Kawasaki Ki-38 Experimental Two-Seat Twin-Engined Fighter/Ground Attack

Jemiba said:

Thanks for sharing ! Was the 3-engined version intended as a fighter, too ?
May have been the first (and to my knowledge only !) fighter with this layout.
Weapons installation may have been a bit difficult, with the outer wings (as in
the Beaufighter) or the small gap between inner and outer props the only places.

Click to expand...

blackkite said:

It was stimulated by development of twin-engined multi-seat fighter plane which prospered from the middle of the 1930s to the second half in Western countries, and the Japanese army pointed to development of a double seat fighter to Nakajima, Mitsubishi, and Kawasaki in 1937 (Showa 12).
The experimental model of Kawasaki named Ki-38 had completed even the full scale model with the twin-engine plane carrying Ha 9 liquid cooled engine.
However, the plan to the double seat fighter of a Japanese army was not established, but Ki-38 became a development stop at the end of December, 1937.
However, Kawasaki was ordered for a Japanese army to develop the double seat fighter on the basis of Ki-38 as Ki-45.
Perhaps this first poicture shows the wind tunnel test model of Ki-38, because this model has liquid cooling engines. But Japanese text of this picture said that this is Ki-45 wind tunnel test model in September, 1938 as you see. :
Source : Mechanism of Military Aircraft, Kojinsha, 21/11/1999, ISBN4-7698-0915-8 (This book says that this first picture shows Ki-38 wind tunnel test model.)

This book also include three engine type wind tunnel test model of this aircraft. (Nose liquid cooling engine.)

http://www10.ocn.ne.jp/~a6m232/CCP004.html

http://majo44.sakura.ne.jp/planes/ki45/index.html

Click to expand...