Tachikawa Ki-55 Explained

The Tachikawa Ki-55 was a Japanese advanced trainer.

Design and development

The excellent characteristics of the Tachikawa Ki-36 made it potentially ideal as a trainer. This led to the development of the Ki-55 with a single machine gun. After successful testing of a prototype in September 1939, the type was put into production as the Tachikawa Army Type 99 Advanced Trainer.

In all 1,389 Ki-55 were constructed before production ended in December 1943 with Tachikawa having built 1078 and Kawasaki 311.

Both the Ki-55 and the Ki-36 were given the Allied nickname 'Ida.'

Variants

Ki-36 : Army co-operation aircraft.

Ki-72 : An evolved version with a Hitachi Ha38 engine and retractable undercarriage. Not built.

Operators

• Imperial Japanese Army Air Force

• Kumagaya Army Flying School
• Mito Army Flying School
• Tachiarai Army Flying School
• Utsonomiya Army Flying School

• Manchukuo Air Force

Reorganized National Government of China

• National Government of China Air Force received several from the Japanese.

• Republic of China Air Force operated captured aircraft.

• People's Liberation Army Air Force operated more than 30 captured aircraft at the end of 1945. These Ki-55s were used until the last 14 retired in 1953.

• Royal Thai Air Force

Francillon also mentions delivery to the Japanese satellite air force of Cochinchina, the southernmost third part of present Vietnam

References

Bibliography

• Book: Francillon, René J.. Japanese aircraft of the Pacific War. 1979. Putnam. 0-370-30251-6. London. 6124909. (new edition 1987 by Putnam Aeronautical Books,); 3rd edition 1987, Putnam Aeronautical Books. .)
• Green. William. Swanborough. Gordon. amp . Pentagon Over the Islands: The Thirty-Year History of Indonesian Military Aviation. Air Enthusiast Quarterly . n.d. . 2 . 154–162 . 0143-5450.