Kyushu J7W Shinden
Kyushu Aircraft Company · Japan · first flew 1945 · fighter
The Kyushu J7W Shinden ('Magnificent Lightning') was a radical Japanese canard interceptor designed to defend the home islands against B-29 raids in 1945.
Recognition (WEFT)
| W — Wings | Mid-mounted, delta |
|---|---|
| E — Engines | 1 × piston, fuselage-mounted |
| F — Fuselage | 9.76 m fuselage |
| T — Tail | No tailplane |
WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.
Spot it by:
- canard foreplanes
- pusher propeller at tail
- swept delta main wing
The canard layout is unmistakable: large swept foreplanes sit well ahead of the six-bladed pusher propeller, and the main wing carries prominent winglet-style vertical fins. No other production-era Japanese fighter shares this configuration.
Specifications
- The Kyushu J7W Shinden has a length of 9.76 m (32 ft).
- It has a wingspan of 11.11 m (36 ft).
- Its maximum speed is 750 km/h (466 mph).
- Typical crew: 1.
Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.
History
Conceived by Commander Masaoki Tsuruno and developed at breakneck pace from 1944, the Shinden placed the horizontal stabiliser forward of the wing as canard foreplanes — an almost unheard-of configuration for a piston fighter. Only two prototypes were completed and barely six hours of flight time accumulated before Japan's surrender ended the programme.
Variants
Two flying prototypes were built; a proposed jet-powered J7W2 version never progressed beyond drawings.
Where you'll see it
Never reached operational service; one surviving airframe is preserved at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C.
Related aircraft
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