Kawasaki Ki-96

The Kawasaki Ki-96 was a Japanese twin-engine heavy fighter of the Second World War, built by Kawasaki as a larger successor to its Ki-45 for the Imperial Japanese Army. Kawasaki began the design on its own authority in August 1942, and the army then asked for it to be finished as a single-seater. The first prototype flew in September 1943 with the big canopy of the two-seat plan still fitted, and two more prototypes followed with a smaller canopy. Each was driven by two Mitsubishi Ha112-II radial engines. Although it handled well and beat its performance estimates, the army went back to wanting a two-seat fighter, so only three were built and the type was not adopted. Its wings and tail were reused in the Ki-102.