Nakajima Ki-43-IIb, 6430
History
Manufactured by Nakajima Hikoki K.K. in January 1944, serial number 6430 was assigned to the Imperial Japanese Army Air Force's 63rd Sentai, operating from Hollandia (now Jayapura), New Guinea. The aircraft was camouflaged in the standard green over gray scheme with yellow leading-edge stripes on the wings. In late April 1944, following an Allied airstrike, the aircraft was abandoned by retreating Japanese forces and was subsequently captured by U.S. Army personnel.
After its capture, Ki-43-IIb 6430 was inspected by the Allied Technical Air Intelligence Unit (TAIU-SWPA). In mid-1944, American personnel from the U.S. Army Air Force's 84th Airdrome Squadron at Cyclops Airfield undertook repairs using spare parts from the area and components from other Ki-43 aircraft. The aircraft was stripped to a bare aluminum finish and repainted with U.S. star-and-bar markings, a red and white tail rudder, and a circular motif with "84" for the 84th Airdrome Squadron on the cowling.
Following its restoration, the aircraft was test-flown in the Hollandia area and later shipped to the United States for further evaluation. At Wright Field, Dayton, Ohio, it was assigned the designation T2-6430. The aircraft was then transferred to the National Air and Space Museum (NASM) in 1959. In 1960, it was loaned to the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) Museum in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, where it remained until 2003. Subsequently, it was donated to the Museum of Flight in Seattle, Washington. In 2008, the aircraft was loaned to the Pima Air & Space Museum, where it is currently on display.