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The Mitsubishi Ki-51 (Army designation "Type 99 Assault Plane"; Allied nickname "Sonia") was a light bomber/dive bomber in service with the Imperial Japanese Army during World War II. It first flew in mid-1939. Initially deployed against Chinese forces, it proved to be too slow to hold up against the fighter aircraft of the other Allied powers. However, it performed a useful ground-attack role in the China-Burma-India theater, notably from airfields too rough for many other aircraft. As the war drew to a close, the Japanese began using them in kamikaze attacks. Total production was around 2,385 units.

Ki-51
Mitsubishi Ki-51
Role	Light bomber/dive bomber Type of aircraft
Manufacturer	Mitsubishi Jukogyo KK
First flight	mid-1939
Primary user	Imperial Japanese Army Air Service
Number built	2,385[1]

On the day Hiroshima was destroyed by an atomic bomb, a single Ki-51 was responsible for the last Japanese sinking of a US warship, sinking USS Bullhead (SS-332) with all hands.

Charles Lindbergh, flying a P-38 Lightning, shot down a Ki-51.[2]

Variants

• Prototypes: two built
• Service trials: 11 built
• Ki-51: 2,372 built (Manufacturers: Mitsubishi (1,462), Tachikawa Army Air Arsenal (913)) until March 1944
• Ki-51A: reconnaissance version.
• Ki-51B: assault version with armor and bomb racks to carry 200 kg (441 lb) of bombs. It could also be fitted with an aerial camera.
• Mansyu Ki-71: three prototypes built by Mansyu with retractable landing gear, did not enter production.[3]

Operators

 Japan

• Imperial Japanese Army Air Force

 Indonesia

• 

  Indonesian Air Force - In late 1945, the Indonesian People's Security Army (TKR) captured some aircraft at Japanese bases, including Bugis Air Base in Malang. Most aircraft were destroyed during the Indonesian National Revolution of 1945–1949. Two Yokosuka K5Y "Cureng", and a Ki-51 "Guntei" carried out a bombing operation against the Dutch on July 29, 1947.

 China

• Communist Chinese (captured): The last 4 of around 100 Ki-51s were retired in 1953.

 Republic of China

 North Korea

• Following independence, transferred from the Soviet Union.

Specifications (Ki-51)

Data from Japanese Aircraft of the Pacific War[4]

General characteristics

• Crew: 2
• Length: 9.21 m (30 ft 3 in)
• Wingspan: 12.1 m (39 ft 8 in)
• Height: 2.73 m (8 ft 11 in)
• Wing area: 24 m² (260 sq ft)
• Empty weight: 1,873 kg (4,129 lb)
• Gross weight: 2,798 kg (6,169 lb)
• Max takeoff weight: 2,920 kg (6,437 lb)
• Powerplant: 1 × Mitsubishi Ha-26-II 14-cylinder air-cooled radial piston engine, 710 kW (950 hp)
• Propellers: 3-bladed variable-pitch propeller

Performance

• Maximum speed: 424 km/h (263 mph, 229 kn) at 3,000 m (9,843 ft)
• Range: 1,060 km (660 mi, 570 nmi)
• Service ceiling: 8,270 m (27,130 ft)
• Time to altitude: 5,000 m (16,404 ft) in 9 minutes 55 seconds
• Wing loading: 117 kg/m² (24 lb/sq ft)
• Power/mass: 0.24 kW/kg (0 hp/lb)

Armament

• Guns:
  
  • 2× fixed, forward-firing 7.7 mm (.303 in) Type 89 machine guns (replaced with 2× 12.7 mm (.5 in) Ho-103 machine guns in later models)
  • 1× 7.7 mm (.303 in) Te-4 Machine gun rearward-firing machine gun.
• Bombs: 200 kg (441 lb) bombs (normal operations); 250 kg (551 lb) for suicide operations[4]

See also

Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era

• Aichi D3A
• Douglas SBD Dauntless
• Ilyushin Il-2
• Junkers Ju 87D
• Kawasaki Ki-32
• Mitsubishi Ki-30

Related lists

• List of military aircraft of Japan

Notes

Bibliography

• Francillon, René J. (1979). Japanese aircraft of the Pacific War. London: Putnam. ISBN 0-370-30251-6. OCLC 6124909. (new edition 1987 by Putnam Aeronautical Books, ISBN 0-85177-801-1.)
• Green, William & Swanborough, Gordon (n.d.). "Pentagon Over the Islands: The Thirty-Year History of Indonesian Military Aviation". Air Enthusiast Quarterly (2): 154–162. ISSN 0143-5450.
• Soumille, Jean-Claude (September 1999). "Les avions japonais aux couleurs françaises" [Japanese Aircraft in French Colors]. Avions: Toute l'Aéronautique et Son Histoire (in French) (78): 6–17. ISSN 1243-8650.

External links

• Mitsubishi Ki 51 Sonia at Warbirds Resource Group
• Mitsubishi Ki 51 Sonia at Pilotfriend

На других языках

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[de] Mitsubishi Ki-51

Die Mitsubishi Ki-51 ist ein japanisches Schlachtflugzeug des Zweiten Weltkrieges. Sie befand sich an allen Kriegsschauplätzen des Pazifikkrieges im Einsatz und wurde zu dessen Ende auch für Kamikaze-Einsätze genutzt. Der alliierte Codename lautet Sonia.

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- [en] Mitsubishi Ki-51

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[fr] Mitsubishi Ki-51

Le Mitsubishi Ki-51 est un bombardier en piqué japonais, dérivé des Ki-15 et Ki-30, conçu par Mitsubishi et qui servit pendant la Seconde Guerre mondiale. Il fut créé en réponse à une demande par l'armée impériale japonaise d'un nouvel appareil d'attaque au sol. La fiche-programme fut émise à la fin de 1937 et le premier prototype commença ses essais en 1939. Le type mis en production sous la désignation de Type 99 Assaut fut mis en production fin 1939 et a commencé à être engagé en 1940 dans le prolongement du conflit entre la Chine et le Japon, avant d'être totalement impliqué dans la guerre du Pacifique à partir de décembre 1941.

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[it] Mitsubishi Ki-51

Il Mitsubishi Ki-51 (三菱 キ51 Mitsubishi ki gojūichi?), identificato anche come Aereo da attacco Tipo 99 (九九式襲撃機 Kyūjūkyū-shiki shūgekiki?), nome in codice alleato Sonia,[2] era un aereo da attacco giapponese della seconda guerra mondiale. Venne impiegato per tutto il conflitto, anche quando la sua pur moderna struttura metallica e la velocità di 425 km/h non erano più sufficienti per assicuragli adeguate possibilità di sopravvivenza in ambienti ostili.

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[ru] Mitsubishi Ki-51

Ki-51 — одномоторный свободнонесущий моноплан цельнометаллической конструкции.

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