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Introduction
Engine Performance
Firepower
Maneuverability
Flying the Ki-84
Fighting the Ki-84
Summary
Engine/Range Info
Fuel Tankage: 46 gallons 1/4
94 gallons 1/2
139 gallons 3/4
184 gallons full
+104 gallons droptank
Engine Settings: WEP:
2900rpm/400mm 332 gall/hr
Military: 2900rpm/250mm
268 gall/hr
Normal:
2650rpm/100mm 183gall/hr
Calculated Ranges (Internal Fuel
Only): Military: 222 miles
Normal: 300 miles
(External Fuel) Military: 347
miles
Normal: 469
miles
-Soda
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Introduction
Expectations on the Ki-84 were very high when it was introduced to
AH2. Some people are still disappointed in what they feel that it lacks in
top end speed as compared to some historical data. Don’t be fooled though, the Ki-84 is
probably one of the most dangerous aircraft in the game and can beat you
in any number of ways given half a chance. It might not amongst the fastest as modeled but what it
lacks in speed it trades off in acceleration, climb, and roll. The Ki-84 is one of those aircraft
that can turn a fight from defensive to offensive very quickly and
anything it can’t out-run it can out-turn, and vice versa. The KI-84 is a premier performer and a
very dangerous opponent.
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Engine Performance:
Excellent, though not really a top-speed champion, against its
peers it is faster and the acceleration and climb rates rank amongst the
best in the game. Sea-level
cruise speed is 324mph, putting you at the top end of the TnB crowd but
the Ki-84 has WEP on top of that, opening up the lead when it sprints to
343mph. WEP use is standard as
the cooling cycle on the Ki-84 is about 1 second cooling for 3 seconds
on, a complete reversal of the situation on most aircraft. Speed increases around 4pmh/1K of
altitude though be careful of some dead-spots in the power over specific
altitude bands. Above 11K
performance suffers until it recovers at around 17K, then above 21K it
falls of gradually until it reaches service ceiling. WEP follows the same pattern but tends
to top out about 1K below the critical altitudes. I’d either stay 12K or lower, or climb
up to 21K as a max. Speed at 21K
is around 388mph, not really in the caliber of aircraft that should
frequent those altitudes.
Fuel range is outstanding, internal fuel being all that is
typically necessary though a twin drop-tank option is available. Range on military power is better than
220miles (41 min duration) and that can be extended to ~300mile (60 min)
simply by using cruise settings.
Drop tanks can boost that if you so desire to 469miles or 129
minutes duration at normal power settings. One point to mention, the Ki-84 has a really bad fuel burn
altitude between 15K and 16K, fuel consumption spikes up 40 gallons/hour
over that range. Lowest fuel burn
is just below 15K and also above 22K where it drops off rapidly, though
so does performance. A useful
side note is that the Ki-84 has a red indicator mark on the fuel gauge
that indicates the % of fuel remaining.
You can use this to judge your current fuel state without having
to open up the E6B computer and see how much fuel you have remaining.
Acceleration is very brisk, in the top couple of aircraft that
I’ve measured at most altitudes. WEP
should be used for acceleration, something it is well suited for
considering it short duration. A
150mph to 300mph sprint with WEP only required 42 seconds at light loads
and those numbers barely change (44sec) at normal loading (50% internal
and full ammo). Acceleration is
good up through 10K, the differences being almost non-measurable until
you get into the higher part of the speed range (above 325mph). Not
likely that anything can extend from you in an acceleration fight at
low-mid speeds, only when you get over 330mph with you start to feel for
the lack of top end. Climb is
also excellent, not much will beat you to 10K and even if it does the
difference is very small.
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Firepower:
A pretty solid combination, twin 20mm wing guns (150 rounds/gun)
with dual cowl mounted 12.7mm machineguns (350 rounds/gun). The
combination is very effective and the ballistics appears reasonably
matched. Total firing times are a bit short, 10 seconds worth for the
cannons and 26 sec worth for the machineguns, but it doesn't tend to give
that impression unless you are used to long spraying attempts. Some people have complained about the
effectiveness of the guns either in hitting power or in ballistic
properties but I don’t know that I completely agree. It’s a bit masked though by the
typical firing opportunity that Ki-84 can generate, very close and
usually a nice tracking shot.
That’s a good reason to keep the convergences short, typically in
the D300 to D400 range. The cowl
guns, while less impacted by horizontal convergence will be off in
vertical convergence if you set them radically different than the wing
guns. The guns put out a lot of
fire very quickly though, making targets that get into your sites take a
lot of damage very quickly. Externally, the Ki-84 has a pair of
wing-mounts that can take either the drop tanks or a pair of 250kg
bombs. Performance suffers as
average for most aircraft with about a 10-11mph loss in top speed and
some decrease to roll and acceleration.
Releasing the external stores removes the performance hit entirely
so there is no disadvantage long term if you think a couple of bombs
(~1100lb’s worth) might be of use for targets of opportunity or in a
swing-jabo configuration.
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Maneuverability:
A tale of two extremes. At
low and very low speeds the Ki-84 is very capable and can typically
perform with anything outside the real dedicated low speed turners like
the Zero or Hurricane. While the
Ki-84 has combat flaps they only become available below 168mph, very slow
in comparison to most aircraft who possess combat flaps. The landing setting is available, by
comparison at only 13mph less, 155mph.
Typically, as a result, you won’t get the flaps out unless you are
turning very slow/tight or at the top of loops where they can be deployed
for short periods before acceleration kicks in. With flaps out though, the Ki-84 can remain in control
under 85mph and at very high angles of climb. The other side of the coin
starts at the relatively low speed of only 375mph (IAS) where you can
start to get structural creaking as a warning that you are entering
unfriendly performance territory.
The Ki-84 simply doesn’t handle anything over 400mph well and by
475mph you may start shedding aircraft components. To sum it up, you don’t need to worry
about Mach buffet or compression in the Ki-84, if you even try to get
close to that fast you are more likely to fall apart first.
A final point, stalls in the Ki-84 are in general fairly gentle but
with the high engine power and slow speed capabilities, it is very
possible to put the Ki-84 into a dangerous flat-spin. Be careful when slow not to apply too
much power or push the aircraft too hard, the margin for error is larger
than in some aircraft but if you exceed the flight envelope you can get
yourself into real trouble.
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Flying the Ki-84
Offensively, I'd try and use the acceleration and climb-rate, plus
the excellent turning at mid-low speeds.
You should be able to over-power anything that can turn with you
and out-turn anything faster.
Vertical performance is simply amazing, I don't know that anything
can follow the type of climbing spiral the Ki-84 can perform. In the mid-speed range between about
175 and 250mph the Ki-84 can turn pretty much equal with a Spitfire Mk V
though you might lose ground slowly in such a case. Put the fight into the vertical though
and your superior power and low speed handling should quickly put the
Spitfire at a disadvantage.
Energy type fights should also work very well, the excellent
acceleration and climb should match energy with anyone else very
quickly. Don't climb too high,
the Ki-84 is better in the mid-low altitude bands, 11K and lower. As you get higher a lot of aircraft
are going to over-power you fairly quickly and anything over 22K or so is
not your best spot to be. Try and
close to good guns range, D300 or less, so you can put the most fire into
your target in the fastest amount of time possible. Unfortunately, faster aircraft with
some altitude to burn may simply dive away and extend. The Ki-84 has good energy retention
properties but not the top speed to stop this from happening, nor the
good high speed handling/toughness.
A smart enemy will roll out and dive to the ground and there is probably
little you can do to stop it.
Defensively, the break-turn and energy equalization properties of
the Ki-84 are very good. Quick,
violent, maneuvers should be able to break off more enemies and quick use
of WEP to get maximum acceleration should even up the energy situation
fairly quickly. The Ki-84 is
about average in toughness, much better than many Japanese aircraft, but
still doesn't want to take a good hit from anything. Visibility is very good though, so use
your situational awareness to trigger your avoidance maneuvers and then
try and immediately pick up energy to counter the enemy (and maybe take
the fight to him). If you get a
tracking enemy, see if you can't use the vertical to slow him down and then
show off your amazing slow speed handling to hang up your attacker so you
can turn the tables quickly. Scissor type maneuvers tend to be very
effective as the Ki-84 is good in roll and acceleration, making it tough
to match in that area and if you can throw in some climb or slow speed
down you are going to make it very difficult for anyone to follow you.
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Fighting the Ki-84
The Ki-84 is an exceptionally dangerous foe and escaping one can
be very difficult if you get into trouble. Anything you can do, the Ki-84 can probably do almost as well,
or better, so don’t get caught in the Ki-84s trap and find out too late
that you can’t get free.
If attacked, try and break contact quickly and don't hang around
trying to match energy levels.
The Ki-84 has such great energy building properties that you are
unlikely to be able to match that.
Even if you can, the fight might deteriorate into something very
slow, and area where the Ki-84 excels.
If you have some altitude, a split-S type maneuver could be
successful as it exploits the mediocre high speed handling of the
Ki-84. An extreme speed dive is
even more likely to have the Ki-84 break off pursuit, else, it
structurally fail trying to follow you.
You can also try some overshoot maneuvering in hopes the Ki-84
will over-energy his situation and end up passing you. On some aircraft this is more
effective than others, with the Ki-84 a smart pilot would simply zoom a
bit and wait for you to run out of energy and then re-engage. Not many aircraft can purely out-turn
the Ki-84 at low speeds but above 250mph many of the faster ones probably
can. It seems the Ki-84 is unable
to pull 6G's above 275mph, making it less than average in that respect.
If attacking a Ki-84, keep your speed up and watch for impossible
style vertical maneuvers. The
Ki-84 can reverse very quickly and basically hang on the prop at almost
zero forward airspeed. It isn't a
fantastic zoomer mind you, but in a pure power climb it is pretty much
equal to anything. Be careful of
your energy situation, what starts out as a small advantage for you can
quickly turn into a deficit if the Ki-84 is given a chance to use
acceleration/climb. You need to
keep fairly constant pressure up to keep the Ki-84 reactionary to you and
not able to gain energy. Take
whatever snapshots you are given but realize that the Ki-84 is
significantly tougher than other Japanese aircraft and a single good gun
pass may not be enough to kill it, so don't over-commit to only one
opportunity. Be decisive on your
exit if you need to extend, the Ki-84 can accelerate very quickly. If you wait too long, or are
indecisive, the Ki-84 might reverse and catch you with early acceleration
before you can build sufficient speed to exit.
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Summary
I’m really surprised that the Ki-84 hasn’t received
more attention in the MA as it is truly an excellent aircraft. It might just be that people have not
really given it a change yet, either that or they are already in what
they feel is a similar ride. I’d
argue that the Ki-84 is probably the best overall IJ fighter in the game
though some may counter with a preference for the N1K2. I just think the Ki-84 is very well
suited to the typical style of play and the extra speed is can generate
narrows the gap to some of the faster aircraft. Regardless of the comments/discussion about what the Ki-84
was historically capable of, in AH it is still an excellent aircraft and
provides the pilot many of the tools they need to be successful.
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