渡辺鉄工所
A Fukuoka steel foundry that built seaplanes small enough to fold into a submarine, trained Japan’s naval airmen in licensed Jungmanns, and as Kyushu flew the canard Shinden days before the war ended.
Watanabe Iron Works: the company and the aircraft that made its name
A foundry takes to the air
Watanabe Tekkōjo was a steel foundry in Fukuoka, on Japan’s southern island of Kyushu, that started building aircraft in 1935. Its first notable design was the E9W, a tiny reconnaissance seaplane for the navy’s submarines, which first flew in February 1935. It could be dismantled for stowage in a submarine hangar and reassembled in two minutes thirty seconds. Thirty-five were built, entering service in 1938 as the Type 96 small reconnaissance seaplane, Allied codename Slim.
Seaplanes in a submarine
Much of the firm’s work was training aircraft. It built the K9W Momiji, a licensed Bucker Jungmann, of which 339 were produced in Japan, and helped build the Yokosuka K5Y Red Dragonfly trainer. It also built a seaplane for the Royal Siamese Navy, the K6W. In 1943 the aircraft business was split off as Kyūshū Hikōki, while the parent became Kyūshū Heiki.
From Shinden to car bodies
Under the Kyushu name came the K11W crew trainer, of which 798 were built, the Q1W Tōkai anti-submarine patrol aircraft, first flown in September 1943, and the extraordinary J7W Shinden, a canard pusher interceptor. The Shinden first flew on 3 August 1945, twelve days before Japan surrendered; only two were completed, and one survives in the Smithsonian. After the war the company became Watanabe Jidōsha Kōgyō, making car bodies, until it was dissolved in 2001.
Watanabe Iron Works in numbers
会社
- 要するに
- Aircraft from 1935
- Steel foundry in Fukuoka
- Aircraft division became Kyūshū Hikōki in 1943
生産
- 最もよく知られているのは
- E9W、K9W、J7W 震電
- 35 E9W submarine seaplanes
- 339 K9W trainers
- 798 K11W crew trainers
今日
- 今
- Dissolved 2001
- Built car bodies and parts after 1945 as Watanabe Jidōsha Kōgyō
数字
- K9W Momiji built
- 339
- K11W Shiragiku built
- 798
- E9W built
- 35
Every notable Watanabe Iron Works aircraft
| 航空機 | 役割 | 初飛行 | 建設済み | 状態 | 注記 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Watanabe E9W | Submarine-borne reconnaissance seaplane | 1935 | 35 | 退職 | Reassembled in 2 min 30 s |
| Watanabe K6W | Seaplane for the Royal Siamese Navy | 退職 | |||
| Watanabe K8W | Floatplane trainer prototype | 1938 | 退職 | ||
| Kyushu K9W Momiji | Basic trainer (licensed Bucker Bu 131) | 1939 | 339 | 退職 | |
| Kyushu K11W Shiragiku | Crew and bombing trainer | 1943 | 798 | 退職 | Also used for kamikaze attacks |
| Kyushu Q1W Tokai | 対潜哨戒機 | 1943 | 退職 | Allied codename Lorna | |
| Kyushu J7W Shinden | Canard interceptor prototype | 1945 | 2 | 退職 | Forward fuselage at the Udvar-Hazy Center |
Watanabe Iron Works aircraft in the world’s air forces
1 air forces in the Order of Battle fly or flew Watanabe Iron Works types. そのうち、現在も運用されているものはゼロです。.
| 空軍 | 使用中 | 以前は飛行していた |
|---|---|---|
| タイ王国海軍航空隊 | ワタナベ WS-103S |
Where Watanabe Iron Works built, who led it, what it achieved
工場
- Fukuoka works · Fukuoka, Kyushu
人々
- Masayoshi Tsuruno · naval officer and designer — Originated the Shinden canard concept and flew its first flight
Watanabe Iron Works, year by year
Watanabe begins building aircraft
E9W first flight
E9W enters service; K8W prototype
K9W trainer
Aircraft division becomes Kyūshū Hikōki
Q1W Tōkai first flight
J7W Shinden first flight
Renamed Watanabe Jidōsha Kōgyō, making car bodies
Company dissolved
Everything people ask about Watanabe Iron Works
What was Watanabe Tekkojo?
Who built the J7W Shinden?
What was the E9W?
What happened to Watanabe after the war?