Tachikawa Ki-54

The Ki-54 was developed in response to an Imperial Japanese Army requirement for a twin-engine advanced trainer, principally for crew training. The prototype first flew in the summer of 1940 and, on completing trials, entered production in 1941 as Army Type 1 Advanced Trainer Model A (Ki-54a). The Ki-54a was soon followed by the Ki-54b as Army Type 1 Operations Trainer Model B and Ki-54c as Army Type 1 Transport Model C. The Ki-54b and -c enjoyed successful careers until the end of the war. A few captured aircraft were flown after the war by various users. ==Operators==

; • Imperial Japanese Army Air Force used them for training as per their design. ; • Manchukuo Air Force Three were provided by Japan as VIP transports. ; China-Nanjing • Nanjing air force ; • Republic of China Air Force Nationalist Chinese (captured). ; • People's Liberation Army Air Force Communist Chinese (captured): Four captured Ki-54s were used, including in 1951 to train the first class of female pilots in China. They were retired in 1952. ; • Armée de l'Air At least seven Ki-54 were recovered by the French in French Indochina between 1945 and 1947, after the Japanese surrender. ; • One aircraft operated briefly by No. 273 Squadron RAF during September and October 1945 in French Indochina. ==Variants==

• Ki-54a - unarmed pilot trainer • Ki-54b - armed crew trainer • Ki-54c - eight-passenger light transport, communications aircraft. Civil designation Y-59. • Ki-54d - maritime reconnaissance/ASW, carried 8x 60-kg (132-lb) depth charges • Ki-110 - one prototype Ki-54c of all-wood construction, destroyed in US bombing attack • Ki-111 - projected fuel tanker (none built) • Ki-114 - projected fuel tanker of all-wood construction (none built) ==Surviving aircraft==

• A Ki-54 fuselage is in Australia in storage at the Australian War Museum Annex. It was previously part of a playground at the RAAF Fairbairn base kindergarten. • Another Ki-54 fuselage is stored in China at the Chinese Aviation Museum. • A nearly intact Ki-54 is proposed to be restored by , the successor to the aircraft's manufacturer. It was found at the bottom of Lake Towada in Aomori Prefecture on 13 August 2010 and recovered on 5 September 2012. It was preserved for display at the Misawa Aviation & Science Museum in the damaged state it was found. It remained at that museum until 2020 when it was given to Tachichi Holdings for a proposed restoration. The aircraft was briefly on display in 2022 in Tokyo in the same condition as it was in Misawa. ==Specifications (Ki-54c light transport)==