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The Stipa "Flying Barrel" was, it could be plausibly argued, the pioneer of the turbofan engine that powers pretty much all today's big passenger jets.
the engine and propeller completely enclosed by the fuselage—in essence, the whole fuselage was a single ducted fan
Wow, that is pretty unique.
The French also tried this.
Guns: oui. Planes: non.
Wow, that is a rather cursed-looking aircraft design. Did it work?
Evidently. 141 test flights, caught fire while taking off, no reported casualties. There's a second one in a museum that is pristine because the project was cancelled right as they completed it. IIRC the pilots did not appreciate the noise level inside the cockpit. Can't imagine why. Doesn't help that the canopy is not hinged: it goes over the nose.