War Thunder’s Ki-93-I Ko Will Join Japan’s Rank III Tree in the Next Major Update
The heavy attacker pairs a 57 mm Ho-402 cannon with two 250 kg bombs, twin 20 mm cannons, and protective armor.
War Thunder will add the Ki-93-I Ko to Japan’s Rank III research tree with the game’s next major update. The twin-engine heavy attacker is built around a 57 mm Ho-402 cannon, giving Japanese pilots a hard-hitting option for both air battles and combined battles. Gaijin Entertainment detailed the aircraft in its Steam announcement, but did not provide a date for the update.
The Ki-93-I Ko is arriving as an attacker rather than a nimble fighter. Its package includes two 250 kg bombs, protection against some lighter ground fire, and a lot of weight to carry through the fight. That combination should make it useful for players who want to move between bomber interception and ground attack without switching aircraft roles completely.
The Ki-93-I Ko is built for heavy strikes
Air-to-air combat will require some patience. The aircraft is not designed to turn with enemy fighters, so pilots will get more from it by climbing toward mid-altitude bombers or diving on fighters flying below them. Staying with the team early in a match should provide a safer route into position than attempting an aggressive climb through the busiest paths.
Its main cannon can reach bombers before their defensive guns are in a comfortable firing range, making those aircraft natural targets. Fighters are a harder target for the large shell, especially when they are maneuvering, but the Ki-93-I Ko carries two 20 mm Ho-5 cannons with 300 rounds per gun in the wing roots. A rear 12.7 mm Ho-103 machine gun gives the pilot one more tool when an enemy gets behind the aircraft.
Ground attackers can use the Ki-93’s speed and armor to make fast passes over the battlefield, fire, and pull away before setting up another approach. It will not ignore anti-aircraft fire, but lighter machine-gun bursts should be less dangerous than they would be against a more fragile attacker. The 57 mm APHE round is meant for roof and side shots against ground vehicles, where one or two hits may be enough to destroy a target.
The Ho-402 gives the aircraft its bite
Japan designed the 57 mm Ho-402 specifically for the Ki-93. Compared with the Ho-401 mounted on the Ki-102, the newer cannon is more powerful and uses a 2.5-meter barrel to send shells out at 700 m/s. Its firing rate is 80 rounds per minute, and the original goal was to cripple a bomber with one shot. That role was never tested in combat, but the cannon’s air and ground ammunition still gives the aircraft a clear identity.
The APHE shell is the especially dangerous part of the loadout. Its velocity and penetration let it punch through the roofs and sides of many ground vehicles, giving the Ki-93-I Ko a way to threaten armored targets instead of relying only on its two bombs.
Gaijin also described the aircraft as a long-requested lower-rank Japanese tech-tree attacker. The developer said that researching the Ki-93 took time because precise information about the aircraft, its cannon, and its ammunition was difficult to find. In the next major update preview, the Ki-93 appears alongside cockpit work that will add more MFD and HMD detail to several aircraft in War Thunder’s cockpit interface preview.
The Ki-93 only completed one flight
The aircraft’s history is as unusual as its armament. Work on the project began in the summer of 1941 at the Army Aeronautical Research Institute, also known as Rikugun Kokugijutsu Kenkyujo. The design team worked on a heavy twin-engine fighter until July 1942, when Japan changed the aircraft’s intended role to a heavy multi-role fighter and attacker for low and medium altitudes.
That new role called for attacks against armored ground and surface targets, which helped drive the decision to make a 57 mm cannon the primary weapon. Late in the war, the project split into two versions: the Ki-93-I Ko was planned as a heavy interceptor, while the Ki-93-I Otsu was intended for anti-shipping work.
Weight problems reduced the Ki-93-I Ko’s planned 57 mm ammunition load from 30 rounds to 20, while its unfinished Ha-214 engines failed to reach their rated power. The prototype finally took off from Tachikawa airfield on April 8, 1945, with Lt. Moriya at the controls. It carried no armament during the test flight and showed good handling, but it undershot the runway while landing, collapsing the left landing-gear strut and seriously damaging the aircraft.
Repairs took a month. Before the Ki-93 could make another test flight, an American raid on Tachikawa destroyed the aircraft. Japan’s final heavy fighter completed only one flight, leaving behind a single flight report and a small number of photographs.
The Ki-93-I Ko will enter the Japanese research tree with the next major update, although its characteristics may change before it reaches the game. Share your thoughts on this unusual attacker in the comments, and follow us on X, Bluesky, YouTube, Instagram, Steam, and Telegram.
War Thunder
Developed by Gaijin Entertainment
War Thunder is a free-to-play vehicular combat MMO featuring aircraft, ground vehicles, and naval craft spanning from the early 20th century to the modern era. Players progress through technology trees across multiple nations, unlocking increasingly advanced military vehicles. The game offers three realism tiers for each vehicle type: arcade, realistic, and simulator modes. Originally developed as a flight simulator under the name "World of Planes," the game expanded to include tanks in 2014 and naval forces later, becoming a combined-arms experience. A mobile version was released in 2023.
- Genre Shooter, Simulator, Tactical
- Platforms Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 4, Linux, PC (Microsoft Windows), PlayStation 5, Mac, Xbox One
- Perspective First person, Third person, Virtual Reality
- Modes Single player, Multiplayer, Co-operative, Massively Multiplayer Online (MMO)
- Release January 28, 2013
- Publisher Gaijin Entertainment
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