Ki-84 otsu

Ki-84 otsu

Ki-84 ko

Ki-84 hei

Ki-84 otsu

Ki-84 ko

Ki-84 hei

Japan

IV Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
6.7	5.7	6.0

Class:

Fighter

Research:31 000

Purchase:200 000

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This page is about the Japanese fighter Ki-84 otsu. For other versions, see Ki-84 (Family).

Description

The Ki-84 otsu Hayate is a rank IV Japanese fighter with a battle rating of 6.7 (AB), 5.7 (RB), and 6.0 (SB). It was introduced in Update 1.37.

General info

Flight performance

The Ki-84 Otsu is a very stable platform that can easily compete with its contemporaries at the tier. It has an excellent top speed and acceleration for a Japanese aircraft, but is still quite a bit lacking when compared to aircraft like the late 109's, Ta 152, Bearcat, P-51H, and the Griffon Spitfires. However, its most powerful trait is its excellent manoeuvrability. The Ki-84 will be able to outturn anything it faces with the usage of combat flaps that's not a Spitfire or Re.2005 (with the exception of other Japanese fighters like the A6M5). Overall it is an enjoyable aircraft to fly due to its excellent manoeuvrability, competitive top speed and acceleration, and smooth controls, but the pilot must take care at speeds above 630 km/h as the aircraft will stiffen up considerably.

Characteristics	Max Speed (km/h at 6,000 m)		Max altitude (meters)	Turn time (seconds)		Rate of climb (meters/second)		Take-off run (meters)
	AB	RB		AB	RB	AB	RB
Stock	668	651	13000	20.2	20.8	14.2		421
Upgraded	717	692		19.1	19.4	22.6	17.9

Details

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

Limits
Wings (km/h)	Gear (km/h)	Flaps (km/h)			Max Static G
		Combat	Take-off	Landing	+	-
		500	380	280	~13	~9

Optimal velocities (km/h)
Ailerons	Rudder	Elevators	Radiator
< 400	< 480	< 430	> 324

Compressor	Optimal altitude	100% Engine power	WEP Engine power
Setting 1	2,000 m	1,875 hp	2,100 hp
Setting 2	5,300 m	1,675 hp	1,876 hp

Survivability and armour

• 13 mm steel backrest
• 6 mm steel headrest
• 70 mm bulletproof windshield, sloped

Armaments

Offensive armament

The Ki-84 otsu is armed with:

• 2 x 20 mm Ho-5 cannons, nose-mounted (150 rpg = 300 total)
• 2 x 20 mm Ho-5 cannons, wing-mounted (150 rpg = 300 total)

The Ho-5's are very volatile weapons when approached from a beginner's standpoint. Their reasonably high rate of fire combined with lower than average muzzle velocity and poor HE round makes it so that one must be fairly close to deal significant damage. Fortunately, they are quite accurate and do not jam as badly as its competitors such as the Hispano Mk.II/Mk.V and do not perform as badly as the Russian ShVAK. Your belt of choice should be Universal or Tracers, with Tracers dealing the most consistent damage and being easier to aim due to not having to deal with the velocity difference between the HE shell and the Tracer shell.

Suspended armament

The Ki-84 otsu can be outfitted with the following ordnance:

• Without load
• 2 x 50 kg Army Type 94 GPHE bombs (100 kg total)
• 2 x 250 kg Army Type 92 GPHE bombs (500 kg total)

Usage in battles

The Otsu modification is the middle child of the Ki-84 family, dropping the 12.7 mm heavy machine guns from the previous model in favour of two additional Ho-5 20 mm cannons, boosting firepower considerably. It retains the same strengths and weaknesses of said previous model. Equipped with a 2,000 HP engine, this aircraft's performance is on par with that of the legendary P-51 Mustang. However, unlike the Mustang, the Ki-84 has solid turning characteristics and excellent climb rate thanks to its lighter weight. This being said, the Ki-84 also has good energy retention, so try to make your opponent bleed energy to have an edge. The Ki-84 was also one of the first mass-produced Japanese aircraft to come equipped with armoured glass, armour plates and self-sealing fuel tanks, but the armour is still lacklustre compared to its Russian and American counterparts. However, as always, not everything is perfect. The aircraft controls stiffen significantly at speeds above 630 km/h, making even slight adjustments to heading impossible. Thus, at higher speeds, its elevator suffers. The Ki-84 also suffers a lot when no modules are researched, making the aircraft almost useless until modifications are unlocked.

This aircraft should be played as it appears: a lightweight Japanese version of the Mustang, retaining good engine performance, decent climb-rate, high diving performance and relatively lacklustre armament, although fairly improved from the previous model.

A Ki-84 Otsu shredding a Hellcat's wing

Unfortunately, the increased firepower comes at the cost of a higher battle rating, especially so in Arcade Battles. While a 0.3 BR increase in Realistic Battles isn't that bad on the surface, it allows you to face vastly superior aircraft such as the F8F-1B, Spitfire F Mk 24 and P-51H-5-NA that outclass you in almost every way. In arcade, the BR increase is a lot less subtle, a whole 1.3 BR increase to be precise. This increase causes the aircraft to occasionally be up-tiered into 7.0 matches with jet aircraft that will walk all over the poor Ki-84. Fortunately for the Hayate, it retains its advantage of excellent engine power - and by extension, top speed, climb rate and energy retention - and superb manoeuvrability that can turn with nearly every aircraft at the tier. While the Ko modification of the aircraft was brutal to play efficiently, the Otsu is a lot more forgiving, but can still wreak havoc in the hands of a skilled pilot.

Flying Styles

The Ki-84 Otsu is an aircraft that can tailor to any form of dogfighting its pilot can dream of. Its high top speed, decent acceleration, excellent manoeuvrability, great climb rate, and superb energy retention create a very stable platform when used properly, and a skilled Ki-84 pilot can single-handedly dictate the flow of the battle.

Basic Combat

The excellent energy retention combined with fantastic manoeuvrability allow the Ki-84 to be a very solid energy fighter that can easily compete with the 109's and the various Italian fighters at its tier. Ideally you should make use of the Vertical spiral or Zoom manoeuvre to bleed your prey's energy then pounce while they're recovering. Do take care to avoid roll-intensive manoeuvres such as scissors or lag rolls, as the Ki-84 has a mediocre roll rate that only gets worse with speed as a result of its severe compression.

Of course due to being a Japanese fighter, the naturally excellent raw manoeuvrability of the Hayate allows it to be a more than capable classic dogfighter who specializes in Turn-N-Burn tactics that can easily get on a bandit's tail. However it is noteworthy than the aircraft can struggle to regain its energy once it has bled it by turn-fighting, so avoid flat turns and go for climbing and diving turns instead so as to quickly regain its advantages.

Defensive Flying

Of course, there are scenarios where the Ki-84's pilot will have to go on the defensive. The aircraft cannot afford to take many hits, so avoiding as many shots as possible is mandatory for your survival. Defensive energy manoeuvres such as the Immelmann, Defensive spiral and the various Yo-Yo's should be your first choice when being attacked. If an enemy is diving on you, try to force an overshoot with your excellent manoeuvrability and engage while the enemy is zoom-climbing.

Manual Engine Control

MEC elements
Mixer	Pitch	Radiator			Supercharger	Turbocharger
		Oil	Water	Type
Controllable	Controllable Not auto controlled	Controllable Not auto controlled	Controllable Not auto controlled	Separate	Controllable 2 gears	Not controllable

Modules

Tier	Flight performance		Survivability	Weaponry
I	Fuselage repair	Radiator			9 in (mod23)
II		Compressor	Airframe	Offensive 20 mm
III	Wings repair	Engine			12 in (mod27)
IV		Engine injection	Cover	New 20 mm cannons

Performance should be your main focus when upgrading the aircraft, as it can be very difficult to compete with others when stock.

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Excellent manoeuvrability, among the best in its rank
• Competitive speed and acceleration
• Reasonably powerful armament with a decent amount of ammo
• One of the most underestimated aircraft at the rank
• Above-average climbing rate
• Very forgiving and enjoyable to fly
• Solid roll rate at medium and low speeds

Cons:

• Weak airframe that is prone to fires
• Severe compression beyond 630 km/h
• Ho-5 cannons have a tendency to spark
• Can face jets in an up-tier

History

The design of the Ki-84 traces back to late 1942 when Nakajima accepted an order by the IJAAF to create an improved aircraft to replace the Ki-43 Hayabusa that was just entering service, with the requirement asking for a fast, nimble, simple but universal aircraft so that the Japanese could ease the stress on their factories. Nakajima used several elements from their previous designs - The Ki-44 Shoki and the Ki-43 Hayabusa - and took pilot complaints from said aircraft and worked on addressing them with the new aircraft, specifically the poor speed, climb rate, acceleration and weak airframe of the Ki-43 and the weak armament and flying difficulty of the Ki-44.

The Ki-43's performance issues was remedied by increasing the overall parameters of the aircraft and introducing the legendary Homare 18-cylinder radial engine that Nakajima themselves designed. The Homare proved to take a toll on the airframe so the tail was lengthened and the wooden 3-bladed propeller was replaced by a 4-bladed constant speed metal propeller to help deal with the torque and power the engine provided. However, this propeller was frustrating to work with as the 12.7 mm Ho-103's proved to be quite difficult to synchronize. Two Ho-5 20 mm cannons were mounted in the wings to remedy the weak armaments of the Ki-44 and Ki-43, and the small size of the cannon allowed them to be mounted in the nose later on in its life.

The new aircraft first took flight in 1943 and proved to be better than almost any aircraft in service with the Japanese at the time, reaching nearly 500 mph/800 kmh in a dive and 387 mph at tree-top level, and was quickly approved for service under the designation "Ki-84 Hayate". However, the increasing deterioration of the Japanese economy and depletion of resources resulted in many defects, with the engine providing less power than intended and the landing gear being susceptible to breaking on landing due to the lack of steel to properly maintain them. Japan was also having manpower problems that resulted in a lack of skilled pilots that could bring out the best in the aircraft.

Regardless of these problems, the Ki-84 proved to be an excellent aircraft that gained the respect of both its pilots and enemies, with USA stating that it was likely the best aircraft Japan had made and Japanese pilots found it relatively easy to fly, maintain and control.

Media

Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.

See also

• Ki-84 (Family)
• N1K (Family): similar IJN aircraft

External links

• [WT LIVE] Historically accurate Ki-84 camouflage used by the famed 47th Sentai
• [WT LIVE] Bare metal historically accurate Ki-84 camouflage