The Kawasaki Ki-45 required more time to develop and place in service than almost every other Japanese warplane of World War II. Takeo Doi, chief project engineer, began work on this design in January 1938 but the first production aircraft did not fly combat until the fall of 1942. When it finally entered service, the Ki-45 soon became popular with flight crews who used it primarily for attacking ground targets and ships including U. S. Navy Patrol Torpedo (P. T.) boats. The Toryu was also the only Japanese Army night fighter to see action during the war.

Wingspan: 15.0 m (49 ft 3 in)

Length: 11.0 m (36 ft 1 in)

Height: 3.7 m (12 ft 2 in)

Weights: Empty, 4,000 kg (8,818 lb)

Gross, 5,500 kg (12,175 lb)

Engines: (2) Mitsubishi Ha-102 (Army Type 1) 14-cylinder, air-cooled

radials, 1,050 horsepower