This section covers four Japanese Imperial Navy aircraft used during World War II. Japanese aircraft were at least the equals of anything then flying in the West, and in some cases (as with the legendary Shiden-Kai fighter) were substantially better.
- The Shiden-Kai was one of the best fighters produced for the Japanese Navy during the last year of WWII. It was a ground-based variant of the Kawanishi seaplane fighter and proved to be one of the best "all-round" fighters operational in the Pacific. Many people consider the Shiden is a fascinating plane. If more of them were built the war would have lasted for a longer period of time and the Japanese would have won.
- The unique design features included a four-bladed propeller and the wing flaps which operated automatically to increase "lift" when necessary during extreme maneuvers. The device, operated with electricity and oil pressure using a U-shaped tube containing mercury, was an important factor in the aircraft's maneuverability in combat. The NASM George came from Omura Japan right after WWII and was acquired by Smithsonian in 1983. Its restoration project was completed in November 1994.
- The Aichi Seiran aircraft were specially designed for deployment from I-400 class Japanese super-submarines. The planes can "fold" down to fit in an 11-foot 6-inch hangar tube. They were designed to bomb the locks of the Panama Canal during World War II. While twenty-eight Aichi Seirans were built, none ever flew a combat mission.
- Museum's aircraft is the only survivor of the 28 Seirans built. Seiran never received an Allied codename and Allies unaware of its existence until after Japan's surrender.
- The Ohka was the first known aircraft designed specifically for suicide missions. The Ohka was a human-guided missile specifically designed to allow a pilot with very limited training to crash himself at high speed into an Allied warship.
- Kugisho built 755 Model 11s and finished 50 Model 22s while production shifted to underground factories. Only three engines were built for Ohka 22, so most of the airframes remained incomplete and the war ended before any Ohka 22s saw combat. Museum's missile is the only Ohka 22 still in existence.
Nakajima J1N1-S Gekko (“Irving”)
- Nakajima Hikoki K. K. J1N1-S Gekko was the first Japanese aircraft designed and built specifically to intercept and destroy other aircraft at night and in poor weather. It was a twin-engine long-range escort fighter, a reconnaissance aircraft, and also a night fighter with all-metal construction with fabric-covered control surfaces. Gekko achieved some notable successes during three years of service with the Japanese Navy.
- On the night of May 21, 1943, the modified Gekko intercepted and shot down a pair of B-17 bombers. This immediate success caught the attention of the Naval Staff and they ordered Nakajima to begin full-scale production. At this time, no one in Allied intelligence circles expected the Japanese to field an effective night fighter and months passed before anyone discovered what lay behind a string of regular and mysterious losses of both B-17 and B-24 bombers.
- In January 1945, Lt. Sachio Endo was credited with destroying eight B-29s and damaging another eight before he fell to the gun crews of a B-29. Another Gekko crew shot down five B-29s in one night. By war's end, Nakajima had built 486 Gekkos. Although the Gekko night fighter was an able night fighter, there were never enough to significantly impact the air war. The Museum's J1N1-S Gekko is the only one remaining today.
