Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) night-fighting Nakajima J1N1-S Gekko

 

Originally designed as a long-range fighter, powered by two Nakajima Sakae 21 (NK1F, Ha35- 21) 14- cylinder 1130 hp air-cooled radials, the three-seat twin-engine Nakajima J1N1 was designated as a reconnaissance aircraft after relatively indifferent testing. After being successfully flown at night against US bombers, official production began in 1943 on a night fighter version, the J1N1-S Gekko ('moonlight'). Modifications included removing the third seat, adding twin-mounted 20 mm guns behind the cockpit angled up at 30 degrees similar to the German Schräge Musik. Additionally the type featured cannon angled down at 30 degrees.

The Gekko proved successful against B-17 and B-24 bombers, and continued to fight until the end of WWII. The later version, the J1N1-Sa, featured singular exhaust stacks and three 20 mm canons mounted in upper fuselage with lower guns removed. Some later Gekko models also featured nose-mounted radar. Introduced in the summer of 1944, the FD-2 (Type 3 Mk 6 Model 4) was an onboard airborne interception radar installed in the nose to improve detection of enemy aircraft, specifically the B-29 Superfortresses. Approximately 100 units of the radar were built. The FD-2 had an effective range of roughly 6.2 miles (10 km). However, it was generally considered inferior in performance to comparable German and British models.

 

The NASM J1N1-S Gekko is the only one remaining today. Records show that after arriving aboard the "USS Barnes," air intelligence officials assigned '7334 to Langley Field, Virginia, on December 8, 1945. The airplane moved on to the Air Materiel depot at Middletown, Pennsylvania, on January 23, 1946.

In 1979, NASM staff selected the aircraft for restoration. Work started on September 7, of that year and ended December 14, 1983, following 17,000 hours of meticulous, dedicated restoration work. It stands today as the sole remaining example of Japan's night-fighting Gekkos.