ShinMaywa

ShinMaywa Industries, Ltd. (新明和工業株式会社) (tyo: 7224) is a Japanese industrial conglomerate descended from the Kawanishi Aircraft Company. Founded as Shin Meiwa Industries in 1949, the company was rebranded as ShinMaywa in 1992. Prior to this the company was also known as Shin Meiwa Industry co., Ltd. (SMIC). The company is headquartered in Takarazuka, Hyōgo Prefecture.

Products

 * Shin Meiwa D.H.114-TAW licence-built de Havilland Heron
 * Shin Meiwa PS-1 flying boat
 * Shin Meiwa US-1A amphibian
 * ShinMaywa US-2 amphibian

Modifications (Tokushima Plant)
 * 1) Gates Learjet U-21 - Originally known as U-36A1. High-speed training support/utility transport aircraft. (JMSDF [4])
 * 2) Gates Learjet U-36 - Combat support/training aircraft. (JASDF [6])

Special-purpose trucks/Equipment Examples -Mining dump trucks -Tankers -Concrete Mixers -"ARM-ROLL" Detachable Container System -MULTI-LOADER (Skip Trucks) -Bulk Z (Pneumatic Bulk Transporters) -Car carriers

Concept aircraft not built
In 1977 Shin Meiwa had several ideas for it's STOL flying boat concept on the drawing board but none were ever built. They were the Shin Meiwa LA (Light Amphibian), a 40 passenger light amphibian for inter-island feeder service; the 400 passenger Shin Meiwa MA (Medium Amphibian); the Shin Meiwa MS (Medium Seaplane) a 300 passenger long range flying boat with its own beaching gear; and the gargantuan Shin Meiwa GS (Giant Seaplane) that has a passenger capacity of an astonishing twelve-hundred (1200) passangers seated on three decks! Unlike the Shin Meiwa LA and MA which were like the US-1 in design the Shin Meiwa MS and GS had it engines located in front of and above the wing like the USAF Boeing YC-14 to give STOL effect. In the end, none of the four designs got beyond the drawing boards. Recently however, there has been a revival of interest in the GS concept.

Also during the late '70s, Shin Meiwa were working on a successor for the PS-1 ASW seaplane, however the program, along with further orders for the PS-1, was cancelled in September 1980. This was because land based aircraft (i.e. P-3C) seemed to had alleviated the need for more seaplanes for Anti-Submarine Warfare.

There were at least two PS-1 spin-offs. These (landplane) designs were Design #487 and Design #487C, part of a joint program of the 1970s with Grumman. Design #487 was aimed at a US Military STOL transport requirement, while Design #487C was a 90 seat commercial STOL airliner version aimed in particular at American Airlines.