The Kyūshū J7W1 Shinden (震電, "Magnificent Lightning") fighter was a World War II Japanese propeller-driven aircraft prototype that was built in a canard design. The wings were attached to the tail section and stabilizers were on the front. The propeller was also in the rear, in a pusher configuration. It was expected to be a highly maneuverable interceptor, but only two were finished before the end of war. Plans were also drawn up for a jet-powered version (J7W2 Shinden Kai), but this never left the drawing board. The J designation was used by land based fighters of the Imperial Japanese Navy and W is for Watanabe factory produced (later Kyūshū).
The J7W was developed for the Imperial Japanese Navy as a specific response to the B-29 Superfortress raids on the Japanese homeland. For this type of mission, the J7W was armed with 4 forward-firing 30mm cannons in the nose. It was to be operated from land bases. The canard concept was tested first by building a number of gliders with this layout, designated MXY6.
The first prototype, the only one to have flown, is currently in storage at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington D.C.
General characteristics:
Crew: one, pilot
Length: 9.66 m (31 ft 8 in)
Wingspan: 11.11 m (36 ft 5 in)
Height: 3.92 m (12 ft 10 in)
Wing area: 20.5 m² (220 ft²)
Empty weight: 3,645 kg (8,019 lb)
Loaded weight: 4,928 kg (10,841 lb)
Max takeoff weight: 5,288 kg (11,663 lb)
Powerplant: 1× Mitsubishi Ha-43 12, 1,589 kW (2,130 hp)
Performance:
Maximum speed: 750 km/h (469 mph)
Range: 850 km (531 miles)
Service ceiling: 12,000 m (39,360 ft)
Rate of climb: 750 m/min (2,460 ft/min)
Wing loading: 240 kg/m² (49lb/ft²)
Power/mass: 0.32 kW/kg (0.20 hp/lb)
Armament:
Guns: 4 × 30 mm Type 5 cannon
Bombs: Up to 120 kg (264 lb) bombload
