| Nakajima Ki-201 Karyu |
|---|
 |
| Description |
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| Role | Fighter |
| Crew | one, pilot |
| Dimensions per design |
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| Length | 14.50 m | 37 ft 9 in |
| Wingspan | 13.69 m | 44 ft 11 in |
| Height | 4.69m | 13 ft 4 in |
| Wing area | 25.0 m² | 269 ft² |
| Weights per design |
|---|
| Empty | 4,509 kg | 9,920 lb |
| Loaded | 7,000 kg | 15,400 lb |
| Maximum take-off | | |
| Intended powerplant |
|---|
| Engines | 2x Ne-230 (or Ne-130) turbojets |
| Total thrust | 17.4 kN (or 17.9 kN) | 3,902 lb (or 4,004 lb) |
| Anticipated performance |
|---|
Maximum speed
with Ne-230 or (Ne-130) | 812 km/h (852 km/h) | 507 mph (533 mph) |
| Range | 978 km | 611 miles |
| Service ceiling | 12,000 m | 39,400 ft |
| Rate of Climb | 774 m/min | 2,540 ft/min |
| Armament |
|---|
| Guns | 2x 30 mm Type 5 cannon or
2x 20 mm Type 99 cannon |
The Nakajima Ki-201 Karyu (Japanese: 中島 キ-201 火龍, "Karyu" meaning "Fire Dragon", sometimes transliterated Karyuu) was Japanese jet fighter project designed during the final stages of World War II but which was never completed.
The Karyu began as an in-house project by Nakajima in early 1945 to apply what was being learned about jet aircraft from the Nakajima Kikka attack aircraft to a fighter design. The Kikka had been inspired by the Messerschmitt Me 262, but the similarities to that aircraft were limited to general configuration. On the other hand, the design team led by Iwao Shibuya based the Karyu far more closely on the German aircraft, which had already proven itself quite formidable.
Nakajima attempted to interest the Imperial Japanese Army Air Force in the aircraft, and seems to have succeeded at least far enough to have had an official designation ("Ki-201") applied to it, but at that point, the Air Force had already decided to pursue derivatives of the Mitsubishi J8M as their way of fending off the B-29 Superfortress raids. It seems that the Navy was also approached but displayed no interest whatsoever.
Undaunted, Nakajima continued development, anticipating test flights by December 1945. At the time of the Japanese surrender, most sources agree that work on the prototype had not yet begun.
See also List of World War II jet aircraft
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