Kawanishi E15K Shiun

The Kawanishi E15K Shiun, meaning Violet Cloud, was a single-engined reconnaissance floatplane designed and built by the Kawanishi Aircraft Company for the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II, and the Allies called it Norm. Development began in 1939 for a high-performance floatplane that could evade land-based fighters while operating from new cruisers. Its unusual features included contra-rotating propellers, a laminar flow wing section and a retractable float system that was partly jettisonable. The floats often failed to deploy or release, so a fixed arrangement and a more powerful Mitsubishi Kasei engine replaced them. The prototype flew on 5 December 1941 and the type was operational from April 1944, with underwhelming results.