Nakajima Ki-27 "Nate"

Nakajima · Japan · first flew 1936 · fighter

The Nakajima Ki-27 (Allied reporting name 'Nate') was the Imperial Japanese Army Air Force's first low-wing monoplane fighter and its primary fighter type from 1937 to 1942. Highly manoeuvrable but lightly armed and without pilot armour, it outclassed contemporary Chinese and Soviet aircraft early in the war.

Recognition (WEFT)

W — Wings	Low-mounted, tapered
E — Engines	1 × piston, nose-mounted
F — Fuselage	7.53 m fuselage
T — Tail	Conventional

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Spot it by:

Fixed undercarriage with large streamlined wheel fairings
Greenhouse-style multi-frame canopy
Clean low-wing monoplane with rounded wingtips

A compact low-wing monoplane with fixed spat-covered undercarriage, a multi-frame greenhouse canopy, and rounded wingtips; the deep belly fairing and prominent wheel spats are characteristic.

Specifications

The Nakajima Ki-27 has a length of 7.53 m (25 ft).
It has a wingspan of 11.31 m (37 ft).
Its maximum speed is 470 km/h (292 mph).
Typical crew: 1.

Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.

History

The Ki-27 entered service in 1937 and dominated air combat over China and during the Nomonhan Incident against Soviet forces in 1939. By the time of Pearl Harbor it was being supplanted by the Ki-43, though it continued as an advanced trainer and, near the war's end, as a Kamikaze aircraft.

Variants

The Ki-27a had an open cockpit; the Ki-27b introduced an enclosed canopy and minor refinements; several one-off experimental variants were tested.

Where you'll see it

Served with the Imperial Japanese Army Air Force and was exported to Manchukuo and Thailand; licence production was conducted in Manchuria.

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