Nakajima
Ki-49 Donryu - 'Helen'
Ki-49 was designed to an
Army specification of 1938 as a replacement for the Mitsubishi Ki-21 'Sally'
twin-engined bomber - but it was initially only slightly faster than the
Ki-21, had a poor ceiling and never achieved a significant advance in range
or offensive weapons load, although it was the first Japanese bomber to
carry a 20mm cannon as part of its standard defensive armament. The
1,160 hp Ha-5B engines of the prototype were replaced by the Ha-21 to produce
the Ki-49-I model. 129 were built at Ohta, after whose Donryu (dragon
swallower) shrine the aircraft was named. The production machine
was designated by the Army the 'Type 100' heavy bomber, and given the reporting-name
'Helen' by the Allies.
The Donryu's first mission was a 19 February 1942 raid on Port Darwin in Australia, from a base in New Guinea. The main production model was the better-armed Ki-49-II , 649 of which were built by Nakajima, 50 by Tachikawa and a few by Mansyu in Harbin, Manchuria.
Although used in almost every combat area of the Pacific war, the Donryu was never very successful. Many were destroyed during the Leyte campaign, and by the end of 1944 almost all surviving Donryus were being used in non-combatant roles or as suicide machines, or else - equipped with ASV radar or magnetic-mine detectors - as ocean patrol aircraft.
Three were converted as Ki-58 fighters armed with five 20mm cannon and three 12.7 mm machine-guns. Two were rebuilt as Ki-80 'lead ships' for attacks with fighter-bomber or suicide aircraft. The much more powerful Ki-49-III version never saw action, although six had been built by August 1945.
Origin: Nakajima Hikoki KK
Type: Twin-engined heavy bomber, also escort fighter and maritime patrol aircraft
Engines
(Ki-49-I) Two 1,250 hp Nakajima Ha-41 14-cylinder two-row radials
(Ki-49-II) Two 1,450 hp Nakajima Ha-109-II 14-cylinder two-row
radials
(Ki-49-III) Two 2,500 hp Nakajima Ha-117 18-cylinder two-row radials
Pacific
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Acknowledgments
