| Nakajima Ki-43-IIb "Hayabusa" "Oscar" "Army Zero" | |
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| General Historical Information | |
| Place of origin | Japan |
| Speed | 530 km/h |
| Category | Fighter-bomber |
| General Ingame Information | |
| Debut | v0.55 |
| Used by | Japan |
| Guns | 2 x 12.7 mm Type 1 machine gun |
| Bombs | 2 x 250 kg or anti-tank cluster bombs |
| Historical Picture | |
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The Nakajima Ki-43 (Allied reporting name "Oscar") is one of the most famous Japanese fighters of World War II. Like the Mitsubishi A6M "Zero" it was very light and maneuverable and especially during the early stages of the war it proved to be a very successful fighter. Its Japanese nickname is Hayabusa, which means Peregrine falcon. It was nicknamed Army-Zero by allied troops since it was used by the Air Service of the Japanese Army. It was their most common figher aircraft.
As the war progressed and newer Allied aircraft were introduced, the Ki-43 suffered from the same weakness as the A6M Zero: light armor and less-than-effective self-sealing fuel tanks caused high casualties in combat. Its armament of two machine guns also proved inadequate against the more heavily armored Allied aircraft. During the war, the Ki-43 went from two 7.7 mm machine guns like the Ki-27 before it to then replacing one of the machine guns and then both with 12.7 mm ones. However, even towards the end, the Oscar's excellent maneuverability could still gain advantage over rash Allied pilots. Like most Japanese combat types, many Hayabusas were at the end expended in kamikaze raids.
Serial production began in April 1941 and continued throughout the war. With almost 6,000 units the Ki-43 was one of the most produced airplanes by the Japanese in World War II.
The model in FHSW represents the Ki-43-II and is armed with two 12.7 mm machine guns. As a fighter bomber it either has two 250 kg bombs or anti-tank cluster bombs. Like the real plane it is a bit slower than the Zero but more maneuverable.
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