Ki-57 file photo [13798]

Ki-57

CountryJapan
ManufacturerMitsubishi Heavy Industries
Primary RoleTransport

Contributor:

ww2dbaseDeveloped from the Ki-21 bombers by the Mitsubishi Jukogyo KK Design Team, the Ki-57 transports served in both civilian (under designation of MC-20) and military (as Army Type 100 Transport and Navy L4M1 Transport) roles starting in the early 1940s. While the powerplant of the Ki-57-I variant retained the same as the Ki-21 predecessor design, the wings were lowered on the fuselage, while the fuselage interiors were reconfigured to optimize passenger seating. Production ended in Jan 1945 after 406 were built, 100 of which were of the Ki-57-I variant and 306 were of the Ki-57-II variant. After the war, a number of the captured Ki-57 transports were pressed into service in Nationalist China and in the Dutch East Indies.

ww2dbaseThe Allied codename for Ki-57 transports was Topsy.

ww2dbaseSource: Wikipedia

Last Major Revision: Nov 2011

SPECIFICATIONS

Ki-57-II
MachineryTwo Mitsubishi Ha-102 Zuisei 14-cylinder air-cooled radial engines rated at 1,080hp each
ArmamentNone; accommodations for 11 passengers
Crew4
Span22.60 m
Length16.10 m
Height4.86 m
Wing Area70.08 m²
Weight, Empty5,585 kg
Weight, Loaded8,173 kg
Weight, Maximum9,120 kg
Speed, Maximum470 km/h
Service Ceiling8,000 m
Range, Normal3,000 km

Photographs

Japanese newspaper company Asahi ShimbunJapanese paratroopers boarding a Ki-57 aircraft, 1940sKi-57 aircraft at an airfield, 1940sJapanese MC-20-II civilian transport aircraft at rest, China, 1940s
See all 7 photographs of Ki-57 Transport



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Ki-57 Transport Photo Gallery
Japanese newspaper company Asahi Shimbun
See all 7 photographs of Ki-57 Transport


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