When the Nakajima Ki-27 was offically adopted by the Imperial Japanese Army (IJA) in December 1937, an Army contract was already in the works with Nakajima to begin design and prototype construction for a '' next generation '' fighter wich would be called the Ki-43. When the finished prototype was tested in December 1938, it was something of a disappointment in overall performance. While the top speed of the new type exceeded that of the Ki-27 by 30lm/h, there was a significant drop in maneuverability compared with the earlier fixed landing gear fighter. Going back to the drawing boards, Nakajima`s engineers experimented with changes in wing surface area and powerplants in three basic prototype configurations ( with 10 more '' standby '' aircraft also constructed) in a design reform process lasting until September 1940. The results, however, were still not good enough to convince the dogfighting obsessed Army Air brass of the type`s worth. Hope appeared for the type, however, when Army planners realized the need for long range figters to participate in the upcoming Singapore campaign and began to take another look at the previously marked-off Ki-43 as a possible candidate to fit the bill. Further improvements on maneuverability were demonstrated by a prototype tested in April 1941, and cruising range specs were passed with flying colors. The type was formally adopted by the IJA in May 1941 as the Type 1 Fighter. From June through August of that year, approximately thirty Type Model 1 aircraft were assigned to the 59th Fighter Group. Most of the Model 1 planes were sent to Burma, where they made a significant contribution to the swift advances of IJA campaign in there. With a new Ha115 engine and refined airframe the upgraded Model II went on to become the KI-43 '' Oscar '' most familar to early war Allied aviators, proving more than a match for their outdated Buffalos, Hurricanes and P-40s. However, later Allied types such as the Spitfire an P-38 turned the tables on the Ki-43 pretty much from early 1943`on. Despite this turn of events, the IJA continued to rely on the Ki-43 as its main fighter tye right up until the end of the war, more than anything because of the type`s efficiency and relatively simple manintenance requirements.
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- 48th Air Group, flown by Maj Masao Matsuo, zomer 1944, China
- 64th Air Group, 2nd Squadron, Burma
