Mitsubishi J4M1 "Senden"

This radical Imperial Japanese Naval Air Force interceptor project provides the subject matter for the second in a regular series devoted to the lesser-known projects from the annals of Japanese aviation.

The Mitsubishi J4M Senden ("Flashing Lighting") or Navy Experimental 17-Shi Otsu B Type Interceptor Fighter Senden, Allied reporting name Luke, was a Japanese World War II fighter aircraft proposed by Mitsubishi for use by the Imperial Japanese Navy. The J4M project did not proceed beyond the design stage.

To provide the Imperial Japanese Navy with a land-based high-performance interceptor aircraft, Mitsubishi designed the J4M. It was to have been a single-seat, twin-boom, low-wing monoplane with a central nacelle housing an unstepped cockpit and a 1,590-kilowatt (2,130-hp) Mitsubishi Ha-43 radial engine behind the pilot driving a four-bladed pusher propeller rotating between the booms. The booms were to extend aft from the leading edge of the wing and were mounted below the central nacelle. The aircraft was to have had tricycle landing gear and an armament of one 30-mm and two 20-mm cannon.

Design of the initial J4M1 version ended when the Navy put its support behind the competing Kyūshū J7W fighter, and Mitsubishi did not build a prototype. The Allies nonetheless assigned the J4M the reporting name "Luke" during World War II.

Specifications
General characteristics
    Crew: One
    Length: 13.00 m (42 ft 8 in)
    Wingspan: 12.5 m (41 ft 0 in)
    Height: 4.10 m (13 ft 5 in)
    Wing area: 22.00 sq m (236.80 sq ft)
    Empty weight: 3,400 kg (7,496 lbs)
    Max takeoff weight: 5,255 kg (11,585 lbs)
    Powerplant: 1 × Mitsubishi Ha-43[4] radial piston engine, 1,590 kW (2,130 hp)
Performance
    Maximum speed: 703 km/h (437 mph; 380 knots) at 8,000 m (26,245 ft)
    Cruising speed: 500 km/h (310.5 mph; 270 knots)
    Service ceiling: 12,000 m (39,370 ft)
Armament
    1× 30-mm cannon
    2× 20-mm cannon

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