The Shinden was a plane first conceptualized by the Japanese military in 1943, and first flown on a test flight in 1945. Even before the test flight, the Japanese Navy had ordered production of the plane. However Japan’s surrender in 1945 stopped production, and in the end only two of the planes were produced. One was scrapped, and the other was taken to the US for study by the American government.
The Shinden was to have been used as a short ranged, land based interceptor to protect the Japanese mainland. It had high maneuverability, and was armed with four 30mm Type 5 Autocannons, and could carry up to four 130lb bombs. (I believe the bombs would have been Type 2 No.6 Model 5s, but I can not confirm.)
A replica of the plane was made for the movie Godzilla Minus One. After filming, the replica plane was donated to the Tachiarai Peace Memorial Museum in Chikuzen, Fukuoka, Japan.
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A little know fact is that the one that was “scrapped” was actually lost fighting giant sea creatures!
It’s just crazy that the plane in the movie was not just a drawing board design taken from history, but the real thing had actually flown and actually impressed the Japanese military with its capability. Usually weird WW2 designs in movies either never existed outside of blueprints, or didn’t work in real life.
…and thus became fodder for Imperial Japan what-if wankery everywhere.
The nose and cockpit section of the fuselage is on display in the National Air and Space Museum in Virginia. “Other parts” are preserved in storage, although it is unclear if they mean the remaining fuselage, engine, and wings, or if those were destroyed following examination.
Sure, no other nation had a fighter plane folded over 1000 times.
