Second World War Archives - Page 13 of 40

Kawanishi N1K2-J Shiden-Kai

Developed from the Kawanishi N1K1-J Shiden, the N1K2-J addressed the major defects present in its predecessor, primarily the mid-mounted wing and long landing gear. The wing was lowered, thereby shortening the landing gear, while the fuselage was lengthened and the tail unit redesigned. The design changes resulted in a lightening of the fighter by 250 kg.

Despite its continued reliability issues, the Homare engine was retained as there was no alternative available. Armament was maintained at four 20mm cannon all located in the wings. First flying on 1 January 1944, it was named Shiden-Kai (kai meaning modified), while the Allies maintained the code-name George.

A total of 406 Kawanishi K1N2-J Shiden-Kai fighters were built.

Kawanishi N1K2-J Shiden-Kai in US Markings

Kawanishi N1K1-J Shiden

The Kawanishi N1K1-J Shiden (Allied code name George; Japanese translation: Violet Lightning) was a land based version of the Kawanishi N1K1 Kyofu (Rex). Not only were the bulky floats removed, but a more powerful engine was fitted producing a fast and maneuverable fighter, the equal of the latest Allied aircraft. The Nakajima NK9A Homare 11 18-cylinder radial engine, produced 1650hp compared to the1,460hp of the MK4C Kasei 13 of the N1K1 Kyofu.

The mid-fuselage wing was retained, which required a long undercarriage. This proved to be structurally weak with many failures occurring. Gun armament was increased to two 20mm cannon in each wing (two of which were mounted in underwing gondolas), while retaining the two nose mounted 7.7-mm machineguns. Three other production versions were produced:

N1K1-Ja with nose guns deleted and all cannon mounted inside the wings
N1K1-Jb with underwing racks for two 250-kg bombs
N1K1-Jc with racks for four 250-kg bombs

A total of 1,007 Kawanishi N1K1-J Shiden were built. The N1K1 was further developed into the Kawanishi N1K2 with a redesigned fuselage and the wing moved to the lower fuselage.

Kawanishi N1K1-J Shiden in US Markings

Kawanishi N1K1-J George painted in the markings of the Army Air Forces Technical Air Intelligence Unit

Kawanishi N1K1 Kyofu

The Kawanishi N1K1 Kyofu (Allied code name Rex) was a single seat floatplane fighter. It was designed to support offensive operations where no forward airstrips were available. However, by the time it became operational, Japan was on the defensive and the role for the fighter had disappeared. As a consequence, only 97 were built.

Kawanishi produced a private venture of the Kyofu as a land plane fighter. Without the penalty of the large float, performance was significantly improved. It was produced as the Kawanishi N1K1-J Shiden and further refined as the Kawanishi N1K2-J Shiden-Kai.