Nakajima Kikka

The Nakajima Kikka (橘花; "tachibana flower"), initially designated Kōkoku Nigō Heiki (皇国二号兵器; "Imperial Weapon No. 2"), was Japan's first turbojet-powered aircraft. It was developed late in World War II, and the single completed prototype flew only once, in August 1945, before the end of the conflict. The early development of the Kikka was influenced by, but was not a direct copy of, the Messerschmitt Me 262, the world's first operational jet-powered fighter aircraft. A Japanese military attaché had reported back from Nazi Germany after witnessing trials of the Me 262 in 1942, and a subsequent technical mission to Germany set about transferring the technologies and associated engineering information for the BMW 003 axial-flow turbojet engine and other jet-related material to Japan, although these efforts were not straightforward. During September 1944, the Imperial Japanese Navy requested that Nakajima design an jet-powered combat aircraft capable of speeds of at least 430 miles per hour while carrying a 1,100-pound bomb and possessing an operational range of no less than 125 miles. In line with Imperial Japan's declining military position, it was also stipulated that the airframe should be largely suitable for production by unskilled labour and fitted with foldable wings to better permit its storage within tunnels and aircraft shelters across the home islands. In contrast to the Me 262, the Kikka possessed a more compact airframe and featured a straight wing (instead of a swept wing), and was originally not intended to even have landing gear, although this choice was later reversed. To assist the early jet engines, it was also to be capable of using a pair of rocket-assisted take-off (RATO) boosters. The Kikka featured an all-metal airframe. It was intended to be deployed not only as a tactical bomber but also in the interceptor role. Early on, the designer had intended to power the aircraft using a pair of Tsu-11 motorjets, however, this was switched to a pair of I

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