| J7WShinden | |
|---|---|
 Prototype of the completed J7W1 in 1945. | |
| General information | |
| Type | Interceptor |
| Manufacturer | Kyūshū Hikōki K.K. |
| Designer | IJNAS Capt. Masaoki Tsuruno |
| Status | Abandoned as prototype |
| Primary user | Imperial Japanese Navy |
| Number built | 2 |
| History | |
| First flight | 3 August 1945[1] |
TheKyūshū J7WShinden (震電, "Magnificent Lightning") is a World War II Japaneseprototype, propeller-drivenfighter plane with wings at the rear of the fuselage, a nose-mountedcanard, and apusher engine.
Developed by theImperial Japanese Navy (IJN) as a short-range, land-basedinterceptor, the J7W was a response toBoeing B-29 Superfortress raids on theJapanese Home Islands. For interception missions, the J7W was to be armed with four, forward-firing 30 mm type 5 cannons in the nose.
TheShinden was expected to be a highly maneuverable interceptor, but only two prototypes were finished before the end of the War. Ajet engine–powered version was considered but never reached the drawing board.
In theIJN designation system, "J" referred to land-based fighters and "W" toWatanabe Tekkōjo, the company that oversaw the initial design.[2][3]
The idea of a canard-based design originated with Lieutenant Commander Masayoshi Tsuruno of the technical staff of the IJN in early 1943. Tsuruno believed the design could easily beretrofitted with aturbojet, when suitable engines became available.[4][5] His ideas were worked out by theFirst Naval Air Technical Arsenal (Dai-Ichi Kaigun Koku Gijitsusho), which designed three gliders, designatedYokosuka MXY6, featuring canards.[4][6] These were built by Chigasaki Seizo K. K., and one was later fitted with a 22 hp Semi 11 (Ha-90) 4-cylinder air-cooled engine.[7]
The feasibility of the canard design was proven by both the powered and unpowered versions of the MXY6 by the end of 1943,[7] and the Navy were so impressed by the flight testing, they instructed the Kyushu Aircraft Company to design a canard interceptor around Tsuruno's concept. Kyushu was chosen because both its design team and production facilities were relatively unburdened,[7] and Tsuruno was chosen to lead a team fromDai-Ichi Kaigun Koku Gijitsusho to aid Kyushu's design works.[4]
The construction of the first two prototypes started in earnest by June 1944, stress calculations were finished by January 1945,[8] and the first prototype was completed in April 1945. The 2,130 hpMitsubishi MK9D (Ha-43)radial engine and its supercharger were installed behind the cockpit and drove a six-bladed propeller via an extension shaft. Engine cooling was to be provided by long, narrow, obliquely-mounted intakes on the side of the fuselage.[9] It was this configuration that caused cooling problems while running the engine while it was still on the ground. This, together with the unavailability of some equipment parts, postponed the first flight of theShinden.
Even before the first prototype took to the air, the Navy ordered the J7W1 into production,[9] with a quota of thirtyShinden a month given to Kyushu's Zasshonokuma factory and 120 from Nakajima's Handa plant.[9] It was estimated some 1,086Shinden could be produced between April 1946 and March 1947.[8]
On 3 August 1945, the prototype first flew, with Tsuruno at the controls, fromMushiroda Airfield.[4][10][11] Two more short flights were made, a total of 45 minutes airborne, one each on the same days as theatomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki occurred, before the War's end. Flights were successful but showed a marked torque pull to starboard (due to the powerful engine), some flutter of the propeller blades, and vibration in the extended drive shaft.[11]
The two prototypes were the only examples of theShinden ever completed. After the end of the war, one was scrapped; the other was claimed by a U.S. NavyTechnical Air Intelligence Unit in late 1945, dismantled, and shipped to the United States.[12][a]
The sole surviving J7W1 was reassembled, but has never been flown in the United States; the USN transferred it to theSmithsonian Institution in 1960.[13] Its forward fuselage is currently on display at theSteven F. Udvar-Hazy Center annex (at Dulles Airport) of theNational Air and Space Museum in Washington DC.[4][11] According to the NASM, 'miscellaneous parts' are stored at Building 7C at the older storage/annex facility, theGarber Facility in Suitland, Maryland.[14]
A 1:1scale model of the J7W1, built by a then-unknown production company, was unveiled at theTachiarai Peace Memorial Museum in July 2022. The company was later revealed to beToho Studios, with the scale model being made for the production ofGodzilla Minus One (2023).[15][16][17]
Another full scale model with the fictional serial number53-102 is known to exist, having been placed on display at theYoichi Space Museum inYoichi, Hokkaido as part of a temporary exhibit in 2016.[18]
TheShinden was featured prominently inGodzilla Minus One, where one was used against thetitular monster.[19]
A modified version of the plane, designated the Sanka Mk.B, was featured heavily in the filmThe Sky Crawlers.
TheShinden was also featured in Ted Nomura's six issueKamikaze: 1946 comic of 2000/2001.
The J7W's unflown second prototype is featured in theOh, my goddess manga, in the episode/story "On a Wing and a Prayer" (around 1997).
Data from Japanese Aircraft of the Pacific War[11]
General characteristics
Performance
Armament
Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era
Related lists
