Kawasaki Ki-64 ROB

WW-II Japanese fighters are usually thought of as being small, light-weight and simple. The Ki-64 was just the opposite. Based upon information coming back from European combat experience and European experimental aircraft design technology, Kawasaki built a large, fast, heavy fighter powered by two tandem engines driving contra-rotating propellers. The engines, one of which was mounted in the nose and one behind the pilot's cockpit, were derived from the design of the German Daimler-Benz DB-601. Both engines were turbo-supercharged and were cooled by means of low-drag evaporative cooling systems. The wings were also of advanced laminar flow design. Unfortunately, the first prototype crashed when rear engine overheated and caught fire. Under pressure from the deteriorating war situation, the Japanese Army Air Force was compelled to abandon development of this highly advanced project.

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The Rob was much like the Mitsubishi Ki 73 Steve. Both had contra-rotating props. Both were stumped by the complex engines. But the Rob caught fire despite its unconventional evaporative engine cooling. I would prefer the Ki 88 or Ki 62 potential as a Tony replacement..

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The Ki 88 was a Kawasaki built P-39 style hub-cannon B-29 interceptor prototype. Unfortunately it never flew. At least Kawasaki was contemplating the need to confront the Superfortress with a 37mm packing single-engine fighter that could defend itself better than a heavy twin engine interceptor.
It also makes apparent that the Ha-40 /140 was not likely suitable to accommodate a motor-cannon for the Ki 61, Bf 109 style. At least not 37mm size.
The early success of the Tony fighter not only put the damper on the brute Ki 88, but the back-up to the Ki 61 from Nakajima. This was the bubble-top Ki 62 prototype. Unlike Kawasaki, Nakajima had pre-war experience with the Ki 12 motor-cannon fighter. If the Tony had stumbled, who knows? Maybe both the Ki 88 and Ki 62 would've faced B-29s packing heavy hub-cannons in their gun combos. As it turned out, the Kawasaki Ki 100 belatedly came to the rescue instead, but minus the heavier cannons.

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Ian L. McQueen you are both right and wrong. There was 2 x Kawasaki Ha 40 linked into one unit which was known as the 2,350 h.p. Kawasaki Ha 201 coupled V12 with one part of the engine in front of the pilot and the other behind him in the fuselage with a shaft running between the two parts. The engine in the rear caught fire during it's fifth flight and was abandoned in mid 1944 for work on more promising projects. The Americans took parts of the aeroplane home for investigation such as the unique wing mounted cooling system.

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Pardon my slowness, but there is a fundamental error in the specs. This airplane had TWO engines, not one. One in front of the pilot, one behind.
The HA-201 engine was a copy of a Daimler-Benz engine.

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