Ki-10-I

Ki-10-I

Ki-10-II

Ki-10-I

Ki-10-II

Japan

I Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
1.0	1.0	1.0

Class:

Fighter

Research:Free

Purchase:Free

Show in game

This page is about the Japanese fighter Ki-10-I. For other uses, see Ki-10 (Family).

Description

The Ki-10-I is a rank I Japanese fighter with a battle rating of 1.0 (AB/RB/SB). It has been in the game since the start of the Open Beta Test prior to Update 1.27.

The Ki-10-I is a reserve biplane fighter for rank I Japan. Like most biplanes, the Ki-10-I has a low top speed, good turn rate, fair climbing ability, nearly no armour, and, in Realistic and Simulator battles, a ridiculously short take-off length. Compared to other biplanes, the Ki-10-I is faster and climbs far better, but in return, has inferior armament and armour.

The Ki-10-I's low speed and tight turning ability make it a great turn-fighter, like most Japanese light fighters. The Ki-10-I excels at low and slow turn fighting at very low altitudes where enemies cannot out-dive it. Additionally, it has a climb rate to climb away from enemy biplanes. Turning stalls should be avoided, as the Ki-10-I has a tendency to enter uncontrollable spins.

Its twin 7.7 mm armament is the weakest in the game, as it has a lower fire rate than its contemporaries, the ShKAS, Browning, and MG 17. The belts are poor as well; Stealth is most recommended, as it has the most AP-derivative shells. Strafing attacks on all but the least armoured targets are not recommended; Artillery, Vehicles, and Landing Craft are good and soft targets, while the Ki-10-I's weak construction makes attacking AAA and bombers risky. All bombers are pretty much invulnerable to the Ki-10-I (Beaufort, PBY-5, etc.) unless you are extremely good at making consistent pilot shots. Cargo Ships, Tanks and pillboxes are also invulnerable to the Ki-10-I. Instead, the best Ki-10-I targets are other biplanes or slow monoplanes, such as P-26's, Fury Mk I's or Nimrod Mk I's. AIM FOR THE WINGS! The fuselages of all planes will absorb your shells like a sponge. Like most other planes, the Ki-10-I works best in numbers. Ki-10 pilots should focus primarily on sticking together and working as a team.

General info

Flight performance

Characteristics	Max Speed (km/h at 4,000 m)		Max altitude (metres)	Turn time (seconds)		Rate of climb (metres/second)		Take-off run (metres)
	AB	RB		AB	RB	AB	RB
Stock	386	373	8100	16.4	17.2	10.9	10.9	232
Upgraded	422	402		15.8	16.0	22.2	15.7

Details

Features
Combat flaps	Take-off flaps	Landing flaps	Air brakes	Arrestor gear
X	X	X	X	X

Limits
Wings (km/h)	Gear (km/h)	Flaps (km/h)			Max Static G
		Combat	Take-off	Landing	+	-
600	560	N/A	N/A	N/A	~11	~6

Optimal velocities (km/h)
Ailerons	Rudder	Elevators	Radiator
< 280	< 350	< 320	> 190

Compressor (RB/SB)
Setting 1
Optimal altitude	100% Engine power	WEP Engine power
3,500 m	800 hp	944 hp

Survivability and armour

• No armour plating
• No armour glazing
• All critical components located in front of aircraft (fuel, pilot, engine, controls)

Like many biplanes before and contemporaries of the Ki-10-I, armour was not an option, survival was based on the pilot's grit. Armour added weight, weight the early biplanes could not afford to carry and still be a viable fighter. Flying in open cockpit and fabric-covered aircraft, the only protection the pilot had was to place his engine between him and his enemy, otherwise, the pilot was vulnerable. Typically aircraft like this have the engine at the nose of the aircraft, followed by the fuel tank and then the cockpit, all three critical components relatively crammed together. The pilot's toolbox had to contain situational awareness as he needed to know where the enemy was around him. Tracer rounds could easily ignite the fabric-covered aircraft or large fuel tanks, so it was imperative the pilot was the attacker, not the one being attacked and knowing where the enemies are at can help avoid getting shot at.

Armaments

Offensive armament

The Ki-10-I is armed with:

• 2 x 7.7 mm Type 89 machine guns, nose-mounted (450 rpg = 900 total)

Usage in battles

The Ki-10-I's low speed and tight turning ability make it a great turn-fighter, like most Japanese light fighters. The Ki-10-I excels at low and slow turn fighting at very low altitudes where enemies cannot out-dive it. Additionally, it has a climb rate to climb away from enemy biplanes. Very fast dives should be avoided, as the wings will shear off at very high speeds. Similarly, turning stalls should be avoided, as the Ki-10-I has a tendency to enter uncontrollable spins.

Its twin 7.7 mm armament is the weakest in the game, as it has a lower fire rate than its contemporaries, the ShKAS, Browning, and MG 17. The belts are poor as well; Stealth is most recommended, as it has the most AP-derivative shells. Strafing attacks on all but the least armoured targets are not recommended; Artillery, Vehicles, and Landing Craft are good and soft targets, while the Ki-10-I's weak construction makes attacking AAA and bombers risky. All bombers are pretty much invulnerable to the Ki-10-I (Beaufort, A-26, etc.) unless you are extremely good at making consistent pilot shots. Cargo Ships, Tanks and pillboxes are also invulnerable to the Ki-10-II. Instead, the best Ki-10-I targets are other biplanes or slow monoplanes, such as P-26s, Fury Mk Is or Nimrod Mk Is. The best practice is to aim for the wings! The fuselage's of all planes will absorb your shells like a sponge. Like most other planes, the Ki-10-I works best in numbers. Ki-10 pilots should focus primarily on sticking together and working as a team.

Manual Engine Control

MEC elements
Mixer	Pitch	Radiator			Supercharger	Turbocharger
		Oil	Water	Type
Not controllable	Not controllable Not auto controlled	Not controllable Not auto controlled	Controllable Not auto controlled	Combined	Not controllable 1 gear	Not controllable

Modules

Tier	Flight performance		Survivability	Weaponry
I	Fuselage repair	Radiator		Offensive 7 mm
II		Compressor	Airframe
III	Wings repair	Engine		New 7 mm MGs
IV		Engine injection	Cover

• For such low tier vehicles the order of research does not really matter. Improvements in firepower by new belts and new machine guns help a lot in arcade battles. For realistic mode, performance upgrades are more often necessary.

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Good manoeuvrability
• Low stall speed
• Fast top speed (for a biplane)
• Great climb rate (for a biplane or monoplane)
• Great roll rate

Cons:

• Weak armour
• Poor diving ability
• Poor spin characteristics
• Poor high-alt performance
• Abysmal armament
• Wings are terribly weak
• Poor brakes

History

The Kawasaki Ki-10 was the last Biplane fighter used by the Japanese Army. Introduced in 1935, it beat the competing Nakajima Ki-11 (which would later be refined as the Ki-27) as the Imperial Japanese Army Air Force placed more priority on manoeuvrability than speed. Its excellent manoeuvrability made it extremely popular with Japanese pilots, who demanded similar high manoeuvrability from newer aircraft. Over the course of its service, the fighter would be refined several times with the ultimate version, the Ki-10-II, appearing in 1937.

The Ki-10 saw service against Chinese air forces in the early stages of the Second Sino-Japanese War and against Soviet air forces during the battles of Khalkhin Gol (where it historically outperformed the Soviet I-15). It formed the backbone of the IJAAF fighter forces until 1940, but it was considered obsolete by Western military experts as early as 1938. By the start of the Pacific War, the Ki-10 had been relegated to training and courier roles, and received the Allied reporting name "Perry".

There are no known incidents where the Ki-10 engaged American- or British-crewed aircraft, though the Japanese fighter did fight Chinese National P-26s, and may have engaged British-built Gladiators, Italian CR.32s, and Soviet I-15's, all crewed by Chinese pilots, during the early battles of the war.

In-game description

Kawasaki Ki-10-I (Type 95-I, Allied reporting name: Perry) single-engine army fighter

A biplane of composite structure with non-retractable landing gear and an open cockpit. This plane was created in the design bureau of Kawasaki Heavy Industries under the direction of Takeo Doi. While the new fighter was being designed, experience and structural solutions were used from the Ki-5 monoplane fighter developed earlier.

The designers, headed by Takeo Doi, managed to create quite a successful aircraft with good flight performance. The Type 95 fighter got off the ground for the first time in February 1935, and it reached a maximum speed of 400 km/h during tests. At the time, this was probably the fastest speed attainable by a biplane.

The aircraft was launched into full-scale production under the designation of "Army Fighter Type 95 Model 1" (Ki-10-I). A total of 300 fighters of this variant were supplied by the Kawasaki company from December 1935 to October 1937.

The aircraft was equipped with a 850 hp Kawasaki Ha-9-IIa twelve-cylinder, double-row, liquid-cooled engine that featured a gear-driven centrifugal-type supercharger and a three-bladed, controllable-pitch metal propeller. The engine itself was a licensed version of the German BMW9.

The Ki-10's fuselage was a semi-monocoque with stressed duralumin skin panels overlapping each other. This technology made assembly easier, but the joints had to be puttied and covered with a thick layer of paint and lacquer to reduce friction resistance. As a result, the external finish was so thick that one could not see any of the duralumin sheets' joints, even when standing quite close.

All of these machines were produced with drop-shaped wheel fairings, but these were usually removed when the plane was operated on temporary airfields.

The plane's armament consisted of two synchronous 7.7 mm Type 89 (Vickers system, heavily upgraded) machine guns with 450 rounds each. These guns were mounted over the engine. The trigger button was placed in a very original location, not on the aircraft control stick but on the throttle.

The aircraft's instrumentation and on-board navigation lights enabled the Ki-10 to perform night flights. Provision was made for the installation of an oxygen apparatus. Command vehicles were equipped with radio sets. Externally, these fighters could be identified by the radio antennas mounted over their biplane cellules.

Media

Skins

• Skins and camouflages for the Ki-10-I from live.warthunder.com.

Videos

The Shooting Range #48 - Pages of History section at 04:36 discusses the Ki-10.

See also

Related development

• Ki-10-I Commander - Command plane of the 1st Sentai
• Ki-10-II
• Ki-10-II Commander - Command plane of the 77th Sentai

Planes of comparable role, configuration and era

• I-15
• He 51
• CR.32
• D.371
• Fury

External links

• [HistoryOfWar.org] Kawasaki Ki-10 'Perry'
• [Håkans aviation page] Ki-10
• [Wikipedia] Kawasaki Ki-10