Why This Japanese Fighter Aircraft Was Dubbed the "Flying Shallow" of WWII

Why This Japanese Fighter Aircraft Was Dubbed the "Flying Shallow" of WWII

The Kawasaki Ki-61 Hien, known as the “Flying Swallow” in Japanese, was a unique single-engine fighter used by the Imperial Japanese Army during World War II. Allied forces gave it the nickname “Tony” due to initial confusion about its design. Unlike most Japanese fighters at the time, the Ki-61 had a sleek appearance and used a liquid-cooled engine instead of a radial one. Development began in 1939 when Kawasaki Heavy Industries responded to a …