Warplanes of Japan: Tachikawa Ki-77

Tachikawa Ki-54

(IJAAF Photo)

The Tachikawa Ki-77 was a Japanese very long-range experimental transport and communications aircraft of the Second World War derived from a design commissioned by a newspaper to break the flight distance record set by a rival. It was a low-wing cabin monoplane with twin piston engines and a tailwheel undercarriage.he Ki-77 was the Japanese Army Air Force designation for the A-26, a clean, slim low-wing, twin-engine monoplane intended for an endurance flight between New York and Tokyo. The A stood for the name of the sponsor, a newspaper Asahi Shimbun which was vying for records with a rival paper that had sponsored the Mitsubishi Ki-15 Kamikaze flight to the United Kingdom in 1937. 26 was for the 26th century of the Japanese Imperial Dynasty - 1940 was year 2600 in the Japanese calendar.

The Ki-77's overall design was developed under the aegis of Dr. Hidemasa Kimura of the Aeronautical Research Institute of the University of Tokyo, with Tachikawa Aircraft Company being responsible for manufacturing and detail drafting work. The aircraft's layout was finalized in autumn of 1940 with its first flight originally expected in late 1941, but this was canceled with the start of war against the United States and consequent reallocation of priorities. The Ki-77 design included a number of novel features, including a high aspect ratio laminar flow wing for reduced drag, a sealed but unpressurized cabin to reduce the need for oxygen masks at its intended operating altitude, and special low drag cowlings.In 1944 by the necessities of war, the Japanese needed a propaganda coup and the surviving Ki-77 was available. On 2 July it flew 19 circuits over a triangular route off Manchuria, landing 57 hours 9 minutes later and covering 16,435 km (10,212 mi) at an average speed of 288.2 km/h (179.1 mph), 3,499 km (2,174 mi) more than the SM.75's 12,936 km (8,038 mi) record. The Ki-77 landed with 800 liters remaining in the tanks of the 12,200 L (2,700 imp gal; 3,200 US gal) it began with, so the maximum endurance was around 18,000 km (11,000 mi).

The Ki-77's endurance record was first exceeded in October 1946 by a Lockheed P2V-1 Neptune in a flight from Perth, Australia to Columbus, Ohio in the American midwest, of over 18,083.6 km (11,236.6 mi).The distance record Ki-77 aircraft was still in existence when Japan surrendered and was shipped to the United States aboard the United States Navy escort carrier USS Bogue from Yokosuka in December 1945, arriving at Alameda, California on 8 January 1946 for examination before being scrapped. (Wikipedia)

(IJAAF Photo)

Tachikawa Ki-77 transport aircraft.

(IJAAF Photo)

Tachikawa Ki-77.

USN Photo)

Tachikawa Ki-77 being shipped to the United States aboard the carrier USS Bogue from Yokosuka in December 1945.  It arrived at Alameda, California on 8 January 1946, where it was examined before being scrapped.

(USAAF Photo)

Tachikawa Ki-77, found by US forces at the end of the war in Yamanashi airfield.  This aircraft was designated USAAF FE-154.  It was scrapped at Park Ridge, c1950.

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