Kyushu J7W The Kyūshū J7W1 " Shinden " ( 震電 , " Magnificent Lightning " ) fighter was a World War II Japan ese propeller - driven aircraft prototype that was built in a canard design . The wings were attached to the tail section and stabilizers were on the front . The propeller was also in the rear , in a pusher configuration . Developed by the Imperial Japanese Navy ( IJN ) as a short - range , land - based interceptor , the J7W was a response to B - 29 Superfortress raids on the Japanese home islands . For interception missions , the J7W was to be armed with four forward - firing 30 mm cannon s in the nose . The " Shinden " was expected to be a highly maneuverable interceptor , but only two prototypes were finished before the end of war . Building a gas turbine – powered version was considered but never even reached the drawing board . Design and development . The " J - " designation referred to land - based fighters of the IJN and the " - W - " to Watanabe Tekkōjo , the company that oversaw the initial design ; Watanabe changed its name in 1943 to Kyūshū Hikōki K . K . The idea of a canard - based design originated with Lieutenant Commander Masayoshi Tsuruno , of the technical staff of the IJN in early 1943 . Tsuruno believed the design could easily be retrofit ted with a turbojet , when suitable engines became available . His ideas were worked out by the First Naval Air Technical Arsenal ( " Dai - Ichi Kaigun Koku Gijitsusho " ) , which designed three gliders designated Yokosuka MXY6 , featuring canards . These were built by Chigasaki Seizo K . K . and one was later fitted with a 22 hp Semi 11 ( Ha - 90 ) 4 - cylinder air - cooled engine . The feasibility of the canard design was proven by both the powered and unpowered versions of the MYX6 by the end of 1943 , and the Navy were so impressed by the flight testing , they instructed the Kyushu Aircraft Company to design a canard interceptor around Tsuruno ' s concept . Kyushu was chosen because both its design team and production facilities were relatively unburdened , and Tsuruno was chosen to lead a team from " Dai - Ichi Kaigun Koku Gijitsusho " to aid Kyushu ' s design works . The construction of the first two prototypes started in earnest by June 1944 , stress calculations were finished by January 1945 , and the first prototype was completed in April 1945 . The 2 , 130 hp Mitsubishi MK9D ( Ha - 43 ) radial engine and its supercharger were installed behind the cockpit and drove a six - bladed propeller via an extension shaft . Engine cooling was to be provided by long , narrow , obliquely mounted intakes on the side of the fuselage . It was this configuration that caused cooling problems while running the engine while it was still on the ground . This , together with the unavailability of some equipment parts postponed the first flight of the " Shinden " . Even before the first prototype took to the air the Navy had already ordered the J7W1 into production , with quotas of 30 " Shinden " a month given to Kyushu ' s Zasshonokuma factory and 120 from Nakajima ' s Handa plant . It was estimated some 1 , 086 " Shinden " could be produced between April 1946 and March 1947 . On 3 August 1945 , the prototype first took off , with Tsuruno at the controls , from Itazuke Air Base . Two more short flights were made , a total of 45 minutes airborne , by war ' s end . Flights were successful , but showed a marked torque pull to starboard ( due to the powerful engine ) , some flutter of the propeller blades , and vibration in the extended drive shaft . Surviving aircraft . The two prototypes were the only " Shinden " completed . After the end of the war , one prototype was scrapped ; the other J7W1 was claimed by a US Navy Technical Air Intelligence Unit in late 1945 , dismantled and shipped to the United States . ( Some sources claim that the USN took the first built while others state that it was the second . ) The sole remaining J7W1 was reassembled , but has never been flown in the United States ; the USN transferred it to the Smithsonian Institution in 1960 . It is currently in storage at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington DC . In 1998 it was reported to be located at Building 7 of the U . S . National Air And Space Museum Garber Facility in Suitland , Maryland .