Ki-48-II otsu
Contents
Description
The Ki-48-II otsu is a premium gift rank II Japanese frontline bomber with a battle rating of 2.3 (AB/RB/SB). It was introduced during Update "Sons of Attila" as a reward for the 2023 Tokushu Heiki event. The Ki-48 series of aircraft was an early-war Japanese light bomber, and was used successfully in the war against China. It was used to bomb critical supply lines and Chinese infrastructure during the land invasion of China. Pilots noted the plane for being fast enough to escape interception. The Ki-48-II otsu is currently the only propeller driven aircraft than can carry a guided missile, the Ki-148, and serves as a very unique collectible from the Missile Workshop event. At a BR of 2.3, the enemy tanks you will be facing have little armor, and the Ki-148's warhead with 130kg of TNT will make short work of enemy units. The enemy aircraft at this BR won't be much of a threat when the Ki-48 is in the hands of an experienced pilot. Its high speed allows it to run away from danger, and two gunners in the rear can help pick persistent fighters off of your six.
General info
Flight performance
A very typical Japanese frontline bomber in regards to its flight performance. It is incredibly maneuverable, especially after dispatching the suspended ordnance. It has a low stall speed, and has a comparatively high top speed for its Battle Rating. The Ki-48 has a somewhat sluggish roll rate when using the ailerons alone, so some assistance from the rudder may be required when performing quick turns.
Characteristics | Max speed (km/h at 6,200 m) |
Max altitude (metres) |
Turn time (seconds) |
Rate of climb (metres/second) |
Take-off run (metres) | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
AB | RB | AB | RB | AB | RB | |||
Stock | ___ | ___ | 9300 | __._ | __._ | __._ | __._ | 600 |
Upgraded | 520 | 499 | 27.1 | 28.0 | 14.1 | 10.6 |
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 | + | - | ||
650 | 300 | 428 | 400 | 250 | ~10 | ~3 |
Optimal velocities (km/h) | |||
---|---|---|---|
Ailerons | Rudder | Elevators | Radiator |
< 360 | < 360 | < 360 | > 300 |
Survivability and armour
Examine the survivability of the aircraft. Note how vulnerable the structure is and how secure the pilot is, whether the fuel tanks are armoured, etc. Describe the armour, if there is any, and also mention the vulnerability of other critical aircraft systems.
Modifications and economy
Armaments
Suspended armament
The Ki-48-II otsu can be outfitted with the following ordnance:
- 1 x Ki-148 I-Go Model 1B missile
- 8 x 50 kg Army Type 94 GPHE bombs (400 kg total)
- 4 x 100 kg Army Type 94 GPHE bombs (400 kg total)
Defensive armament
The Ki-48-II otsu is defended by:
- 1 x 7.92 mm Type 98 machine gun, dorsal turret (1,000 rpg)
- 1 x 7.92 mm Type 98 machine gun, ventral turret (675 rpg)
Usage in battles
The Ki-48-II Otsu can be used as a frontline bomber in Air Battles, owing to its high top speed, its exceptional maneuverability (for a bomber), and its small profile. It is able to quickly deliver ordnance to frontline units and dispatch them with ease. However, enemy fighters will make short work of you if they are faster, so it is advisable to flee the area as soon as all ordnance is spent. The Ki-48-II Otsu shines in mixed battles, because of its unique armament capabilities.
In Naval and Ground Battles, the Ki-48-II Otsu has the ability to equip the Ki-148 I-Go Model 1B, a manually-guided cruise missile with 130kg of TNT. Mounted under the fuselage, the missile adds a large amount of weight and drag, meaning that the pilot needs to find a target as quickly as possible to avoid being a target for interception.
Using the Ki-148
One will note that it is rather difficult to control the missile due to its natural tendency to pitch up at its maximum speed. Additionally, the visual control because increasingly difficult as the missile gets farther away from the aircraft. The pilot must keep the line of sight on the missile at all times to ensure it hits the target. This prevents the Ki-48 from taking evasive action whilst guiding the cruise missile. One trick to keeping the line of sight on the missile is to go into the gunner view, hover the crosshair on the target, and direct the missile to the crosshair. Launching the missile is relatively complicated due to the missile being unable to stay in front of the aircraft when dropped at too low of a speed or too high of an angle. Your best bet is to launch the missile less than 2 miles (3.5km) away from the target at speeds exceeding 225mph (375kph) to avoid being the missile lagging behind. If there is anti-air defense up, prioritize targeting it from farther away, to avoid being hit whilst guiding the missile.
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 |
The Ki-48-II Otsu has relatively powerful engines for its weight and Battle Rating. The Instructor usually does a good job of managing the engines, but if need be, the engines have easy controls to learn. The propeller pitch should be kept at 90-100% while on WEP, using 100% for very high speeds and 90% for takeoff and landing speeds. 95% is a happy medium if the pilot wishes to keep it at one setting. The radiators can be kept at a low setting on most maps, at around roughly 10-30%. The supercharger's second gear is only activated at high altitudes exceeding 11,000 feet (roughly 3,250 meters) The mixture is not as important as any of the other controls, but a good rule is to keep it above 60% at all times, and closer to 100% at sea level.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Ability to carry the Ki-148 guided missile at a low rank
- Excellent top speed
- Good handling characteristics
- Wide turret coverage in the rear
- Armor to protect the gunners and pilot
- Self-sealing tanks
- Premium bonuses
- Well detailed cockpit
Cons:
- Weak defensive armament and no guns on the frontal arc
- Unprotected engines
- upper defensive machine gun is modelled as a twin (as on the Ki-32) yet act as a single machine gun, halving it's potential firepower
- Low bomb compacity
- Difficult to use the cruise missile
History
Describe the history of the creation and combat usage of the aircraft in more detail than in the introduction. If the historical reference turns out to be too long, take it to a separate article, taking a link to the article about the vehicle and adding a block "/History" (example: https://wiki.warthunder.com/(Vehicle-name)/History) and add a link to it here using the main
template. Be sure to reference text and sources by using <ref></ref>
, as well as adding them at the end of the article with <references />
. This section may also include the vehicle's dev blog entry (if applicable) and the in-game encyclopedia description (under === In-game description ===
, also if applicable).
Media
Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.
See also
Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:
- reference to the series of the aircraft;
- links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.
External links
Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:
- topic on the official game forum;
- other literature.
Kawasaki Aircraft Industries (川崎航空機工業株式会社) | |
---|---|
Biplane Fighters | Ki-10-I · Ki-10-I C · Ki-10-II · Ki-10-II C |
Fighters | Ki-61-I ko · Ki-61-I otsu · Ki-61-I hei · Tada's Ki-61-I hei · Ki-61-I tei · Ki-61-II Otsu Kai |
Ki-100 · Ki-100-II | |
Interceptors | Ki-45 ko · Ki-45 otsu · Ki-45 hei · Ki-45 tei |
Ki-96 | |
Ki-102 otsu | |
Ki-108 Kai | |
Bombers | Ki-32 |
Ki-48-II otsu | |
Captured | ␗Ki-45 hei/tei · ␗Ki-61-I otsu · ▃Ki-61-Ib |
See also | Kawasaki Shipyard Co. |
Japan bombers | |
---|---|
Navy | |
Carrier-based attack bomber | |
B5N | B5N2 |
B6N | B6N1 · B6N2 · B6N2a |
B7A | B7A2 · B7A2 (Homare 23) |
Carrier-based dive bomber | |
D3A | D3A1 |
D4Y | D4Y1 · D4Y2 · D4Y3 Ko |
Shipboard Observation seaplane | |
F1M | F1M2 |
Land-based Attack bomber | |
G4M | G4M1 |
G5N | G5N1 |
G8N | G8N1 |
Flying boat | |
H6K | H6K4 |
H8K | H8K2 · H8K3 |
Land-based Bomber | |
P1Y | P1Y1 |
Army | |
Light | Ki-32 |
Ki-48-II otsu | |
Heavy | Ki-21-Ia · Ki-21-I hei |
Ki-49-I · Ki-49-IIa · Ki-49-IIb · Ki-49-IIb/L | |
Ki-67-I Ko · Ki-67-I otsu | |
Other countries | ▅B-17E |
Japan premium aircraft | |
---|---|
Fighters | Hagiri's A5M4 · A7He1 · Ki-27 otsu Tachiarai |
Ki-44-II otsu · ▅Bf 109 E-7 · ▅F4U-1A · Ki-100-II · Ki-44-I 34 | |
▅Fw 190 A-5 · A7M1 (NK9H) · Tada's Ki-61-I hei · ▅P-51C-11-NT | |
J2M4 Kai · A6M5 Ko · A6M6c · J2M5 · Ki-87 · J6K1 | |
Twin-engine fighters | Ki-96 |
Jet fighters | F-86F-40 JASDF▅ · T-2 Early · F-4EJ ADTW |
Strike aircraft | ▄AV-8S |
Bombers | Ki-21-I hei · Ki-48-II otsu · H8K3 · B7A2 (Homare 23) · ▅B-17E |