| J4MSenden | |
|---|---|
| General information | |
| Type | Fighter aircraft |
| Manufacturer | Mitsubishi Heavy Industries |
| Primary user | Imperial Japanese Navy (intended) |
| Number built | None |
TheMitsubishi J4MSenden (閃電 "Flashing Lightning") orNavy Experimental 17-Shi Otsu B Type Interceptor FighterSenden,Allied reporting nameLuke, was a JapaneseWorld War IIfighter aircraft proposed byMitsubishi Heavy Industries for use by theImperial Japanese Navy. The J4M project did not proceed beyond the design stage.
To provide the Imperial Japanese Navy with a land-based high-performanceinterceptor aircraft,Mitsubishi designed the J4M. It was to have been a single-seat, twin-boom, low-wing monoplane with a centralnacelle housing an unsteppedcockpit and a 1,590-kilowatt (2,130-hp)Mitsubishi Ha-43[1]radial engine behind the pilot driving a four-bladedpusher propeller rotating between the booms.[2] The booms were to extend aft from the leading edge of the wing and were mounted below the central nacelle.[2] The aircraft was to have had tricyclelanding gear and an armament of one 30-mm and two 20-mm cannon.[2]
Design of the initial J4M1 version ended when the Navy put its support behind the competingKyūshū J7W fighter, and Mitsubishi did not build a prototype.[2] TheAllies nonetheless assigned the J4M the reporting name "Luke" during World War II.[3]
Data fromJapanese Secret Projects:Experimental aircraft of the IJA and IJN 1939-1945[4]
General characteristics
Performance
Armament
Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era
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