Mitsubishi Kinsei

The Mitsubishi Kinsei (金星, Venus) was a 14-cylinder, air-cooled, twin-row radial aircraft engine developed by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries in Japan in 1934 for the Imperial Japanese Navy. The Mitsubishi model designation for this engine was A8 while it was an experimental project; in service, it was known as the MK8 "Kinsei" by the Navy. In the middle of the war, the engine was adopted by Army, so it got designation Ha-112.[1] Its unified designation code was Ha-33.

Kinsei
Type	Piston aircraft engine
National origin	Japan
Manufacturer	Mitsubishi Heavy Industries
First run	1934
Major applications	Aichi D3A Yokosuka D4Y3-D4Y4 Kawasaki Ki-100
Number built	12,228
Developed from	Pratt & Whitney R-1690 Hornet
Developed into	Mitsubishi Zuisei, Mitsubishi Kasei, Ha-43(Ha-211)

Design

Cylinder and detail design was based on the single-row, 9-cylinder air-cooled Pratt and Whitney R-1690 Hornet, but underwent numerous modifications and improvements.[2]

Variants

3

910 hp (680 kW)

3 Kai

910 hp (680 kW)

Model 41

1,075 hp (802 kW)

Model 42

1,075 hp (802 kW)

Model 43

1,000–1,080 hp (750–810 kW)

Model 44

1,000–1,075 hp (746–802 kW)

Model 45

1,075 hp (802 kW)

Model 46

1,070 hp (800 kW)

Model 48

1,080 hp (810 kW)

Model 51

1,300 hp (970 kW)

Model 53

1,300 hp (970 kW)

Model 54

1,200–1,300 hp (890–970 kW)

Model 62

1,560 hp (1,160 kW)

Applications

• Aichi D3A
• Aichi E13A
• Aichi E16A
• Aichi M6A2
• Kawanishi H6K
• Kawanishi N1K5-J
• Kawasaki Ki-96
• Kawasaki Ki-100
• Kawasaki Ki-102
• Kyushu J7W1
• Mitsubishi A6M8
• Mitsubishi A7M2
• Mitsubishi B5M
• Mitsubishi G3M
• Mitsubishi Ki-46-III
• Nakajima C6N4
• Nakajima G8N2
• Nakajima Ki-43-IIIb
• Nakajima/Mahshu Ki-116
• Showa/Nakajima L2D2-L2D5
• Yokosuka D4Y3-D4Y4
• Yokosuka P1Y5

Specifications (Kinsei-44)

Data from Jane's.[3]

General characteristics

• Type: 14-cylinder air-cooled twin-row radial engine
• Bore: 140 mm (5.5 in)
• Stroke: 150 mm (5.9 in)
• Displacement: 32.3 L (1,970 cu in)
• Length: 1,646 mm (64.8 in)
• Diameter: 1,218 mm (48.0 in)
• Dry weight: 545 kg (1,202 lb)

Components

• Valvetrain: Overhead valve, one inlet and one exhaust valve per cylinder, pushrod operated.
• Supercharger: Centrifugal, single speed.
• Oil system: Triple section pump, one pressure pump, two scavenge pumps.
• Cooling system: Air-cooled
• Reduction gear: Planetary gear, 0.7:1 ratio.

Performance

• Power output: 1,075 hp (802 kW) at 2,500 rpm at 2,000 m (6,560 ft) maximum.
• Specific power: 24.8 kW/L (0.56 hp/cu in)
• Compression ratio: 6.6:1
• Power-to-weight ratio: 1.5 kW/kg (0.9 hp/lb)

See also

Related development

• Mitsubishi Shinten
• Mitsubishi Kasei
• Pratt & Whitney R-1690 Hornet

Comparable engines

• BMW 801
• Bristol Hercules
• Bristol Taurus
• Fiat A.74
• Gnome-Rhône 14N
• Nakajima Sakae
• Piaggio P.XI
• Piaggio P.XIX
• Pratt & Whitney R-1830
• Shvetsov ASh-82
• Wright R-2600

Related lists

• List of aircraft engines

References

Notes

1. Gunston 1989, p.104.
2. Peattie, Mark R., Sunburst: The Rise of Japanese Naval Air Power 1909-1941, Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press, 2001, ISBN 1-55750-432-6, p. 308.
3. Jane's 1989, p.298.

Bibliography

• Matsuoka Hisamitsu, Nakanishi Masayoshi. The History of Mitsubishi Aero Engines 1915-1945. Miki Press, Japan, 2005. ISBN 4-89522-461-9
• Gunston, Bill. World Encyclopaedia of Aero Engines. Cambridge, England. Patrick Stephens Limited, 1989. ISBN 1-85260-163-9
• Jane's Fighting Aircraft of World War II. London. Studio Editions Ltd, 1989. ISBN 0-517-67964-7
• Peattie, Mark R., Sunburst: The Rise of Japanese Naval Air Power 1909-1941, Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press, 2001, ISBN 1-55750-432-6