Nakajima C6N1 Saiun (Myrt)
Technical Information

Background
Saiun (彩雲) means "Glowing Cloud". Code named Myrt by the Allies. Soon after Japan attacked Pearl Harbor, Japanese naval leaders acknowledged that standard torpedo bombers made poor reconnaissance aircraft. A new, fast airplane designed and built specifically to conduct long-range scouting missions was needed. Nakajima completed the first prototype in March 1943 and flew it first on May 15. From the start, the Homare engine failed to generate the specified power at altitude and suffered other problems endemic to most new engines. While the aircraft handled well, the power loss meant that the speed requirements could not be met. The speed that was achieved, 639 kph (397 mph), was still far better than any other similar airplane. The Navy ordered the Saiun into production in the spring of 1944.

Wartime History
The Myrt first saw combat during the Battle of the Marianas. By carrying a large torpedo-shaped gas tank of 730 liters (193 gal), the C6N1 could fly more than 3,000 miles / 4,830km. Using high speed and this long range, it was generally safe from interception and Myrt crews were able to shadow U.S. fleets with impunity. Its speed was exemplified by a famous telegraph sent after a successful mission: "No Grummans can catch us." Nakajima also worked on a torpedo-armed variant, the C6N1-B, but this model was not needed after Japan lost most of its carriers. Other designs C6N variants were contemplated but none left the drafting boards. On August 15, 1945 at 5:40am a Myrt was the last aircraft Japanese aircraft shot down, five minutes before hostilities ended.

Night Fighter Variant C6N1-S
As Allied forces closed in on the home islands, there arose a critical need for good night fighters. Nakajima created a night fighter variant that the U.S. designated the C6N1-S (Schräge Musik configuration) by eliminating the observer and installing two oblique mounted upward firing 20mm cannons. The armament weighed roughly the same as the observer, so performance suffered little. The C6N1-S was the fastest Japanese night interceptor but it had no air-to-air radar equipment. Only a few of the type were built.

Production
Nakajima built a total of 463 C6N at two factories: Koizuma and Handa.

Technical Details
Crew  Three (pilot, radio/gunner, observer) or two as night fighter (pilot, observer)
Engines  1 × Nakajima NK9B Homare 11 18-cylinder air-cooled radial piston engine, 1,485 kW (1,991 hp) with three bladed propeller
Span  12.5 m
Length  11 m
Height  3.96 m
Maximum Speed  379 mph
Range  3,300 miles
Armament  (rear) 1x 7.92mm machine gun
C6N1-S night fighter  2 x oblique-firing 20mm cannon