The planned armament for the Kikka (Kitsuka) was mainly 2x 30mm Type 5 cannons (IJN Interceptor, fighter-bomber and Recce). There was a possibility of 2x 30mm Ho-155 cannons for the IJA or 2x 20mm Type 99 cannons for a special attack variant, but these two variants would have been the minority of Kikka airframes.
So, as far as armament was concerned, 2x 30mm Type 5 cannons was the main type of autocannon that was going to be used.
Bomb load was to be a choice of either 1x 250kg (special attack), 1x 500kg (special attack & fighter-bomber) or 1x 800kg bomb (fighter bomber).
IJN requirements for the Kikka were that the aircraft should be highly maneuverable with a tight turn radius. It should also be stable at high speed in order to ensure good target tracking. Wing tip slots were added to eliminate wing tip stalls at high AoA and high G maneuvers.
Pilot protection consisted of a 50mm bullet proof windshield and 12mm steel plate in front and behind the pilot. The fuel tanks were equipped with an automatic fire-extinguishing system.
An interesting feature of the Kikka was that its wings could be folded in order to hide the aircraft in caves and tunnels from bombing raids.
While the takeoff run might have been longer than that of Japanese piston engine aircraft, the Kikka actually required considerably less runway to take off and land than an Me-262. Remember, the Kikka is a lot lighter... almost half the weight of an Me-262.
This meant the Kikka had roughly the same thrust to weight ratio as an Me-262. The lighter overall weight would however make the Kikka much more maneuverable. The stall speed of the Kikka was considerably lower than that of the Me-262.
Landing speed for the Kikka was also lower at only 148km/h, while in an Me-262 the landing approach is 250km/h with touch down at around 200 km/h. The Kikka's first test flight was conducted without any RATO. The Kikka's takeoff run required only 725m. By comparison an Me-262 requires 1,100m. With RATO the Kikka's takeoff run would be reduced to only 350m. After the test flight the Kikka required only 600m to come to a complete stop. An Me-262 by comparison required between 900-1,100m to come to a stop.
The Kikka's test flights were conducted using low quality fuel consisting of Pine-Root Distillate with 20-30% gasoline.
After the test flight the test pilot said the Ne-20 engines performed perfectly and that he had no recommendations on anything that needed to be improved. Post flight inspection also showed that the engines were in good condition.
The Ne-20 engine was roughly ¾ the size and weight of the BMW 003A. It was noted by a U.S. Navy report dated 1945, that the Japanese Ne-20 sacrificed none of the German engines good qualities, and would have performed similarly on an aircraft to BMW 003's.
The Kikka's Ne-20 engines had very good throttle response for a jet engine of that time, requiring just 11 seconds to spool up to maximum rpm (11,000rpm) after engine start. By comparison, the Me-262's Junkers Jumo engines required 40 seconds to spool up from idle to full throttle.
Performance estimates and requirements varied from variant to variant, the difference in performance being mainly due to the weapons load.
One requirement for instance was that the Ne-20 equipped Kikka should be able to fly all the way to its target at sea level at a speed of 620km/h with a 500kg bomb.
Range at maximum power at sea level with a 500kg bomb was to be at least 350km. Range at cruising speed was 792km.
Max continuous speed requirement at 6000m for the fighter-bomber, as well as the Ne-20 equipped two seat trainer and Ne-20 equipped recce was 721km/h.
Variants using the uprated Ne-20 Kai engines were projected to have a maximum continuous speed of 785 km/h at 6000m and a range or 843km.
Maximum speed estimate for the special attack variant was 888km/h at 10,000m.
Service ceiling was estimated at 12,300m (40,354ft).
Definitive versions of the Kikka Interceptor was to use the Ne-130 or Ne-330 engines, each developing 900kg or 1,300kg thrust respectively (1,984lb or 2,866lb).
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