| Ki-57 | |
|---|---|
| |
| MC-20-I, with a nickname Asagumo (morning cloud), used by Asahi Shimbun | |
| Role | Transport aircraft Paratroop transport Passenger aircraft
Type of aircraft
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| Manufacturer | Mitsubishi Heavy Industries |
| First flight | August 1940 |
| Introduction | 1942 |
| Primary users | Imperial Japanese Army Air Force Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service Imperial Japanese Airways |
| Produced | 1940–1945 |
| Number built | 406 |
| Developed from | Mitsubishi Ki-21 |
The Mitsubishi Ki-57 was a Japanese passenger transport aircraft, developed from the Ki-21 bomber, during the early 1940s.
In 1938, when the Ki-21 heavy bomber began to enter service with the Imperial Japanese Army, its capability attracted the attention of the Imperial Japanese Airways. In consequence, a civil version was developed and this, generally similar to the Ki-21-I and retaining its powerplant of two 708 kW (950 hp) Nakajima Ha-5 KAI radial engines, differed primarily by having the same wings transferred from a mid- to low-wing configuration and the incorporation of a new fuselage to provide accommodation for up to 11 passengers. This transport version appealed also to the navy, and following the flight of a prototype in August 1940 and subsequent testing, the type was ordered into production for both civil and military use.[1]
This initial production Ki-57-I had the civil and military designations of MC-20-I and Army Type 100 Transport Model 1, respectively. A total of 100 production Ki-57-Is had been built by early 1942, and small numbers of them were transferred for use by the Japanese navy in a transport role, then becoming redesignated L4M1. After the last of the Ki-57s had been delivered production was switched to an improved Ki-57-II, which introduced more powerful 805 kW (1,080 hp) Mitsubishi Ha-102 14-cylinder radial engines installed in redesigned nacelles and, at the same time, incorporated a number of detail refinements and minor equipment changes. Civil and military designations of this version were the MC-20-II and Army Type 100 Transport Model 2, respectively. Only 406 were built before production ended in January 1945. Both versions were covered by the Allied reporting name "Topsy".[2]
Military operators
Japan
ManchukuoCivil operators
Japan Manchukuo
Reorganized National Government of China
Second Philippine Republic
China Japan
Netherlands
Data from Japanese Aircraft of the Pacific War [4]
General characteristics
Performance
Related development
Related lists
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Mitsubishi aircraft
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| Company designations |
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| Imperial Japanese Army early designations |
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| Imperial Japanese Army short designations |
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| Imperial Japanese Navy short designations |
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| World War II Allied reporting names |
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| Japanese Self-Defense Force designations |
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| Company divisions |
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Imperial Japanese Army Air Service aircraft designations
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| 1-50 |
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| 51-100 |
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| 100- |
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| Fighters (A) |
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| Torpedo bombers (B) |
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| Shipboard reconnaissance (C) |
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| Dive bombers (D) |
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| Reconnaissance seaplanes (E) |
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| Observation seaplanes (F) |
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| Land-based bombers (G) |
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| Flying Boats (H) |
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| Land-based Fighters (J) |
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| Trainers (K) |
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| Transports (L) |
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| Special-purpose (M)1 |
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| Floatplane fighters (N) |
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| Land-based bombers (P) |
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| Patrol (Q) |
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| Land-based reconnaissance (R) |
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| Night fighters (S) |
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1 X as second letter is for experimental aircraft or imported technology demonstrators not intended for service, 2 Hyphenated trailing letter (-J, -K, -L, -N or -S) denotes design modified for secondary role, 3 Possibly incorrect designation, but used in many sources | |
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| Aircraft in Japanese service |
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| Foreign aircraft thought to be in Japanese service |
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