The Ki-83 was designed as a long range heavy fighter, designed by a team led by Tomio Kubo who also designed the Mitsubishi Ki-46. The Ki-83 was designed as an answer to a 1943 specification for a new heavy fighter with long range.
The first prototype flew for the first time on 18th November 1944 and it was followed by three more prototypes. They showed great maneuverability for an airplane of that size. The prototypes were able of performing a 671 m (2.200 ft) diameter loop in 31 seconds at a speed of 644 km/h (400 mph).
The Ki-83 was powered by two Mitsubishi Ha-43 Ru 18-cylinder air-cooled radial engines rated at 2.200 hp each and drove a four-bladed propeller. They were armed with two 30 mm Ho-155 cannons plus two more 20 mm Ho-5 cannons mounted in the nose.
In spite of the American bombing campaign against Japan, the Ki-83 was set for mass production when Japan surrendered on 15th August 1945.
Both the existence and performance were kept secret during the war, even in Japan. In fact, it was completely unknown for the Allies, as demonstrated by the fact that it had not a reporting name. Most of the existing photographs of the type were taken during the post-war occupation of Japan, when the prototypes were seized by the United States Army Air Force (USAAF) and was repainted with American insignia.
One prototype was tested by American aeronautical engineers and other experts and, when flying with high-octane fuel, it achieved a speed of 762 km/h (473 mph) at an altitude of 7.000 m (23.000 ft).
There were also plans for a reconnaissance variant, named Ki-95 and for a further development, named Ki-103, but they didn't go beyond the drawing board.
Sources:
1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mitsubishi_Ki-83
2. https://www.valka.cz/Micubisi-Ki-83-t1293
3. https://www.militaryfactory.com/aircraft/detail.php?aircraft_id=1469
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