Nakajima Kikka
Nakajima · Japan · first flew 1945 · bomber
Japan's first jet-powered aircraft, a twin-engine light attack bomber developed late in the Second World War and loosely inspired by reports of the German Me 262.
Recognition (WEFT)
| W — Wings | Low-mounted, straight |
|---|---|
| E — Engines | 2 × turbojet, wing-mounted |
| F — Fuselage | slim tapered fuselage with no propeller |
| T — Tail | Conventional |
WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.
Spot it by:
- twin podded jet engines slung under a straight, unswept low wing
- slim tapered fuselage with no propeller
- wing-fold line on the outer panels for dispersed/underground storage
Unlike the swept-wing Me 262 it was compared to, the Kikka has straight, unswept wings with the two engines mounted low and close to the fuselage.
Specifications
- The Nakajima Kikka has a length of 9.25 m (30 ft).
- It has a wingspan of 10 m (33 ft).
- Its maximum speed is 696 km/h (432 mph).
- Typical crew: 1.
Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.
History
Nakajima designed the Kikka ('Orange Blossom') to be built quickly from non-strategic materials and to fold its wings for storage in caves and tunnels against Allied air raids; it first flew in August 1945, only days before Japan's surrender, and never saw combat.
Variants
A small number of prototypes were completed, with a proposed trainer version and a rocket-boosted take-off variant planned but not realised before the war ended.
Where you'll see it
It never entered operational service, with the programme ending at Japan's surrender; surviving airframes were captured and evaluated by the United States.
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