J7W1

J7W1

J5N1

J2M3

J7W1

J5N1

J2M3

Japan

IV Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
5.7	6.0	5.7

Class:

Fighter

Research:46 000

Purchase:155 000

Show in game

Description

The J7W1 Shinden is a rank IV Japanese fighter with a battle rating of 5.7 (AB/SB) and 6.0 (RB). It was introduced in Update 1.43.

The J7W1 Shinden is a bomber interceptor designed to make quick work of raiding bomber aircraft. It has exceptional performance at altitude, more than exceptional armament and a decent climb rate. Double the weight of a fully loaded A6M, and definitely heaps faster to make up for it. This aircraft thrives with boom and zoom, and has a great energy retention at speed due to sleek aerodynamics. Inherently less stable than a normal tail plane thanks to a rear mounted engine push thrust configuration canard design, it is known for rapid pitch angle changes, great roll rate and less drag, by design. The flap system does not work in game currently however it enhances negative G two fold, at the cost of your speed. The aircraft is very prone to fires however, a single hit to the fuel tanks will result in an inextinguishable flame that will for sure be your demise.

General info

Flight performance

The J7W1 Shinden has a maximum speed of 892 km/h (558 mph/485 kt) IAS (this is Vne speed - the absolute maximum speed). In a dive from service ceiling, a speed of mach 0.9 has been recorded and is sustained until IAS speed limit is reached. The aircraft can handle a max load of 11G and compresses rudder, pitch and roll at extremely high IAS speed in order of descending effect.

Characteristics
Stock
Max Speed (km/h at 8,500 m)		Max altitude (meters)	Turn time (seconds)		Rate of climb (meters/second)		Take-off run (meters)
AB	RB		AB	RB	AB	RB
723	703	12500	31.5	32.2	15.3	15.3	650
Upgraded
Max Speed (km/h at 8,500 m)		Max altitude (meters)	Turn time (seconds)		Rate of climb (meters/second)		Take-off run (meters)
AB	RB		AB	RB	AB	RB
???	750	12500	??.?	30.0	??.?	18.6	650

Details

Features
Combat flaps	Take-off flaps	Landing flaps	Air brakes	Arrestor gear
✓	✓	✓	X	X

Limits
Wing-break speed (km/h)	Gear limit (km/h)	Combat flaps (km/h)	Max Static G
			+	-
900	450	520	~8	~6

Optimal velocities
Ailerons (km/h)	Rudder (km/h)	Elevators (km/h)	Radiator (km/h)
< 563	< 560	< 560	> 314

Compressor (RB/SB)
Setting 1
Optimal altitude	100% Engine power	WEP Engine power
8,400 m	1,660 hp	1,942 hp

Survivability and armour

The J7W1 is protected by armour glass (70 mm) in front of pilot and steel armour plate (17 mm) in front of pilot in between guns. It is very prone to fires, and which are difficult to extinguish. Engine snipes are common, due to the position of the engine. Wing tip damage can increase the likelyhood of unrecoverable flat spins.

Armaments

Offensive armament

The J7W1 is armed with:

• 4 x 30 mm Type 5 navy cannons, nose-mounted (60 rpg = 240 total)

Muzzle velocities

• Shells: HEF-T, PT, P: 910 m/s
• Shells: HEF-I, HEF: 720 m/s
• Tracer: 910 m/s
• All other belts: Mixed shell velocities, see above.

Suspended armament

The J7W1 can be outfitted with the following ordnance:

• Without load
• 2 x 60 kg Navy Type 97 Number 6 bombs (120 kg total)
• 4 x 60 kg Navy Type 97 Number 6 bombs (240 kg total)

Usage in battles

The Shinden is armed with 4 x 30 mm frontal cannons, making it quite the slugger. Due to its slow turn time, it is usually best for the pilot to engage enemy fighters head-on, or from above and behind since usually, a single burst of shots can easily knock even heavy bombers out of the sky. Regarding fire from bomber gunners and head on engagements, the plane's armour enables it to take some beating to the wings, but the pilot is heavily exposed from the front. Should this plane be forced into a turning fight, it will almost certainly lose since its BR means it will face up against faster-turning Spitfires and P-51Ds. Its speed might be used to its advantage in order to retreat or gain some distance before attempting to initiate head-on combat.

Manual Engine Control

MEC elements
Mixer	Pitch	Radiator			Supercharger	Turbocharger
		Oil	Water	Type
Controllable	Controllable Auto control available	Not controllable Not auto controlled	Controllable Auto control available	Combined	Not controllable 1 gear	Not controllable

Modules

Tier	Flight performance		Survivability	Weaponry
I	Fuselage repair	Radiator
II		Compressor	Airframe	Offensive 30 mm
III	Wings repair	Engine
IV		Engine injection	Cover	New 30 mm cannons

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Pilot has some protection in the back from the engine.
• Competitive high speed turn rate
• Good roll rate
• Amazing pitch response
• 4 x 30 mm cannons make for some great offensive firepower.
• Great high speed and handling and dive.
• Since the engine and propeller are located in the rear, it is not likely to take damage or catch fire from shots landing at its front.

Cons:

• Slow sustained turn rate.
• High speed rudder suffers some compression
• Pilot more exposed at the front.
• Since the engine is located in the rear, it is especially vulnerable to enemies behind it.
• Shots to the front may damage its "tail" flaps.
• Armament may detonate
• Fuel tanks are easily flammable and do not self seal fully.

History

The J7W1 Shinden (震電, "Magnificent Lightning") was an Imperial Japanese fighter of WWII that was built near the end of the war in an attempted response to the American B-29 Superfortress bombers. The aircraft used a canard wing formation, (canard wing formation refers to how the main wings are mounted at the rear of the fuselage and smaller wings are placed at the front. Similar to the Curtiss-Wright XP-55 Ascender.) Like the Ascender, the J7W1 was never put into mass-production and was abandoned while still in the prototype stage.

Developed with the intention of intercepting heavy bombers, it was given 4 nose-mounted 30 mm cannons.

Development of the aircraft began in 1944, but shortages of manufacturing supplies continued to delay its development and testing and the first prototype wasn't completed until April 1945. The Navy placed high hopes in the new model and it was originally hoped that the Kyushu's Zasshonokuma factory and Nakajima's Handa plant would be able to produce over a thousand of the aircraft by 1947.

The prototype first flew on 3 August 1945 from Itazuke Air Base. The plane flew a total of three times, each time as a test flight before it was grounded permanently due to the Japanese surrender and end of the war.

Various parts of the Shinden survived the end of the war and its fuselage can be seen at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington DC.

Media

The Shooting Range #60 - Pages of History section at 07:06 discusses the J7W1.

See also

Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:

• reference to the series of the aircraft;
• links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.

External links

• [Forum] Aircraft Datasheet
• [Wikipedia] Kyushu J7W

Kyūshū Aircraft Co. Ltd. (九州飛行機株式会社)
Fighters	J7W1
	Previously known as Watanabe Iron Works Co. Ltd. (渡辺鉄工株式会社) prior to 1943 before being split into Kyūshū Aircraft & Kyūshū Weapons.