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The Kyūshū J7W Shinden (震電, "Magnificent Lightning") is a World War II Japanese prototype, propeller-driven fighter plane with wings at the rear of the fuselage, a nose-mounted canard, and a 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&nbsp;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 the War. A jet engine–powered version was considered but never reached the drawing board.

Design and development

thumb|Yokosuka MXY6 research glider built to test the configuration of the Kyushu J7

In the IJN designation system, "J" referred to land-based fighters and "W" to Watanabe Tekkōjo, the company that oversaw the initial design.

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. 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. These were built by Chigasaki Seizo K. K., and one was later fitted with a 22&nbsp;hp Semi 11 (Ha-90) 4-cylinder air-cooled engine.

The feasibility of the canard design was proven by both the powered and unpowered versions of the MXY6 by the end of 1943, and the first prototype was completed in April 1945. The 2,130&nbsp;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. 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, 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.

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. 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.

thumb|A full-scale replica of the Shinden built for the filming of [[Godzilla Minus One on display at the Tachiarai Peace Memorial Museum]]

A 1:1 scale model of the J7W1, built by a then-unknown production company, was unveiled at the Tachiarai Peace Memorial Museum in July 2022. The company was later revealed to be Toho Studios, with the scale model being made for the production of Godzilla Minus One (2023).

Another full scale model with the fictional serial number 53-102 is known to exist, having been placed on display at the Yoichi Space Museum in Yoichi, Hokkaido as part of a temporary exhibit in 2016.

The Shinden was featured prominently in Godzilla Minus One, where one was used against the titular monster.

A modified version of the plane, designated the Sanka Mk.B, was featured heavily in the film The Sky Crawlers.

The Shinden was also featured in Ted Nomura's six issue Kamikaze: 1946 comic of 2000/2001.

The J7W's unflown second prototype is featured in the Oh My Goddess! manga, in the episode/story "On a Wing and a Prayer" (chapter 28, 1990 or 1991).

Specifications (J7W1)

right|thumb|Computer graphic images of J7W1 as viewed from several angles

See also

Notes

References

Bibliography

  • Kyushu J7W1 Shinden (Magnificent Lightning) -National Air and Space Museum
  • WATANABE ENGINEERING CORPORATION (1943-1945 Kyūshū Hikōki K.K.) - 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