Kawanishi Aircraft Company

The Kawanishi Aircraft Company (川西航空機, Kawanishi kо̄kūki) was a Japanese aircraft manufacturer[1] during World War II.

Kawanishi Aircraft Company
IndustryAircraft production
Founded1920
Defunct1945
SuccessorShin Meiwa Industries
Headquarters
Hyōgo Prefecture
,
Japan

History

The company was founded as Kawanishi Engineering Works in 1920 in Hyōgo Prefecture as an outgrowth of the Kawanishi conglomerate, which had been funding the Nakajima Aircraft Company. Kawanishi built its first aircraft, the Kawanishi K-1 Mail-carrying Aircraft in 1921, and set up an airline, Nippon Koku K.K. (Japan Aviation Co. Ltd) in 1923, designing and building several aircraft for the airline's use. It was forced by the Japanese government to shut down Nippon Koku in 1929, however, with its routes being transferred to the government-owned Nippon Koku Yuso K.K. (Japan Air Transport Co. Ltd.) Kawanishi then split off the former Kawanishi Engineering Works, forming Kawanishi Kokuki KK in 1928, taking all of the Kawanishi Engineering Works' assets.[2][3]

While Kawanishi was best known for its seaplanes, such as the Kawanishi H6K[4] and H8K[5] flying boats, its N1K-J land-based fighter -derived from their Kawanishi N1K1 floatplane fighter[6]- was considered one of the best in the war.[7] After Japan's defeat, the company was reborn as Shin Meiwa Industries (later ShinMaywa), and continued to create flying boats such as the PS-1 and US-2.

Products
Kawanishi N1K
Kawanishi H8K flying boat

Floatplanes
  • E5K - 1931 three-seat reconnaissance floatplane, Kawanishi-built version of Yokosuka E5Y; 20 built
  • E7K - 'Alf' 1933 three-seat reconnaissance floatplane; 533 built
  • E8K - reconnaissance floatplane; lost to the Nakajima E8N
  • E10K - 1934 night reconnaissance/transport flying boat; one built, but cancelled in favor of the Aichi E10A; prototype converted into a transport
  • E11K - 1937 night reconnaissance flying boat; two built, but cancelled in favor of the Aichi E11A
  • E12K
  • E13K - 1938 three-seat reconnaissance floatplane; two built, but cancelled in favor of the Aichi E13A
  • E15K Shiun (紫雲, 'Violet Cloud') - 'Norm' 1941 reconnaissance floatplane; 15 built

Bombers
  • G9K Gunzan - proposed land-based heavy bomber based on the H8K, remained a project
  • K-100 - twin-engine land-based bomber project
  • TB - four-engine heavy bomber project

Flying boats
  • H3K - 1930 patrol/training flying boat; 5 built
  • H6K - 'Mavis' 1936 patrol flying boat developed from the H3K; 215 built
  • H8K - 'Emily' 1941 patrol flying boat; 167 built
  • H11K Soukuu (Blue Sky) - transport flying boat project; mockup only
  • K-60 - long-range 80 ton flying boat project
  • K-200 - proposed turbojet-powered long-range flying boat, not built
  • KX-3 - 500 ton, 12 engine flying boat project

Fighters
  • K-11 - 1927 carrier-based fighter
  • J3K - interceptor fighter, not built
  • J6K Jinpu (Squall) - interceptor fighter; mockup only
  • N1K Kyōfū (Gale) - 'Rex' 1942 floatplane fighter
  • N1K1-J Shiden (Violet Lightning) - 'George' 1942 land-based fighter conversion of N1K
  • N1K2-J Shiden-KAI (Violet Lightning-modified) - 1943 improved N1K1-J

Trainers
  • K6K - 1938 floatplane trainer prototype; 2 built
  • K8K - 1938 floatplane trainer; 15 built

Transports
  • H6K2-L/H6K4-L - unarmed transport conversions of H6K
  • H8K1-L/H8K2-L/H8K4-L Seikū (Clear Sky) - transport conversions of H8K; H8K4-L remained a project as all H8K4s were lost in 1945
  • H11K1-L - projected transport version of H11K

Suicide attack aircraft
  • Baika (梅花, Plum Blossom) - projected kamikaze aircraft based on the Fieseler Fi 103R, not built

Civil aircraft

References

Notes
  1. Wragg, David W. (1973). A Dictionary of Aviation (first ed.). Osprey. p. 172. ISBN 9780850451634.
  2. Mikesh and Abe 1990, pp. 124–125.
  3. Francillon 1979, p. 20.
  4. Green 1962a, pp. 126–129
  5. Green 1962a, pp. 131–135
  6. Green 1962b, pp. 123–126
  7. Francillon 1979, p. 323.

Bibliography
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