History
Late in the war, after taking a pounding at the hands of powerful,
heavily armed, and durable American aircraft, the Japanese Army wanted a fighter
that could compete with heavy U.S. airborne iron on its own terms. In design at
least, they certainly succeeded with the Ki-84. Japan's badly decimated
aircraft industry, however, was not up to the task of producing the plane. Had
the Frank not suffered from appalling manufacturing deficiencies, it certainly
would have been one of the greatest prop fighters of the Second World War.
The Frank in Air Warrior
Fortunately for Air Warrior Frank pilots, the game does not model the failures
of material and workmanship the actual Ki suffered. The Frank has a 1900
horsepower Homare engine in an airframe more than one ton lighter than the
Corsair. This gives the Frank excellent speed - faster than even the Mustang at
low altitudes - along with a good climb rate. The Frank can out-turn every
plane in the Pacific except the Zero, at low speeds, and the P-38 at high
speeds.
The Ki is lethal, sporting two 20mm cannon in addition to two machine guns, but
its lethality drops sharply after 35% of its ammunition is gone. Nonetheless,
the total ammo load on a Frank is substantial.
Most planes in Air Warrior come with distinct assets and limitations that
dictate the way you should fight when flying them. The Ki, however, is so
versatile that it appeals to energy fighters and turn-and-burn dogfighters
alike. It's main deficiency against American planes is durability, but that is
perhaps its only drawback.
The Ki-84 in Full Realism
Opinions vary widely over the values and vices of the Frank in full realism.
Some call it, "the Focke Wulf of the Pacific," due to its mixture of great guns
and speed, combined with its nasty departure characteristics. The Ki's
fundamental structural limitations, compared to American fighters, become
more of an issue in full realism. Whereas an American fighter can pull as many
as 8 or 9 Gs briefly at high speed, a similar stress to the Frank's airframe
would rip a wing off.
Virtues
The Ki-84 is extremely fast - the fastest fighter in the Pacific at the low to
medium altitudes where most battles take place in the online, network arena.
In addition, the Frank is extremely maneuverable, particularly at speeds between
150-250 knots. At these speeds, only a Zeke can outturn it. Lastly, the Ki has
good guns, an ample ammo load, and excellent range.
Vices
The Frank is not a sturdy aircraft. At high speeds you constantly run the risk
of ripping its wings off in maneuvers, and its controls turn to mush above 350
knots. Also, the Ki will depart into violent spins if pushed beyond its low
speed limits. Stalling this airplane when its wings are not parallel to the
horizon is almost certain to induce a nasty spin.
Finally, with its radial engine and high parasitic drag, the Ki accelerates
poorly, and bleeds energy badly - especially in straight, boom and zoom
maneuvers.
The Ki-84 in Scenarios
Initially, most pilots would regard the Frank as an ideal scenario fighter due
to its range, guns, ammo load, speed, and maneuverability. While it indeed
possesses these attributes, the Ki is absolutely terrible at the extreme
altitudes typical in scenario play. It can barely maintain level flight at
35,000 feet - a common height for combat air patrols in the better high altitude
fighters.
Tips
Throttle back in nose-down turns, especially if you're entering the turn at high
speed. Many novice Ki pilots tend to enter compressibility, over control the
plane to compensate, and then rip the wings off when they regain control of the
aircraft. Watch your airspeed in high speed tail chases, especially against
American fighters. Again, compressibility is the enemy here; you will lose
control over your plane before the pilot in the American fighter will. If you
throttle back, or make constant, though slight, flight adjustments as you reach
speeds of 375 knots and above, you can often stave off or delay the onset of
compressibility.
Munitions
Armament Ammo Load Payload
2-20mm cannons 240 shells 1-550 lb. bombs
2-12.7mm Machine Guns 700 rounds -
Performance
| Armament | Ammo Load | Payload |
| 2-20mm cannons | 240 shells | 1-550 lb. bombs |
| 2-12.7mm Machine Guns | 700 rounds | - |