5 photos from Wikimedia Commons · credits & licences
- 1. Tachikawa Ki-54: 撮影者不明· Public domain
- 2. Tachikawa Ki-54 1: San Diego Air & Space Museum· No restrictions
- 3. Ki-54 fuselage at the Treloar Technology Centre Sept 2012: Nick-D· CC BY-SA 3.0
- 4. Ki-54c transporter: Imperial Japanese Army· Public domain
- 5. Tachikawa, Ki-54 2: San Diego Air & Space Museum· No restrictions
what is it?
The Tachikawa Ki-54 was a twin-engine advanced trainer designed and produced by the Japanese aviation manufacturer Tachikawa Aircraft Company Ltd. Principally operated by the Imperial Japanese Army Air Service (IJAAS) during World War II, the aircraft was named Hickory by the Allies. The Ki-54 was developed by Tachikawa between 1939 and 1940 as a twin-engine multirole aircraft that was optimised for the advanced trainer role.
How to recognise it: 2 piston engines with propellers · 17.9 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 86 years ago, in 1940.
- Top speed is 2.9× a car on the Dutch motorway (130 km/h).
- Wingspan of 17.9 m: about 4 cars parked nose to tail.
piston: A car-like piston engine turning a propeller: simple and cheap, the classic small plane.
spec sheet
- first flight
- 1940
- introduced
- 1941
- retired
- 1945
- status
- retired
- number built
- 1,368
- role
- twin-engine advanced crew trainer
- makers
- Tachikawa
- engines
- 2× Hitachi Ha13a (Army Type 98 450hp Air Cooled Radial)
- crew
- 2
- length
- 11.9 m
- wingspan
- 17.9 m
- height
- 3.6 m
- max take-off weight
- 3,897 kg
- top speed
- 375 km/h
- cruise speed
- 240 km/h
- range
- 960 km
- ceiling
- 7,180 m
Specs are for the version in the Wikipedia article's specification section. Blank means the sources don't say.
Sources: Wikidata Q739725, Wikipedia: Tachikawa Ki-54 (CC BY-SA 4.0).Updated 2026-10-24.