KI-21-IA RTAF THAILAND'S HEAVY BOMBER

The Mitsubishi Ki-21 is a Japanese mid-wing, classic tail, metal twin-engine bomber from the Second World War, known under the Allied designation Jane or Sally. The flight of the prototype took place on December 18, 1936, and the entry into service took place in 1938. The plane was created as a result of an order from the Japanese air force for a bomber adapted to operations in large sea areas. The "Type 93" prototype first flew in December 1936. In the first serial version, the aircraft was designated the Ki-21 (Type 97) Model 1, and then the Ki-21 Model 2. It was a modification of the first series. The first combat use of the aircraft took place in China during the Japanese-Chinese War (1937-1940). Later, the planes were used in the Pacific War in air operations and strikes against Hong Kong, the Philippines, Burma and the Dutch East Indies. In 1943, they made a massive raid on Calcutta. In the first phase of the war, Ki-21s operated from numerous bases in Formosa, Okinawa and the Japanese Islands, controlling the East China Sea and much of the open Pacific. At the end of the war, as a result of attacks by the American air force, the Ki-21 squadron suffered enormous losses. Technical data: length: 16m, wingspan: 22.5m, height: 4.85m, maximum speed: 485km / h, rate of climb: 7.6m / s, maximum range: 2700km, maximum ceiling 10000m, armament: fixed - 4 7.7mm type 89 machine guns and 1 12.7mm type 1 machine gun, suspended, up to 1000kg of bombs. instruction-4.pdf