The Mitsubishi Ki-2 was a light bomber built for the Imperial Japanese Army Air Service in the 1930s.
Despite its antiquated appearance, the Ki-2 was successfully used in Manchukuo and in North China during the early stages of the Second Sino-Japanese War, in areas where danger from enemy fighter aircraft was minimal.
It was later used in a training role.
The Ki-2 was a low-wing cantilever monoplane with corrugated metal alloy decking, twin fins with rudders, fixed divided landing gear and was powered by two 435 hp (324 kW) Nakajima Kotobuki radial engines.
Maximum speed was 225 km/h (140 mph), normal range 900 km (490 nmi; 560 mi) and maximum take-off weight 4,550 kg (10,030 lb).
Single 7.7 mm (0.303 in) machine guns were mounted in a semi-enclosed nose and dorsal positions, and it could carry a maximum bomb load of 500 kg (1,100 lb).
The Ki-2 was, like its stable mate the Mitsubishi Ki-1, an adaptation of the Junkers S36 first flown in 1927.
Militarized into the Junkers K37 by Junker’s Swedish subsidiary AB Flygindustri at Limhamn near Malmö in Sweden, it was able to reach altitudes unattainable by contemporary fighter aircraft.
However, by 1930 this advantage had been lost due to developments such as the Bristol Bulldog fighter and Junkers was unsuccessful in selling the design.
In 1931, representatives of the Mitsubishi Nainenki K.K. in Japan visited the Limhamn facilities to study some of the military conversions of Junkers aircraft and purchased the sole K37 prototype S-AABP (ex D-1252 S36-prototype) as well as all development papers signing a contract for licensed production.
The K37 prototype was brought to Japan and tested in combat in the Manchurian Incident of 1931, following which the IJAAS authorized Mitsubishi to produce both heavy and light bomber variations.
The Mitsubishi Ki-1 heavy bomber was a much larger new design following only the general arrangement of the K37 and first flew in August 1932.
The Mitsubishi Ki-2 light bomber version, a minimally re-designed K37, flew for the first time in May 1933.
The fuselage was redesigned by Mitsubishi, but the wings were kept largely unchanged, except for additional ailerons.
Mitsubishi built total of 113 aircraft and an additional 13 aircraft were built by Kawasaki Kōkūki Kōgyō KK from 1933-1936.
An up-graded version was produced in quantity as the Ki-2-II (Army Type 93-II Twin-engined Light Bomber), with nose turret and semi-retractable main landing gear and powered by two 559 hp (417 kW) Mitsubishi Ha-8 (Army Type 94 550hp Air Cooled Radial) engines.
Variants
Ki-2-I
Initial production variant, powered by two 435 hp (324 kW) Nakajima Kotobuki radial engines.
Ki-2-II
Final production variant with nose turret and semi-retractable main landing gear, powered by two 559 hp (417 kW) Mitsubishi Ha-8 engines.
Mitsubishi Ohtori
A single de-militarized long-range record-breaking aircraft operated by Asahi Shimbun.
Specifications
(Ki-2-I)
Crew
3
Length
12.6 m (41 ft 4 in)
Wingspan
19.9 m (65 ft 3 in)
Height
4.6 m (15 ft 1 in)
Wing area
56 m2 (600 sq ft)
Empty weight
2,800 kg (6,173 lb)
Gross weight
4,500 kg (9,921 lb)
Powerplant
2 × Nakajima Kotobuki,
9-cylinder air-cooled radial engines,
324 kW (435 hp) each
Propellers
2-bladed wooden fixed pitch propeller
Performance
Maximum speed
225 km/h (140 mph, 121 kn)
Range
900 km (560 mi, 490 nmi)
Service ceiling
7,000 m (23,000 ft)
Armament
Guns
2× to 3× 7.7 mm (0.303 in) machine guns: single
Or
Twin machine guns in the nose turret, one in the dorsal turret
Bombs
300 kg (660 lb) (small run) or 500 kg (1,100 lb) (heavy run) of bombs.
