Nakajima Kikka

The Nakajima Kikka (橘花, "Orange Blossom") was Japan's first and only jet-powered aircraft to fly during WWII. Inspired by the German Messerschmitt Me 262, it was designed by Kazuo Ohno and Kenichi Matsumura at Nakajima Aircraft Company, though it was a largely independent Japanese design rather than a direct copy.

Powered by two Ne-20 turbojet engines (Japan's first operational jet engine, producing 475 kg thrust each), the Kikka had a maximum speed of approximately 696 km/h. Planned armament included two 30mm Type 5 cannons and a 500 kg bomb. The aircraft featured folding wings for concealment in caves and tunnels.

The first successful flight took place on August 7, 1945 – one day after the Hiroshima atomic bombing – at Kisarazu Naval Air Station, Chiba Prefecture, with Lieutenant Commander Susumu Takaoka at the controls. The second flight attempt on August 11, 1945, ended when the aircraft failed to gain enough speed for takeoff (RATO rockets were improperly installed) and ran off the runway. Japan surrendered four days later. Only one or two airframes had been completed (sources differ), with about two dozen more under construction. The surviving Kikka is preserved at the Smithsonian's Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center.