Tachikawa Ki-54
The Tachikawa Ki-54 was a Japanese, twin-engine advanced trainer used during World War II. The aircraft was named Hickory by the Allies.
History
The Ki-54 was developed in response to an Imperial Japanese Army requirement for a twin-engine advanced trainer, principally for crew training. The prototype first flew in the summer of 1940 and, on completing trials, entered production in 1941 as Army Type 1 Advanced Trainer Model A. The Ki-54a was soon followed by the Ki-54b as Army Type 1 Operations Trainer Model B and Ki-54c as Army Type 1 Transport Model C. The Ki-54b and -c enjoyed successful careers until the end of the war. A few captured aircraft were flown after the war by various users.Operators
- Imperial Japanese Army Air Force used them for training as per their design.
- Manchukuo Air Force Three were provided by Japan as VIP transports.
- Nanjing air force
- Republic of China Air Force Nationalist Chinese.
- People's Liberation Army Air Force Communist Chinese : Four captured Ki-54s were used, including in 1951 to train the first class of female pilots in China. They were retired in 1952.
- Armée de l'Air At least seven Ki-54 were recovered by the French in French Indochina between 1945 and 1947, after the Japanese surrender.
- One aircraft operated briefly by No. 273 Squadron RAF during September and October 1945 in French Indochina.
Variants
- Ki-54a - unarmed pilot trainer
- Ki-54b - armed crew trainer
- Ki-54c - eight-passenger light transport, communications aircraft. Civil designation Y-59.
- Ki-54d - maritime reconnaissance/ASW, carried 8x 60-kg depth charges
- Ki-110 - one prototype Ki-54c of all-wood construction, destroyed in US bombing attack
- Ki-111 - projected fuel tanker
- Ki-114 - projected fuel tanker of all-wood construction
Surviving aircraft
- A Ki-54 fuselage is in Australia in storage at the Australian War Museum Annex. It was previously part of a playground at the RAAF Fairbairn base kindergarten.
- Another Ki-54 fuselage is stored in China at the Chinese Aviation Museum.
- A nearly intact Ki-54 is proposed to be restored by, the successor to the aircraft's manufacturer. It was found at the bottom of Lake Towada in Aomori Prefecture on 13 August 2010 and recovered on 5 September 2012. It was preserved for display at the Misawa Aviation & Science Museum in the damaged state it was found. It remained at that museum until 2020 when it was given to Tachichi Holdings for a proposed restoration. The aircraft was briefly on display in 2022 in Tokyo in the same condition as it was in Misawa.