Kawasaki Ki-45
| Ki-45 | |
|---|---|
| Kawasaki Ki-45 Toryū | |
| General information | |
| Type | |
| Manufacturer | Kawasaki Kōkūki Kōgyō K.K. |
| Designer | |
| Primary users | Imperial Japanese Army Air Service |
| Number built | 1,701 |
| History | |
| Introduction date | October 1941 |
| First flight | January 1939 |
| Retired | 1945 |
| Developed into | Kawasaki Ki-96 |
The Kawasaki Ki-45 Toryū (屠龍, Dragonslayer) is a two-seat, twin-engine heavy fighter used by the Imperial Japanese Army in World War II. The army gave it the designation "Type 2 Two-Seat Fighter" (二式複座戦闘機, Ni-shiki fukuza sentōki); the Allied reporting name was "Nick". Originally serving as a long-range escort-fighter, the design — as with most heavy fighters of the period — fell prey to smaller, lighter, more agile single-engine fighters. As such, the Ki-45 instead served as a day and nighttime interceptor and strike fighter.