[About Nakajima Ki-43 Type I Fighter "Hayabusa"]



Wikipedia
The Nakajima Ki-43 Type I Fighter "Hayabusa" was a single-engine, single-seat fighter operated by the Japanese Army during World War II. Its code name for the Allied forces was "Oscar".
In 1937, the Type 97 fighter was officially adopted by the Japanese Army. The Type 97 was an excellent fighter with high turning performance, but it was a conservative design with fixed landing gear. Around the same time, new models with retractable legs appeared in Europe, such as the German Bf-109 and the British Spitfire. The Japanese Army ordered Nakajima Aircraft to develop a next-generation fighter with retractable legs.
In 1938, the prototype was completed and made its first flight on December 12. At first, it was considered to have lower dynamic performance than the Type 97 fighter, and the screening process for its adoption was difficult. After improvements were made, it was officially adopted by the Japanese Army as the Type I fighter in 1939.
The design of the Type I fighter basically followed the style of the Type 97 fighter, except for the retractable legs. It was a nimble fighter with two machine guns in the nose.
When the Pacific War broke out, it was deployed in actual combat and achieved great results. It became well known for its performance as the Army's main fighter, and in March 1942 it was given the nickname "Hayabusa" (meaning "Peregrine falcon" in Japanese).
On the other hand, its poor armament was considered a drawback. It had only two 7.7mm machine guns in the nose, and their firepower was poor. The Ki-43-1"Otsu"(Mark 1B) was introduced in the middle of the series, and one of the guns was replaced with a 12.7mm machine gun. Later, the Ki-43-1"Hei"(Mark 1C), with both guns replaced with 12.7mm machine guns, was introduced.
In the middle of the war, the Type 4 fighter appeared, and although it gradually retired from the front lines, the easy-to-handle Type 1 fighter continued to be produced. In the end, more than 5,700 aircraft were produced. This was the second largest production number after the Zero fighter.

Another livery
·Silver livery(click image)

[About the work]
The cockpit is roughly reproduced.
I have used PlanariaLab's "SP Label Converter" to create a Roundel. Thank you very much.
I have not verified this because I do not have Simple Planes VR. Sorry.

[Controls]

[1] Throttle Lever
[2] Landing Gear Lever
[3] Flap Lever(VTOL)
[4] NavigationLights Switch(AG1)
[5] Canopy Lever(AG4)

[Screenshots]

2024/5/29