Rejected By Japan For The Dumbest Reason: Kawasaki Ki-96

Video Description

In this video, we take a look at the Kawasaki Ki-96, a Japanese single-seat heavy fighter/interceptor/ground attacker from World War II that was intended to serve as a replacement for the Kawasaki Ki-45 Toryu. We first talk about the short era of the heavy fighter, how the era came about and why it quickly faded after WW2. We then talk about Japan venturing into the realm with the Ki-45, a pretty solid plane that served well as a bomber destroyer. We talk about the variants of the Ki-45 that were to serve in various roles. We then look at the proposed upgrade in the Ki-96, that managed to be approved after the Japanese military issued a call for a single-seat heavy fighter. We talk about the conversion of the Ki-45 to the Ki-96, and how the improvements made on the Ki-96 made it a solid aircraft, potentially good enough to be akin to Japan's very own version of the de Havilland Mosquito. We then talk about why the Japanese military rejected it, and how the project sort of continued with the Ki-102 and Ki-108. We end by talking about the strange reason given for the rejection and what the Ki-96 could have been for the Japanese Air Force.