Kawanishi E15K Shiun

Kawanishi · Japan · first flew 1941 · reconnaissance aircraft

The Kawanishi E15K Shiun was a single-engined Japanese reconnaissance floatplane of the Second World War. The Allied reporting name was Norm.

Recognition (WEFT)

W — Wings	Low-mounted, straight
E — Engines	1 × piston, nose-mounted
F — Fuselage	Single large main float under the fuselage on a pylon
T — Tail	Conventional

WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.

Spot it by:

Single radial engine driving contra-rotating propellers
Single large main float under the fuselage on a pylon
Pair of stabilising floats under the wings

A low-wing single-engined floatplane with a single big float on a pylon below the fuselage and a contra-rotating propeller pair on the nose.

Specifications

The Kawanishi E15K Shiun has a length of 11.59 m (38 ft).
It has a wingspan of 14 m (46 ft).
Its maximum speed is 469 km/h (291 mph).
Typical crew: 2.

Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.

History

Development began in 1939 to a Japanese Navy request for a high-performance floatplane able to evade Allied land-based fighters. The first prototype flew on 5 December 1941, and its unorthodox features included contra-rotating propellers, a laminar flow wing section and a partly jettisonable retractable float system.

Variants

The retractable float arrangement proved troublesome and was replaced by a fixed one, which needed the more powerful Mitsubishi Kasei 24 engine to make up for the extra drag.

Where you'll see it

The E15K became operational on 30 April 1944 and was sent to Palau two months later. Fifteen were built, production having ended in February 1944, and the type did not perform well in service.

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