Curtiss P-55 Ascender

[Wing Nut]

Isn't this plane a direct rip-off of the Japanese Shinden?  There is no way that these two could not be related, but in nothing I have read is there any mention that Curtiss used any Japanese technology in it.  The planes look almost identical...  ::)

[C]

Isn't this plane a direct rip-off of the Japanese Shinden?  There is no way that these two could not be related, but in nothing I have read is there any mention that Curtiss used any Japanese technology in it.  The planes look almost identical...  ::)

That's probably as the XP-55 concept and its development (proof of concept) aircraft types predate the Shinden. Both the Americans and the British were working on canard concepts from the late 30s and early 40s.

[beaky]

The model for the XP-55 was first tested in a wind tunnel in 1940. The Shinden was conceived three years later. the first XP-55, after the prototype, flew in 1943. the Shinden made its first flight in 1945.
So I doubt the US ripped off Japan, there. Probably the other way around.
But it's possible that nobody stole any ideas from anyone else, because a lot of the distinctive design elements are more or less necessary when you build a high-speed prop pusher to military specs.

[RitterKreuz]

i remember when i was playing "ACES over Europe" by sierra many years ago as a young, rookie sim fighter pilot.

My trusty Corsair had made short work of a few zeros... but then i made contact with another flight of bandits. It was the Shinden!

having never seen or heard of a Shinden before when the target rolled and gave me a good profile view i fired a deflection shot at him... but i was leading the target the wrong way!

"WHAT!" i said "THAT ZERO IS FLYING BACKWARDS!!"  >:(

I remember closing in on the weird aircraft, taking a good look at him, and then blasting him out of the sky.  ;D