Mitsubishi Ki-51

what is it?

The Mitsubishi Ki-51 (Army designation "Type 99 Assault Plane"; Allied reporting name Sonia) is a light bomber/dive bomber in service with the Imperial Japanese Army during World War II. It first flew in mid-1939. Initially deployed against Chinese forces, it proved to be too slow to hold up against the fighter aircraft of the other Allied powers. However, it performed a useful ground-attack role in the China-Burma-India theater, notably from airfields too rough for many other aircraft.

🔎How to recognise it: 1 piston engine with propeller · low wing · 12.1 m wingspan

base stats

• speed 424 km/htop speed
• range 1,060 kmwithout refuelling
• size 2,920 kgmax take-off weight
• built 2,385made in total

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 87 years ago, in 1939.
• 🏎️Top speed is 3.3× a car on the Dutch motorway (130 km/h).
• 🚗Wingspan of 12.1 m: about 3 cars parked nose to tail.
• 🌍Range of 1,060 km: 6× Amsterdam to Brussels.

piston: A car-like piston engine turning a propeller: simple and cheap, the classic small plane.

spec sheet

first flight

1939

introduced

1940

number built

2,385

role

light bomber/dive bomber

makers

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries

engines

1× Mitsubishi Ha-26-II

crew

2

length

9.2 m

wingspan

12.1 m

height

2.7 m

max take-off weight

2,920 kg

top speed

424 km/h

range

1,060 km

ceiling

8,270 m

wings

low wing

Specs are for the version in the Wikipedia article's specification section. Blank means the sources don't say.