly, making it easy to deal damage from below, but be wary of the downwards facing rear 20 mm cannon near the tail. The safest way to attack is from a higher altitude, dive at an oblique angle and focus fire on the wings and nose. Never engage if you have no altitude advantage. Looking somewhat similar to a B-17, an Me 264 has huge back-swept wings with 2 engines on each, and a H-tail which differentiates it from a B-17/B-29.
• Yak-3: this is a capable dogfighter or BnZ fighter that can be a huge threat. Although its firepower is not deadly, it can still critically damage a Ki-84. It is able to fly or dive at similar speeds, and can even engage a turn fight with a Ki-84 that is using takeoff flaps. The Yak-3 has a straight dorsal line housing an inline engine, a bubble canopy with a huge cooling intake sticking out the belly, and its symbolic, triangular wings.
• A6M, Spitfire, etc: If you see these turn fighters on your tail try outrunning them by diving at around -40 degrees. The Ki-84 still remains responsive handling at 600 km/h, but its speed retention is not the best, meaning it will start to lose speed quickly and the enemy might catch up. If you are near a friendly airfield, great. If not, then hope for the best and run towards the friendly side. A Spitfire also has an uncurved dorsal outline and large, elliptical wings. A Zero has a radial engine that's usually painted black, rounded wingtips and stabiliser tips followed by a pointy tail.
• Ju 288 C: this is a very common bomber in air RB. Their tactics generally fall into two styles: shallow dive bombing and conventional climbing. For the ones that shallow dive towards a bomb base at the start of the match, think twice before engaging. The Ju 288 is very fast for a bomber, being able to reach >500 km/h in a shallow dive which makes it quite hard for an attacker to BnZ it, as it will be slow to catch up to it, giving it long enough time to shoot back. The Ki-84 locks up past 550 km/h, plus the mediocre damage, it is best to leave it for heavy-punching teammates. As for the Ju 288 that climb, do not engage if you have no altitude advantage. It has numerous guns with great downward coverage, posing a big threat to the fragile Ki-84.

Manual Engine Control

MEC elements
Mixer	Pitch	Radiator			Supercharger	Turbocharger
		Oil	Water	Type
Controllable	Controllable Not auto controlled	Controllable Not auto controlled	Controllable Not auto controlled	Separate	Controllable 2 gears	Not controllable

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Incredible rate of climb compared to other fighters such as the Ki-61 series and the A7M2
• Effective top speed and energy retention allowing for the effective use of "boom and zoom" tactics
• Great acceleration allowing speed to be regained quickly after duels
• Reasonable performance at high altitude
• Much better dive speed than the earlier Ki-61 series
• Good manoeuvrability at lower speeds
• Jack of all trades: nimble yet quick while having a good degree of energy retention, allows this fighter to hold its own against any fighter that it may encounter
• Good energy retention
• Thanks to its lack of canopy frames, a clear all-round canopy view especially over the nose gives it a huge advantage in simulator.
• Center of mass is behind main landing gears, allowing it to break continuously until it stops. Does not need to worry about propeller strike
• Engine cools down fairly quickly when overheated

Cons:

• Lower maximum dive speed than its American counterparts such as F-82
• The "jack of all trades, master of none" character of this aircraft makes it difficult to play as pilots will need to adapt their play-style to counter specific aircraft that they are facing, subsequently requiring a fair degree of knowledge over the strengths and weaknesses of each aircraft that they will encounter
• Unspectacular weaponry
• Somewhat vulnerable to damage
• Reasonably slow roll-rate causing this fighter to be vulnerable against Japanese fighters or the Fw 190's which are the typical opponents
• Severe lock-up of the rudder above 500 km/h renders dive bombing or high speed boom and zoom less effective
• Elevator locks up at high speeds

History

Describe the history of the creation and combat usage of the aircraft in more detail than in the introduction. If the historical reference turns out to be too long, take it to a separate article, taking a link to the article about the vehicle and adding a block "/History" (example: https://wiki.warthunder.com/(Vehicle-name)/History) and add a link to it here using the main template. Be sure to reference text and sources by using <ref></ref>, as well as adding them at the end of the article with <references />. This section may also include the vehicle's dev blog entry (if applicable) and the in-game encyclopedia description (under === In-game description ===, also if applicable).

Media

Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.

See also

Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:

• reference to the series of the aircraft;
• links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.

External links

• Official data sheet - more details about the performance