The Ki-108 design, while stemming some from the Ki-102 was also based on another projected Kawasaki heavy fighter - a single-seat, twin-engined form being developed the aforementioned "Ki-96". This model had been in the works since the middle of 1942 and seemed to fit the new IJA requirement rather well so it was pushed forward with some of the qualities of the Ki-102 to make for an all-new aircraft. The Ki-96 was another intended successor to the Ki-45 but failed in this respect - three prototypes were all that was realized of the project.
With that in mind, the Ki-108 became something of a culmination of both the Ki-96 and Ki-102 outings, the Ki-102 borrowing the wings and tail of its progenitor though the Ki-108 given an all-new tail unit. Its cockpit would be hermetically sealed and feature a "double-glazed" canopy so as not to require the engines to produce the needed compressed air. Work on the Ki-108 in 1944 which yielded a prototype for July in rather short order and a second one followed that August. Flight trials were conducted without the intended turbosuperchargers.
Beyond the Ki-108 was the ki-108 KAI given a longer fuselage and wider spanning wing mainplanes (as introduced with the Ki-102-Hei), These were changes meant to improve high-altitude handling and performance so two additional prototypes were contracted for and the first arrived in March of 1945. A second aircraft came in May but the pair simply could not evolve fast enough for Japan's worsening war fortunes and its flight trails ended prematurely with the conclusion of the Pacific War in August 1945. The Ki-108 KAI improved upon overall speed (375 miles per hour) and range (1,370 miles).
The four aircraft were all that come from the Ki-108 endeavor, its design never truly finalized and its combat potential remaining unfulfilled.
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