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10 photos from Wikimedia Commons · credits & licences
- 1. Kawasaki Ki-61-14: Wikimedia Commons· Public domain
- 2. Kawasaki Ki-100: Wikimedia Commons· Public domain
- 3. Captured Kawasaki Ki-61 in flight near NAS Patuxent River in 1945: U.S. Navy· Public domain
- 4. Kawasaki Ki-61-II-kai Hien 3shiki-sentohki-2gata (29993026205)-: 先従隗始· CC BY-SA 3.0
- 5. Kawasaki Ki-61-II: SDASM Archives· Public domain
- 6. Kawasaki Ki-61 Hien with drop tank: U.S. Navy· Public domain
- 7. Ki-61 at Fukuoka in 1945: U.S. Navy· Public domain
- 8. 제주도 알뜨르 비행장에 있던 Ki-61 히엔과 Ki-45 토류: Unknown· Public domain
- 9. Captured Ki-45, Ki-61: SDASM Archives· No restrictions
- 10. Kawasaki Ki-61 at Kengun airfield 1945: U.S. Navy· Public domain
what is it?
The Kawasaki Ki-61 Hien (飛燕, "flying swallow") is a Japanese World War II fighter aircraft. Used by the Imperial Japanese Army Air Service, it was designated the "Army Type 3 Fighter" (三式戦闘機). Allied intelligence initially believed Ki-61s were Messerschmitt Bf 109s and later an Italian Macchi C.202, which led to the Allied reporting name of "Tony", assigned by the United States War Department.
How to recognise it: 1 piston engine with propeller · retractable tailwheel (taildragger) · 12 m wingspan
base stats
Bars compare against all aircraft: 3,500 km/h, 20,000 km, 850 seats; size and number built on a log scale up to 640 t (An-225) and 45,000 built (Cessna 172).
fun facts
- First flew 85 years ago, in 1941.
- Top speed is 4.5× a car on the Dutch motorway (130 km/h).
- Wingspan of 12 m: about 3 cars parked nose to tail.
- Can fly 1.3× higher than Mount Everest (8,849 m).
piston: A car-like piston engine turning a propeller: simple and cheap, the classic small plane.
spec sheet
- first flight
- 1941-12
- introduced
- 1942
- retired
- 1945
- status
- retired
- number built
- 3,100
- role
- fighter aircraft
- origin
- 🇯🇵 Japan
- makers
- Kawasaki Aerospace Systems Company
- engines
- 1× Kawasaki Ha40
- crew
- 1
- length
- 8.9 m
- wingspan
- 12 m
- height
- 3.7 m
- max take-off weight
- 3,470 kg
- top speed
- 580 km/h
- range
- 580 km
- ceiling
- 11,600 m
- landing gear
- retractable conventional landing gear
Specs are for the version in the Wikipedia article's specification section. Blank means the sources don't say.
family
Sources: Wikidata Q700717, Wikipedia: Kawasaki Ki-61 (CC BY-SA 4.0).Updated 2026-10-24.