The Nakajima Ki-43 Hayabusa is a Japanese single-engined monoplane fighter developed by Nakajima Aircraft Company. Light and easy to fly, it became legendary for its combat performance in East Asia in the early years of the war. It could outmanoeuvre any opponent, but did not initially have armour or self-sealing fuel tanks, and its armament was poor until its final version, which was produced as late as 1945. In War Thunder, it can be found in the early ranks of the Japanese aviation tech tree, which contains three variants. A Ki-43-III can also be found in the Chinese aviation tech tree. This guide covers all of the Hayabusas in the game given how all of them are played in a similar way.
Pros | Cons |
Excellent agility which can be increased with the use of flaps. | Very fragile airframe. |
Can be used to great avail in mixed battles for both close air support and combat air patrol. | Relatively slow when compared to the opposition. |
Thin airframe paired with agility can make it hard to be hit. | Poor armament. |
Survivability:
The earliest variant of the Ki-43, the Ki-43-I, does not have any armour protection or self-sealing fuel tanks, making it the most fragile of the Hayabusas. This variant must be flown with caution, although the same can be said for the others since the Ki-43 is not a particularly durable airplane.
The Ki-43-II and both variants of the Ki-43-III feature 12 millimetres of steel behind the pilot. It can offer some protection against machine gun fire shot from behind, but autocannons can easily penetrate the steel. Interestingly, the Ki-43-II is the only variant which features self-sealing fuel tanks, making it the Hayabusa with the best odds of surviving a fire.
Overall, the Ki-43 is fragile and should avoid being hit at all costs. Its main weak spots are the wings, which can be easily broken and house the Hayabusa’s fuel tanks, and the engine, which, being a radial one, is relatively easy to hit.
Flight Performance:
The Ki-43 is not a very fast fighter. It is, however, very agile. Enemy aircraft which the Ki-43 encounters are faster, but not as manoeuvrable. For reference, most enemy fighters that the Ki-43s encounter are, on average, 100 km/h faster, meaning that the Hayabusa is, indeed, rather slow for a fighter. The turn time and roll rate, however, are both excellent, while the rate of climb is decent. Overall, the airframe is rather fragile and both the landing gear and flaps can be destroyed by deploying them at speeds above 250 km/h (for the flaps) and 330 km/h (for the landing gear). That being said, using flaps at low speed increases the Ki-43's already superb manoeuvrability, so don’t be afraid to use them.
The latest variants of the Hayabusa may encounter dangerous foes like the P-51D-5, the Bf 109 F-4, the Yak-3 and others. These airplanes have superior speed, but are not as agile. To counter them, resorting to turn fighting or combat near the ground is the best course of action.
Armament:
Each Ki-43 has its own arsenal. The Ki-43-I is equipped with two 7.7 millimetre Type 89 machine guns by default. By unlocking the Otsu modification, it can equip one Type 89 machine gun and one 12.7 millimetre Ho-103 machine gun. Finally, by unlocking the Hei modification, it can equip two Ho-103 machine guns, further increasing its firepower. The quantity of ammunition reduces depending on the modification equipped, but the Hayabusa gains access to better belts such as the Air targets belt, which performs very well against enemy aircraft.
The Ki-43-II is equipped with two Ho-103 machine guns. Unlike the previous variant, this one can not change its main armament. However, this Ki-43 has access to a variety of bombs to attack ground targets. It can be equipped with two 50 kg bombs, two 100 kg bombs or two 250 kg bombs.
The Ki-43-III otsu, found in the Japanese tech tree, replaces the machine guns with two 20 millimetre Ho-5 cannons, giving it formidable firepower, while keeping the bombs found on the Ki-43-II. The Ki-43-III ko, found in the Chinese tech tree, does not possess bombs and kept the Ho-103 machine guns.
Variant | Offensive Weapons | Secondary Weapons |
Ki-43-I | 7.7 mm Type 89 machine gun x2 OR 7.7 mm Type 89 machine gun + 12.7 mm Ho-103 machine gun OR 12.7 mm Ho-103 machine gun x2 | None |
Ki-43-II | 12.7 mm Ho-103 machine gun x2 | 50 kg Army Type 94 GPHE bomb x2 OR 100 kg Army Type 94 GPHE bomb x2 OR 250 kg Army Type 92 GPHE bomb x2 |
Ki-43-III otsu | 20 mm Ho-5 cannon x2 | 50 kg Army Type 94 GPHE bomb x2 OR 100 kg Army Type 94 GPHE bomb x2 OR 250 kg Army Type 92 GPHE bomb x2 |
Ki-43-III ko | 12.7 mm Ho-103 machine gun x2 | None |
Usage In Battles:
The Ki-43 is a small, nimble fighter with excellent agility. The best way to secure victories with the Hayabusa is to take advantage of its turn time and roll rate and engage the enemy in turn fights. The Ki-43's low maximum speed prevents it from catching up with faster opponents, meaning that you have to make sure that your enemy is always within your range. Due to its fragility, the Hayabusa must avoid being hit. Use your manoeuvrability to dodge enemy attacks and get behind them if possible.
Large strike aircraft and bombers, although appetizing, should be avoided most of the time. This is because of your firepower which, despite working well against other small airplanes, is inadequate to shoot down large aircraft. Moreover, such airplanes often have defensive turrets which can pose a serious threat to your fragile fighter.
For mixed battles, in particular ground battles, the Hayabusa is an excellent aircraft. It is recommended to either use the Ki-43-II or the Ki-43-III otsu since both of them can carry bombs. Choose the 250 kg bombs since they are the most effective. After destroying ground targets, you can perform combat air patrol and shoot down enemy airplanes performing close air support. Being an impressive dogfighter, the Ki-43 does well in combat at low altitude, where action often takes place in mixed battles.