The was a Japanese manufacturer of military

aircraft An aircraft is a vehicle that is able to fly by gaining support from the air. It counters the force of gravity by using either static lift or by using the dynamic lift of an airfoil, or in a few cases the downward thrust from jet engines ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. While it mainly manufactured other firms' designs, it was notable for the radical J7W "Shinden" fighter. Named after

Kyushu is the third-largest island of Japan's five main islands and the most southerly of the four largest islands ( i.e. excluding Okinawa). In the past, it has been known as , and . The historical regional name referred to Kyushu and its surroun ...

island where the company was based. The company originated from

Fukuoka is the sixth-largest city in Japan, the second-largest port city after Yokohama, and the capital city of Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. The city is built along the shores of Hakata Bay, and has been a center of international commerce since ancie ...

-based ''Watanabe Tekkōjo'' (Watanabe Steel Foundry), which started building aircraft in 1935. In 1943 the aircraft division was spun off as ''Kyūshū Hikōki'', while the original company was renamed ''Kyūshū Heiki'' (Kyūshū Armaments). After the war, the company was renamed ''Watanabe Jidōsha Kōgyō'' (Watanabe Automobile Industries) and manufactured automobile bodies and parts. It was dissolved in 2001.

Products

* E9W - 'Slim' 1935 submarine-based reconnaissance

floatplane A floatplane is a type of seaplane with one or more slender floats mounted under the fuselage to provide buoyancy. By contrast, a flying boat uses its fuselage for buoyancy. Either type of seaplane may also have landing gear suitable for land, ...

* J7W 震電 ''Shinden'' (Magnificent Lightning) - 1945 pusher fighter prototype * K6W - WS-103 seaplane for Royal Siamese Navy * K8W - 1938 floatplane trainer prototype, lost to the Kawanishi K8K * K9W カエデ ''Momiji'' (Maple) - 'Cypress' 1939 basic trainer; license-built Bücker Bu 131 Jüngmann * K10W - 'Oak' 1943 intermediate trainer * K11W 白菊 ''Shiragiku'' (White Chrysanthemum) - 1943 crew trainer * Q1W 東海 ''Tokai'' (Eastern Sea) - 'Lorna' 1945 ASW/patrol aircraft * Q3W 南海 ''Nankai'' (South Sea) - 1945 ASW/patrol aircraft prototype based on the K11W

References

Defunct aircraft manufacturers of Japan

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