The Kyūshū J7W Shinden (震電, "Magnificent Lightning") was a World War IIJapanese propeller-driven prototypefighter with wings at the rear of the fuselage, a nose-mounted canard, and pusher engine.
Developed by the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) as a short-range, land-based interceptor, the J7W was a response to Boeing B-29 Superfortress raids on the Japanese home islands. For interception missions, the J7W was to be armed with four forward-firing 30 mm type 5 cannons in the nose.
The Shinden was expected to be a highly maneuverable interceptor, but only two prototypes were finished before the end of war. A jet engine–powered version was considered, but never even reached the drawing board.
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 be retrofitted with a turbojet, when suitable engines became available.[4][5] His ideas were worked out by the First Naval Air Technical Arsenal (Dai-Ichi Kaigun Koku Gijitsusho), which designed three gliders designated Yokosuka 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 from Dai-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 hp Mitsubishi 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 the Shinden.
Even before the first prototype took to the air, the Navy ordered the J7W1 into production,[9] with a quota of 30 Shinden a month given to Kyushu's Zasshonokuma factory and 120 from Nakajima's Handa plant.[9] It was estimated some 1,086 Shinden could be produced between April 1946 and March 1947.[8]
On 3 August 1945, the prototype first flew, with Tsuruno at the controls, from Mushiroda Airfield.[10][4][11] Two more short flights were made, a total of 45 minutes airborne, one each on the same days as the atomic 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 the Shinden ever completed. After the end of the war, one was scrapped; the other was claimed by a U.S. Navy Technical Air Intelligence Unit in late 1945, dismantled, and shipped to the United States.[12] (Some sources claim that the USN took the first built while others state that it was the second.)
The sole surviving J7W1 was reassembled, but has never been flown in the United States; the USN transferred it to the Smithsonian Institution in 1960.[13] Its forward fuselage is currently on display at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center annex (at Dulles Airport) of the National 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, the Garber Facility in Suitland, Maryland.[14]
^Chambers, Mark (2018). Wings of the Rising Sun: Uncovering the Secrets of Japanese Fighters and Bombers of World War II. Bloomsbury. ISBN9781472823717.
WATANABE ENGINEERING CORPORATION (1943-1945 Kyūshū Hikōki K.K.) 2018-01-12 at the Wayback Machine - About Shinden (in Japanese)
Kyushu J7W Shinden (Magnificent Lightning)
Shinden on tanks45.tripod.com
Actual flight test footage on www.youtube.com
August 28, 2023
kyushu, shinden, kyūshū, shinden, 震電, magnificent, lightning, world, japanese, propeller, driven, prototype, fighter, with, wings, rear, fuselage, nose, mounted, canard, pusher, engine, shindenprototype, completed, j7w1, 1945, role, interceptormanufacturer, ky. The Kyushu J7W Shinden 震電 Magnificent Lightning was a World War II Japanese propeller driven prototype fighter with wings at the rear of the fuselage a nose mounted canard and pusher engine J7W ShindenPrototype of the completed J7W1 in 1945 Role InterceptorManufacturer Kyushu Hikōki K K Designer IJNAS Capt Masaoki TsurunoFirst flight 5 April 1945 1 Status Abandoned as prototypePrimary user Imperial Japanese NavyNumber built 2Developed by the Imperial Japanese Navy IJN as a short range land based interceptor the J7W was a response to Boeing B 29 Superfortress raids on the Japanese home islands For interception missions the J7W was to be armed with four forward firing 30 mm type 5 cannons in the nose The Shinden was expected to be a highly maneuverable interceptor but only two prototypes were finished before the end of war A jet engine powered version was considered but never even reached the drawing board Contents 1 Design and development 2 Surviving aircraft 3 Specifications J7W1 4 See also 5 References 5 1 Notes 5 2 Bibliography 6 External linksDesign and development EditIn the IJN designation system J referred to land based fighters and W to Watanabe 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 be retrofitted with a turbojet when suitable engines became available 4 5 His ideas were worked out by the First Naval Air Technical Arsenal Dai Ichi Kaigun Koku Gijitsusho which designed three gliders designated Yokosuka 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 from Dai 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 hp Mitsubishi 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 the Shinden Even before the first prototype took to the air the Navy ordered the J7W1 into production 9 with a quota of 30 Shinden a month given to Kyushu s Zasshonokuma factory and 120 from Nakajima s Handa plant 9 It was estimated some 1 086 Shinden could be produced between April 1946 and March 1947 8 On 3 August 1945 the prototype first flew with Tsuruno at the controls from Mushiroda Airfield 10 4 11 Two more short flights were made a total of 45 minutes airborne one each on the same days as the atomic 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 Surviving aircraft Edit Kyushu J7W1 Shinden fuselage at the National Air and Space Museum Washington DCThe two prototypes were the only examples of the Shinden ever completed After the end of the war one was scrapped the other was claimed by a U S Navy Technical Air Intelligence Unit in late 1945 dismantled and shipped to the United States 12 Some sources claim that the USN took the first built while others state that it was the second The sole surviving J7W1 was reassembled but has never been flown in the United States the USN transferred it to the Smithsonian Institution in 1960 13 Its forward fuselage is currently on display at the Steven F Udvar Hazy Center annex at Dulles Airport of the National 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 the Garber Facility in Suitland Maryland 14 A full scale replica of the Shinden on display at the Tachiarai Peace Memorial MuseumA replica of the J7W1 built by a production company in Tokyo was unveiled at the Tachiarai Peace Memorial Museum in July 2022 15 Specifications J7W1 Edit Computer graphic images of J7W1 as viewed from several angles Photo of scale model J7WData from Japanese Aircraft of the Pacific War 11 General characteristicsCrew 1 Length 9 66 m 31 ft 8 in Wingspan 11 114 m 36 ft 6 in Height 3 92 m 12 ft 10 in Wing area 20 5 m2 221 sq ft Empty weight 3 645 kg 8 036 lb Gross weight 4 928 kg 10 864 lb Max takeoff weight 5 228 kg 11 526 lb Powerplant 1 Mitsubishi Ha 43 Model 12 unified MK9D IJNAS 18 cylinder air cooled radial piston engine 1 590 kW 2 130 hp for take off 16 1 730 hp 1 290 kW at 0 m 0 ft 1 850 hp 1 380 kW at 2 000 m 6 600 ft 1 660 hp 1 240 kW at 8 400 m 27 600 ft dd dd Propellers 6 bladed metal constant speed pusher propellerPerformance Maximum speed 750 km h 470 mph 400 kn at 8 700 m 28 500 ft Cruise speed 422 km h 262 mph 228 kn at 4 000 m 13 000 ft Range 852 km 529 mi 460 nmi Service ceiling 12 000 m 39 000 ft Time to altitude 8 000 m 26 000 ft in 10 minutes 40 seconds Wing loading 240 4 kg m2 49 2 lb sq ft Power mass 3 1 kg kW 5 1 lb hp Armament Guns 4 30 mm 1 181 in Type 5 cannon with 60 rpg Bombs 4 30 kg 66 lb or 4 60 kg 130 lb bombsSee also EditAircraft of comparable role configuration and era Ambrosini SS 4 Curtiss Wright XP 55 Ascender Miles M 35 LibellulaRelated lists List of military aircraft of Japan List of fighter aircraftReferences EditNotes Edit J7W1 wp scn ru en ww2 Archived from the original on 14 March 2010 Retrieved 19 August 2010 Imperial Navy fighters names historyofwar org Retrieved 19 August 2010 Francillon 1979 pp 50 55 and 549 557 a b c d e Shinden tanks45 tripod com Retrieved 19 August 2010 Francillon 1979 p 335 Francillon 1979 pp 335 336 a b c Francillon 1979 p 336 a b Green 1961 p 39 a b c Francillon 1979 p 337 Chambers Mark 2018 Wings of the Rising Sun Uncovering the Secrets of Japanese Fighters and Bombers of World War II Bloomsbury ISBN 9781472823717 a b c d Francillon 1979 p 338 Smithsonian Institution 1999 Kyushu J7W1 Shinden Magnificent Lightning Archived 2010 04 08 at the Wayback Machine March 24 2012 Smithsonian Institution 1999 Kyushu J7W1 Shinden Magnificent Lightning National Air and Space Museum Retrieved 15 May 2015 幻の戦闘機 震電 のレプリカ 福岡 筑前町の大刀洗平和記念館に 朝日新聞デジタル 朝日新聞デジタル in Japanese 2022 07 07 Retrieved 2022 09 13 Mitsubishi Ha 43 Model 11 Ha 211 Ru Radial 18 Engine National Air and Space Museum 20 March 2016 Retrieved 6 April 2019 Bibliography Edit Green William 1961 War Planes of the Second World War v 3 seventh impression 1973 ed London Macdonald amp Co ISBN 0 356 01447 9 Francillon Rene 1979 Japanese Aircraft of the Pacific War London Putnam amp Company Limited ISBN 0 370 30251 6 Bunrindo Famous Airplanes of the World No 102 J7W1 Shinden External links Edit Wikimedia Commons has media related to Kyushu J7W Shinden Kyushu J7W1 Shinden Magnificent Lightning Archived 2010 04 08 at the Wayback Machine National Air and Space Museum WATANABE ENGINEERING CORPORATION 1943 1945 Kyushu Hikōki K K Archived 2018 01 12 at the Wayback Machine About Shinden in Japanese Kyushu J7W1 Shinden Japanese site Kyushu J7W Shinden Magnificent Lightning Shinden on tanks45 tripod com Actual flight test footage on www youtube com Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Kyushu J7W Shinden amp oldid 1157370067, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
