Kawasaki Ki-60
| Kawasaki Ki-60 | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| The first of three prototype KI-60s. | |
| Role | Fighter |
| National origin | Japan |
| Manufacturer | Kawasaki Kōkūki Kōgyō K.K. |
| First flight | March 1941 |
| Status | Prototype |
| Number built | 3 |
The Kawasaki Ki-60 was an experimental Japanese World War II fighter aircraft that used a license-built (Kawasaki) DB 601 liquid-cooled engine. This was at that time an unusual choice because the majority of Japanese aircraft at that time used air-cooled radial engines.
The Ki-60 was designed by Takeo Doi and his deputy Shin Owada of Kawasaki Aircraft Industries (川崎航空機工業株式会社 Kawasaki Kōkūki Kōgyō K.K.?) in response to a 1939 Imperial Japanese Army Aviation Bureau requirement for a heavily armed specialised interceptor fighter to be powered by the liquid-cooled Daimler-Benz DB 601 inverted V12 engine, which had been selected for license production by Kawasaki as the Ha-40. The emphasis in the requirements was for a high speed and a good rate of climb, along with a cannon armament. This was a complete change from the usual IJAAF penchant for lightly armed, highly manoeuvrable fighters with lightweight structures, epitomised by the Nakajima Ki-27 and the later Nakajima Ki-43. A requirement was issued at the same time for a lighter, less heavily armed, general-purpose fighter which was to be designed almost in parallel with the Ki-60; this became the Ki-61. Priority was to be given to the Ki-60, design of which started in February 1940.
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