While there were better, more advanced Japanese Navy and Army fighter planes of 1944-45, the 1942 Nakajima Ki-44 Shoki, aka, "Tojo", has a special place in my estimation. For its time period, military aviation historians describe the Ki-44 as matching the standards of contemporary Allied fighter planes. The Ki-44 Shoki could reach 376mph, faster than all early 1942 Allied fighter planes except the P-38 Lightning. The Shoki also possessed diving speed due to its stronger structural rigidity. It sacrificed maneuverability for speed as an interceptor, but only by Japanese standards. To the Allies, the Shoki was maneuverable enough. The Shoki's main drawback was its light armament of only four, 12.9mm heavy machine guns, perhaps adequate for 1942 going into 43 but definitely insufficient for 1944-45. The Japanese Army Air Force at first believed only experienced fighter pilots could master the Ki-44 due to its higher performance and higher landing speed. But experience showed that novice Japanese Army pilots, who had no preconceived notions of any fighter plane, could master the Shoki as they were not yet used to one type of fighter aircraft. Still, the Japanese Army Air Force placed greater emphasis on maneuverability like the Japanese Navy Air Force, and thus contracted for far more Nakajima Ki-43 Hayabusa light fighter planes, aka, "Oscar", by the Allies. The Ki-43 carried even less armament of only two, 12.7mm heavy machine guns. Something like only 1,200 Shokis were ever manufactured. The surviving Ki-44 Shokis shouldered on to the bitter end, as Japan homeland air defense interceptors vainly struggling to reach the high-flying B-29 Superfortress bombers. Military aviation historians today are of the opinion that the Japanese Army Air Force should have invested far more in the higher performance Ki-44 than the lighter, slower, less-armed, but highly maneuverable Ki-43 Hayabusa. The K-i-44 was better suited for air-to-air combat against Allied fighter planes.
While there were better, more advanced Japanese Navy and Army fighter planes of 1944-45, the 1942 Nakajima Ki-44 Shoki, aka, "Tojo", has a special place in my estimation.
For its time period, military aviation historians describe the Ki-44 as matching the standards of contemporary Allied fighter planes. The Ki-44 Shoki could reach 376mph, faster than all early 1942 Allied fighter planes except the P-38 Lightning. The Shoki also possessed diving speed due to its stronger structural rigidity. It sacrificed maneuverability for speed as an interceptor, but only by Japanese standards. To the Allies, the Shoki was maneuverable enough.
The Shoki's main drawback was its light armament of only four, 12.9mm heavy machine guns, perhaps adequate for 1942 going into 43 but definitely insufficient for 1944-45.
The Japanese Army Air Force at first believed only experienced fighter pilots could master the Ki-44 due to its higher performance and higher landing speed. But experience showed that novice Japanese Army pilots, who had no preconceived notions of any fighter plane, could master the Shoki as they were not yet used to one type of fighter aircraft.
Still, the Japanese Army Air Force placed greater emphasis on maneuverability like the Japanese Navy Air Force, and thus contracted for far more Nakajima Ki-43 Hayabusa light fighter planes, aka, "Oscar", by the Allies. The Ki-43 carried even less armament of only two, 12.7mm heavy machine guns.
Something like only 1,200 Shokis were ever manufactured. The surviving Ki-44 Shokis shouldered on to the bitter end, as Japan homeland air defense interceptors vainly struggling to reach the high-flying B-29 Superfortress bombers.
Military aviation historians today are of the opinion that the Japanese Army Air Force should have invested far more in the higher performance Ki-44 than the lighter, slower, less-armed, but highly maneuverable Ki-43 Hayabusa. The K-i-44 was better suited for air-to-air combat against Allied fighter planes.
Keep on trying.