Ki-43-III otsu

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Ki-43-III otsu
ki_43_3_otsu.png
Ki-43-III otsu
AB RB SB
4.3 4.0 4.7
Class:
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This page is about the Japanese fighter Ki-43-III otsu. For other versions, see Ki-43 (Family).

Description

GarageImage Ki-43-III otsu.jpg


The Ki-43-III otsu Hayabusa is a rank III Japanese fighter with a battle rating of 4.3 (AB), 4.0 (RB), and 4.7 (SB). It was introduced in Update 1.45 "Steel Generals".

The Ki-43-III otsu starts off as a rank three aircraft in the Japanese Army Air Force line. Like its tier two brethren, it is an extremely manoeuvrable and lightweight aircraft. It has exceptional climb and roll rate making it a fairly hard target to hit in the hands of a skilled player. The trade-off, however, is its extremely fragile nature - a good hit even from a plane equipped with rifle-calibre guns could do some serious damage if one doesn't push the plane to its limits in any of the game modes. On the other hand, the rather modest pair of fuselage-mounted 12.7 mm Ho-103s of the Ki-43-II have been replaced with a pair of the hard-hitting Ho-5 20 mm cannons, which for its battle-rating gives the Hayabusa the power it needs to take down anything it opposes. Like many of the Japanese fighters, dog-fighting is the key to staying alive. By using the combat flaps and throttle in a optimal manner, this aircraft can get behind nearly every opponent it meets in a low to mid altitude dog-fight. With a modest ammo load of 300 rounds, trigger discipline is important here. It is best to get up close (200-500 m is optimal) and then let off several short bursts, firing until the enemy is critically damaged or the plane is destroyed.

General info

Flight performance

Describe how the aircraft behaves in the air. Speed, manoeuvrability, acceleration and allowable loads - these are the most important characteristics of the vehicle.

Characteristics
Stock
Max Speed
(km/h at 5,900 m)
Max altitude
(meters)
Turn time
(seconds)
Rate of climb
(meters/second)
Take-off run
(meters)
AB RB AB RB AB RB
564 546 11000 15.2 16.2 13.9 13.9 200
Upgraded
Max Speed
(km/h at 5,900 m)
Max altitude
(meters)
Turn time
(seconds)
Rate of climb
(meters/second)
Take-off run
(meters)
AB RB AB RB AB RB
626 590 11000 14.8 15.0 26.7 19.2 200

Details

Features
Combat flaps Take-off flaps Landing flaps Air brakes Arrestor gear
X X
Limits
Wing-break speed
(km/h)
Gear limit
(km/h)
Combat flaps
(km/h)
Max Static G
+ -
400 ~10 ~7
Optimal velocities
Ailerons
(km/h)
Rudder
(km/h)
Elevators
(km/h)
Radiator
(km/h)
< 370 < 350 < 450 > 296
Compressor (RB/SB)
Setting 1
Optimal altitude 100% Engine power WEP Engine power
1,800 m 1,280 hp 1,520 hp
Setting 2
Optimal altitude 100% Engine power WEP Engine power
5,300 m 1,185 hp 1,407 hp

Survivability and armour

  • 12 mm Steel plate behind pilot

Armaments

Offensive armament

Main article: Ho-5 army (20 mm)

The Ki-43-III otsu is armed with:

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

Suspended armament

The Ki-43-III otsu can be outfitted with the following ordnance:

  • Without load
  • 2 x 50 kg Army Type 94 GPHE bombs (100 kg total)
  • 2 x 100 kg Army Type 94 GPHE bombs (200 kg total)
  • 2 x 250 kg Army Type 92 GPHE bombs (500 kg total)

Usage in battles

Like the Zeros, the Ki-43 is exceptionally light and manoeuvrable. Unlike the Zeros, the Ki-43 has a ridiculous roll rate making it the closest one can get to playing an arcade-esque plane in RB.

Unfortunately, this comes at a cost. At 4.0 BR the Ki-43 sees primarily American planes which are far faster in both level flight and dive while having significantly better armament. Evading fire becomes difficult when facing planes such as the P-47N-15 which has 8 x M2 Browning .50 cals which are extremely deadly and have a ridiculous volume of fire.

As such, the Ki-43 is almost entirely dependent on siphoning kills from unwary pilots or simple pilot error which makes it quite a difficult plane to play.

Tactics

When using the Ki-43-III otsu, do remember this plane can easily out manoeuvre anything it may face. Do not try to go head on with enemy planes as even a single round can damage your plane.

Specific enemies worth noting

Most Allied opponents at 4.0 BR can outrun the Ki-43 with ease. Most concerning are planes such as the P-47D/N or F4U Corsair, as both planes are over 80 km/h (50 mph) faster on the deck and also possess exceptional .50 cal armament. Use the Ki-43's manoeuvrability to dodge shots and try to slowly drain the energy of your opponent and force mistakes.

When facing the Ki-43-III otsu do remember that it is very manoeuvrable and that it can easily out turn what it faces therefore try to apply Boom & Zoom tactics against a Ki-43-III otsu.

Manual Engine Control

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

Modules

Tier Flight performance Survivability Weaponry
I Fuselage repair Radiator 7 in (mod20)
II Compressor Airframe Offensive 20 mm 10 in (mod24)
III Wings repair Engine 12 in (mod30)
IV Engine injection Cover New 20 mm cannons
  • The stock 20 mm cannon belts are a pain. Research the "Offensive 20 mm belts" fast. Otherwise there is not a lot necessary to upgrade, mainly performance modules. The engine and compressor modules do wonders. Payload unlocks should be considered last. The Ki-43 is a fighter and not a ground attacker like the B7A2.

Pros and cons

Pros:

  • Excellent rate of climb
  • Extremely manoeuvrable
  • Quick roll rate
  • Good armament
  • Decent ammo capacity
  • Easy to fly
  • Low stall speed

Cons:

  • Lightly armoured
  • Can catch fire easily due to the lack of armoured fuel tanks
  • Can feel a bit like a paper airplane handling-wise
  • Extremely slow, at 507 km/h on the deck
  • Poor high-alt performance
  • Energy retention and dive speed is abysmal
  • Wing rips can happen very easily if one performs high speed manoeuvres (~11 G)

History

The Ki-43 was fairing poorly against allied aircraft by 1944. A new version was constructed at an attempt for better performance. The Ki-43-III is very similar to the Ki-43-II except for its engine, which was replaced with the far more powerful Mitsubishi Ha-112-32/42 engine. The aircraft was also fitted with a pair of 20 mm cannons. The last variant of the Ki-43, (the Ki-43-IIIc) was intended to protect mainland japan from B-29s. The war ended before the aircraft could ever be produced.

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;
  • encyclopedia page on the aircraft;
  • other literature.


Japan fighters
Navy 
Carrier-based fighter 
A5M  A5M4 · Hagiri's A5M4
A6M  A6M2 mod. 11 · A6M2 · A6M3 · A6M3 mod. 22 · A6M3 mod. 22Ko · A6M5 · A6M5 Ko · A6M5 otsu · A6M5 Hei · A6M6c
A7He  A7He1*
A7M  A7M1 (NK9H) · A7M2
Land-based Fighter 
J2M  J2M2 · J2M3 · J2M4 Kai · J2M5 · J2M5 (30 mm)
J6K  J6K1
J7W  J7W1
N1K-J  N1K1-Ja · N1K2-J · N1K2-Ja
Fighter seaplane 
N1K  N1K1
A6M-N  A6M2-N
Army 
Ki-10  Ki-10-I · Ki-10-I C · Ki-10-II · Ki-10-II C
Ki-27  Ki-27 otsu · Ki-27 otsu Tachiarai
Ki-43  Ki-43-I · Ki-43-II · Ki-43-III otsu
Ki-44  Ki-44-I · Ki-44-I 34 · Ki-44-II otsu · Ki-44-II hei
Ki-61  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-84  Ki-84 ko · Ki-84 otsu · Ki-84 hei
Ki-87  Ki-87
Ki-94  Ki-94-II
Ki-100  Ki-100 · Ki-100-II
Other countries  ▅F4U-1A · ▅P-51C-11-NT · ▅Bf 109 E-7 · ▅Fw 190 A-5
  *Imported designation of the He 112 (A6M was in development - A7M would take A7 designation after the cancelation of the A7He)