Mitsubishi J8M Shūsui / Ki-200
Technical Information

Background
The Mitsubishi J8M Shūsui was to be a license built copy of the German Messerschmitt Me 163 Komet. Difficulties in exporting an example to Japan meant Mitsubishi engineers were forced to reverse engineer the rocket plane from a flight manual and other technical documentation. In Japanese, Shūsui literally translates to "Autumn Water", a term meaning "Sharp Sword" deriving from the swishing sound of a sword being swung in the air. Also spelled Shusui in English sources.

The Shūsui powerplant was the Tokuro-2 rocket engine with enough fuel for 2.5 minutes of flight, but lacked the same thrust rating as the rocket engine used in the Me 163. Despite the J8M1 being lighter weight, the rocket engine performance would not be as good as the Me 163, but still substantial thust.

Wartime History
Designated J8M in Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) service. Designated Ki-200 in Japanese Army Air Force (JAAF) service. A single prototype was tested before the end of World War II. The Japanese planned to use the Shūsui to intercept B-29 Superfortress heavy bombers, making firing passes until ammunition was expended then would attempt to ram an enemy plane. Two other long endurance versions, J8M2 and J9M3 was in the project stage at the end of the Pacific War but never built.

Production
A total of 7 were built.

Technical Details
Crew  One (pilot)
Engine  Mitsubishi KR10 (Tokuro-2) rocket
Span  9.50m
Length  6.05m
Height  2.70m
Maximum Speed  599 mph / 900 kmh at 32,808' / 10,000m
Endurance  5 min 30 seconds
Armament   (wings) 2 x 30mm Type 5 cannons with 53 rounds each