SI 2009–12406
Air combat during World War II pushed aircraft development in new directions. Both Allied and Axis countries tried to develop aircraft that would provide performance advantages over the enemy’s designs. The Kyushu J7W1 Shinden (Magnificent Lightning) was one such aircraft. Its rear engine configuration and unusual shape made it one of the most distinctive aircraft of the war.
The J7W1 Shinden was the brainchild of Capt. Masaoko Tsuruno of the technical staff of the Imperial Japanese Navy. Encouraging glider test results prompted the Japanese navy to assign the prototype project to the Kyushu Hikoki K. K. firm—chosen for its availability to take on new work, not for its advanced design expertise. Because of this, additional engineers, including Tsuruno, were assigned to complete the project.
The Shinden was conceived as a jet-powered aircraft. However, a piston engine driving a six-bladed propeller was initially installed. The large rear-mounted propeller required an unusually long tricycle landing gear. Swept-back wings, vertical fins mounted inboard of the ailerons, and a canard highlighted its futuristic appearance. A powerful armament package of four 30 mm cannons mounted in the nose offset the heavy rear-mounted engine.
Work began on the J7W1 in June of 1944. Japan’s precarious military situation forced the navy to order the Shinden into production even before the prototype was finished. Due to delays, the first prototype did not fly until just 12 days before the war ended. Captain Tsuruno made three flights in the Shinden prototype clocking a total of only 45 minutes of flying time. This aircraft is the one pictured. A second prototype was delivered, but never flown. The turbojet-powered model, which might have solved the problems revealed in the test flights of the prototype, was still on the drawing board at war’s end.
The cockpit of the J7W1 Shinden presented a clean, modern appearance with control cables and linkages hidden behind panels. The main panel was basic with the flight-control instruments clustered in the center and engine instruments to the left. The cockpit overall shows the effects of having been modified for American flight-testing after capture. The control panel has several instruments that have been either added, relocated, or are missing. One such item is the gunsight, which was mounted near the top center of the panel. Unfortunately, the poor quality of the alloy used in the structure of the aircraft is likely to make future restoration a daunting challenge.
THE SIZABLE PROTOTYPE SHINDEN BEING SURVEYED BY AN AMERICAN INTELLIGENCE TEAM.
SI 2009–9041