Ki-43-III otsu

Ki-43-III otsu

Ki-61-I otsu

Ki-61-I tei

Ki-43-III otsu

Ki-61-I otsu

Ki-61-I tei

Japan

III Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
4.3	4.0	4.7

Class:

Fighter

Research:18 000

Purchase:47 000

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This page is about the aircraft Ki-43-III otsu. For other uses, see Ki-43 (Disambiguation)

Description

The Ki-43-III otsu Hayabusa is a Rank III Japanese figther with a battle rating of 4.3 (AB), 4.0 (RB), and 4.7 (SB). It was introduced in Update 1.45 "Steel Generals".

The Ki-43-III Otsu starts off as a rank three aircraft in the Japanese Army Air Force line. Like its tier two brethren, it is an extremely maneuverable and lightweight aircraft. It has exceptional climb and roll rate making it a fairly hard target to hit in the hands of a skilled player. The trade-off, however, is its extremely fragile nature - a good hit even from a plane equipped with rifle-caliber guns could do some serious damage if one doesn't push the plane to its limits in any of the game modes. On the other hand, the rather modest pair of fuselage-mounted 12.7 mm Ho-3s of the Ki-43-II have been replaced with a pair of the hard-hitting Ho-5 20 mm cannons, which for its battle-rating gives the Hayabusa power it needs to take down anything it opposes. Like many of the Japanese fighters, dog-fighting is the key to staying alive. By using the combat flaps and throttle in a optimal manner, this aircraft can get behind nearly every opponent it meets in a low to mid altitude dog-fight. With a modest ammo load of 300 rounds, trigger discipline is important here. It is best to get up close (500 m-200 m is optimal) and then let off several short bursts, firing until the enemy is critically damaged or the plane is destroyed.

General info

Flight Performance

Characteristics
Stock
Max Speed (km/h at 5,900 m)		Max altitude (meters)	Turn time (seconds)		Rate of climb (meters/second)		Take-off run (meters)
AB	RB		AB	RB	AB	RB
561	546	11000	15.4	16.2	10.9	13.9	200
Upgraded
Max Speed (km/h at 5,900 m)		Max altitude (meters)	Turn time (seconds)		Rate of climb (meters/second)		Take-off run (meters)
AB	RB		AB	RB	AB	RB
?	?	11000	??.?	??.?	??.?	??.?	200

Details

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

Limits
Wing-break speed (km/h)	Gear limit (km/h)	Combat flap (km/h)	Max Static G
			+	-
0	330	480	~16	~12

Optimal velocities
Ailerons (km/h)	Rudder (km/h)	Elevators (km/h)	Radiator (km/h)
< 370	< 350	< 450	> 270

Compressor (RB/SB)
Setting 1
Optimal altitude	100% Engine power	WEP Engine power
2,347 m	1,185 hp	1,410 hp
Setting 2
Optimal altitude	100% Engine power	WEP Engine power
5,639 m	1,085 hp	1,291? hp

Survivability and armour

• 12 mm Steel plate behind pilot

Armaments

Offensive armament

The Ki-43-III otsu is armed with:

• 2 × 20 mm Ho-5 cannons, nose-mounted (150 rpg = 300 total)

Suspended armament

      Main article: Bombs

The Ki-43-III otsu can be outfitted with the following ordinance:

• Without load
• 2 x 50 kg Army Type 94 GPHE bombs (100 kg total)
• 2 x 100 kg Army Type 94 GPHE bombs (200 kg total)
• 2 x 250kg Army Type 92 GPHE bombs (500 kg total)

Usage in the battles

Like the Zeros, the Ki-43 is exceptionally light and maneuverable. Unlike the Zeros, the Ki-43 has a ridiculous roll rate making it the closest one can get to playing an arcade-esque plane in RB.

Unfortunately, this comes at a cost. At 4.0 BR the Ki-43 sees primarily American planes which are far faster in both level flight and dive while having significantly better armament. Evading fire becomes difficult when facing planes such as the P-47N-15 which has 8 x M2 Browning .50 cals which are extremely deadly and have a ridiculous volume of fire.

As such, the Ki-43 is almost entirely dependent on siphoning kills from unwary pilots or simple pilot error which makes it quite a difficult plane to play.

Tactics

When using the Ki-43-III Otsu Hayabusa, do remember this plane can easily out manoeuver anything it may face. Do not try to go head on with enemy planes as a single round can damage your plane.

Specific enemies worth noting

Most Allied opponents at 4.0 BR can outrun the Ki-43 with ease. Most concerning are planes such as the P-47D/N or F4U Corsair, as both planes are over 50 mph faster on the deck and also possess exceptional .50 cal armament. Use the Ki-43's maneuverability to dodge shots and try to slowly drain the energy of your opponent and force mistakes.

When facing the Ki-43-III Otsu Hayabusa do remember that it is very manoeuverable and that it can easily out turn what it faces therefore try to apply Boom & Zoom tactics against a Ki-43-III Otsu Hayabusa.

Manual Engine Control

MEC elements
Mixer	Pitch	Radiator			Supercharger	Turbocharger
		Oil	Water	Type
Controllable	Not controllable	Not controllable	Not controllable	Separate	Not ontrollable	Not controllable

Modules

Tier	Flight performance		Survivability	Weaponry
I	Fuselage Repair	Radiator
II		Compressor	Airframe
III	Wings Repair	Engine
IV		Engine Injection	Cover

• The stock 20 mm cannon belts are a pain. Research the "offensive 20 mm belts" fast. Otherwise there is not a lot necessary to upgrade, mainly performance modules. The engine and compressor modules do wonders. Payload unlocks should be considered last. The Ki-43 is a fighter and not a ground attacker like the B7A2.

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Excellent rate of climb
• Extremely manoeuvrable
• Quick roll rate
• Good armament
• Decent ammo capacity
• Easy to fly
• Low stall speed

Cons:

• Lightly Armoured
• Can catch fire easily due to the lack of armored fuel tanks
• Can feel a bit like a paper airplane handling-wise
• Extremely slow, at 507 kph on the deck
• Poor high-alt performance
• Energy retention and dive speed is abysmal
• Wing rips can happen very easily if one performs high speed maneuvers (~11 G)

History

The Ki-43 was fairing poorly against allied aircraft by 1944. A new version was constructed at an attempt for better performance. The Ki-43-III is very similar to the Ki-43-II except for its engine. It was replaced with the far more powerful Mitsubishi Ha-112-32/42 engine. The aircraft was also fitted with a pair of 20 mm cannons. The last variant of the Ki-43, (the Ki-43-IIIc) was intended to protect main land japan from B-29s. The war ended before the aircraft could ever be produced.

Media

An excellent addition to the article will be video guides, as well as screenshots from the game and photos.

Read 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.

Sources

Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:

• topic on the official game forum;
• page on aircraft encyclopedia;
• other literature.