Tachikawa Ki-54

Short description: Japanese trainer aircraft

Ki-54

Tachikawa Ki-54
Role  | Twin-engine advanced crew trainer
Manufacturer  | Tachikawa Aircraft Company Ltd
Designer  | Shinjiro Shinagawa
First flight  | Summer 1940
Introduction  | 1941
Retired  | 1945 (Japan)
1952 (China)
Primary user  | Imperial Japanese Army Air Force
Produced  | 1941-1945
Number built | 1,368

The Tachikawa Ki-54 was a Japanese twin-engine advanced trainer used during World War II. The aircraft was named Hickory by the Allies.

## Contents

* 1 History
* 2 Operators
* 3 Variants
* 4 Surviving aircraft
* 5 Specifications (Ki-54c light transport)
* 6 See also
* 7 References
* 7.1 Notes
* 7.2 Bibliography

## History

The Ki-54 was developed in response to an Imperial Japanese Army requirement for a twin-engine advanced trainer, principally for crew training. The prototype first flew in summer 1940 and, on completing trials, entered production in 1941 as Army Type 1 Advanced Trainer Model A (Ki-54a). The Ki-54a was soon followed by the Ki-54b as Army Type 1 Operations Trainer Model B and Ki-54c as Army Type 1 Transport Model C. The Ki-54b and -c enjoyed successful careers until the end of the war. A few captured aircraft were flown after the war by various users.

## Operators

Japan

* Imperial Japanese Army Air Force used them for training as per their design.

Manchukuo

* Manchukuo Air Force Three were provided by Japan as VIP transports.

China-Nanjing

* Nanjing air force

China

* Republic of China Air Force Nationalist Chinese (captured).

China

* People's Liberation Army Air Force Communist Chinese (captured): Four captured Ki-54s were used, including in 1951 to train the first class of female pilots in China. They were retired in 1952.[citation needed]

Template:Country data French Indochina

* Armée de l'Air At least seven Ki-54 were recovered by the French in French Indochina between 1945 and 1947, after the Japanese surrender.

United Kingdom

* One aircraft operated briefly by No. 273 Squadron RAF during September and October 1945 in French Indochina.[1]

## Variants

* Ki-54a - unarmed pilot trainer
* Ki-54b - armed crew trainer
* Ki-54c - eight-passenger light transport, communications aircraft. Civil designation Y-59.
* Ki-54d - maritime reconnaissance/ASW, carried 8x 60-kg (132-lb) depth charges
* Ki-110 - one prototype Ki-54c of all-wood construction, destroyed in US bombing attack
* Ki-111 - projected fuel tanker (none built)
* Ki-114 - projected fuel tanker of all-wood construction (none built)

## Surviving aircraft

Ki-54 at the Misawa Aviation & Science Museum

* A Ki-54 fuselage is in Australia in storage at the Australian War Museum Annex. It was previously part of a playground at the RAAF Fairbairn base kindergarten.[2][3]
* Another Ki-54 fuselage is stored in China at the Chinese Aviation Museum.[4]
* An unrestored Ki-54 is on display at the Misawa Aviation & Science Museum, Japan, it was found at the bottom of Lake Towada in Aomori Prefecture on 13 August 2010. It was recovered on 5 September 2012[5] and has been restored for display.[6]

## Specifications (Ki-54c light transport)

Data from The Concise Guide to Axis Aircraft of World War II;[7] Japanese Aircraft of the Pacific War[8]

General characteristics

* Crew: 2
* Capacity: 8
* Length: 11.94 m (39 ft 2 in)
* Wingspan: 17.9 m (58 ft 9 in)
* Height: 3.58 m (11 ft 9 in)
* Wing area: 40 m2 (430 sq ft)
* Empty weight: 2,954 kg (6,512 lb)
* Gross weight: 3,897 kg (8,591 lb)
* Powerplant: 2 × Hitachi Ha13a (Army Type 98 450hp Air Cooled Radial) 9-cylinder air-cooled radial piston engine, 380 kW (510 hp) each for take-off

350 kW (470 hp) at 1,700 m (5,600 ft)

* Propellers: 2-bladed metal propeller

Performance

* Maximum speed: 375 km/h (233 mph, 202 kn)
* Cruise speed: 240 km/h (150 mph, 130 kn)
* Range: 960 km (600 mi, 520 nmi)
* Service ceiling: 7,180 m (23,560 ft)
* Wing loading: 97.4 kg/m2 (19.9 lb/sq ft)
* Power/mass: 0.195 kW/kg (0.119 hp/lb)

## See also

Aircraft of comparable role, configuration and era

* Airspeed Oxford
* Avro Anson
* Beech Model 18
* Siebel Si 204

Related lists

* List of aircraft of World War II
* List of military aircraft of Japan

## References

### Notes

1. ↑ Thomas, Andy (July 2008). "Vietnam Prelude". FlyPast (Stamford, Lincolnshire, England: Key Publishing) (324): 70–71.
2. ↑ "Anyone got pics of the AWM Ki-54?". Warbirdz Aviation Photography. http://www.warbirdz.net/forum/showthread.php?t=363.
3. ↑ "Tachikawa Ki-54c 'Hickory' fuselage: 10th Independent Air Brigade, Imperial Japanese Army Air Force". Australian War Memorial. https://www.awm.gov.au/index.php/collection/C966562.
4. ↑ "Aircraft database". April 3, 2016. https://www.lph2o.com/aircraft-database?clearfilters=0&clearordering=0&resetfilters=0.
5. ↑ "旧陸軍の練習機69年ぶり地上に、青森・十和田湖で引き揚げ" (in ja). September 5, 2012. http://blogs.yahoo.co.jp/onikosato/34388065.html.
6. ↑ "旧陸軍練習機、十和田湖で発見…戦時中に墜落" (in ja). August 13, 2010. http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/national/news/20100813-OYT1T00773.htm.
7. ↑ Mondey 1996, p. ?.
8. ↑ Francillon 1979, p. 256.

### Bibliography

* Francillon, René J. (1979). Japanese aircraft of the Pacific War. London: Putnam. ISBN 0-370-30251-6. OCLC 6124909. https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/6124909. (new edition 1987 by Putnam Aeronautical Books, ISBN:0-85177-801-1.)
* Mondey, David (1996). The Concise Guide to Axis Aircraft of World War II. New York: Bounty Books. ISBN 1-85152-966-7.
* Soumille, Jean-Claude (September 1999). "Les avions japonais aux coleurs françaises" (in French). Avions: Toute l'Aéronautique et Son Histoire (78): 6–17. ISSN 1243-8650.

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