FB27 IJN 9-SHI EXPERIMENTAL SINGLE-SEATED FIGHTER MITSUBISHI KA-14

The Mitsubishi Ka-14 was a Japanese prototype in-flight fighter from the interwar period. All six prototypes of this machine were built in 1935. The drive - in the first one - was provided by a single Nakajima Kotobuki 5 engine with a capacity of 600 HP, and in the last three - by a Hikari 1 engine with a capacity of 800 HP. The fighter was 7.76 meters long with a wingspan of 11 meters. Mitsubishi Ka-14 was developed for the needs of the Imperial Japanese Navy, which in the mid-1930s sought to obtain a new in-flight fighter with very high performance - especially with high maximum speed and rate of climb. The first prototype of the Ka-14 was characterized by an all-metal structure, a fixed landing gear and elliptical wings in the so-called inverted seagull. Initially, the plane did not meet the requirements set for it, but after changing the power unit and minor aerodynamics corrections, it more than achieved them. Finally, after further changes aimed at achieving the best maneuverability, the machine entered production under the designation A5M.