Hmmm.... Seems to me that someone here is trying to rewrite history regarding the Bearcat.
The Bearcat did not pass all of its acceptance testing until May 1945 even though production had started a bit earlier.
A perfectly working Ki 84 apparently was a rarity, but even if it having its best day, it would have had quite a challenge with the F4U-4 which actually DID see combat unlike the F8F-1 which never quite made it. The F8F-1 would not have had that much of an advantage in speed over a perfectly functioning Hayate except at Sea Level. It would have had a serious advantage in climb rate, but also had some G limitations due to structural issues that never really were solved.
- Ivan.
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