IJN Specification 14-Shi (Kawanishi E15K Shiun)

[blackkite]

Hi! KAWANISHI E15K.
Shiun prototype did not have nose top air intake and tail under fin.

 

[blackkite]

Hi! Shiun prototype.

 

[Stargazer]

Fantastic set of pics, blackkite, thanks! I'm just a sucker for anything Aichi or Kawanishi, I adore floatplanes, and the Shiun is definitely one of the all-time best of that type!

 

[Justo Miranda]

Hi

 

[Stargazer]

My own modest contribution to the subject...

 

[blackkite]

Wow many thanks my dear Justo and Sky.
Main float was droppable when emergency situation. However, it was not helpful. ;D
There were some side float support structure shapes....

 

[blackkite]

Oh prototype! Thanks for sharing.
We can see prototype's photo in Sky's post.

 

[Jemiba]

Thank you for that explanation !
IIRC, jettisoning the floats to achieve better performance was intended for the Kawanishi E15K,
too, although in that case just as a kind of "emergency boost". Don't think, that a ditched aircraft
would be usable again in an economical way.

 

[Tzoli]

Blackkite, did you ever come across a land/carrier based proposed version of the E15K Shiun?

https://www.secretprojects.co.uk/threads/unbuilt-japanese-aircraft-carriers.27292/page-2#post-527005

 

[Deltafan]

The Kawanishi E 15K Shiun is of great interest to me as the first (small, very...) series aircraft using contra-rotating propellers. But if I was able to read about the many problems encountered with its floats, I never saw anything concerning the operation of its Mitsubishi Kasei engines (MK4D 14 and MK4S 24) with this contra-rotating propeller system. Was their operation reliable?

Edit : same question for the first prototype of the Kawanishi N1K1 whose engine (MK4D) with counter-rotating propellers created "too many problems" (?). What were these "problems"?

 

[hesham]

My dear Eric,

please see.

 

[Deltafan]

Thanks Hesham

As we can see "Problems were encountered with the pitch control system for the contra-rotating propellers". But no more mention of this kind of problem after October 1942, even with the engine power going from 1500 to 1850 hp, while the problems with the floats continued until the end.

It will be interesting to see if other sources confirm this for the operation of the engine.

 

[Justo Miranda]

Hi

Ki-44-I with contra rotating propellors

Ki-44-I with contra rotating propellors

www.sas1946.com

 

[Deltafan]

Hi

Ki-44-I with contra rotating propellors

Ki-44-I with contra rotating propellors

www.sas1946.com

Thanks Justo

The downside however, is added complexity and cost to manufacture... something significant in WW2, especially in mid to late war Japan where resources were running very low and their industry was severely crippled by US bombing raids.

Interesting too, even if it's not the same engine and if it was only a prototype.