EXPERIMENTAL KI-5 FIGHTER

The Kawasaki Ki-5 was a prototype Japanese low-wing metal fighter from the interwar period. The drive was provided by a single engine Kawasaki Ha-9 with a power of 850 hp. The prototype flight took place in August 1934 - the machine never entered mass production. The deck armament consisted of two 7.7 mm machine guns. The Kawasaki Ki-5 was created in connection with the competition announced by the Army Air Force Command for a new low-wing fighter, which was to replace the Kawasaki Type 92 aircraft in the line. was a complete novelty in the then Japanese aviation industry. The new machine also uses a powerful engine, which is a license copy of the BMW IX engine. Despite all these novelties, the Kawasaki Ki-5 turned out to be a failed plane: it had poor performance, was characterized by poor stability in horizontal flight, and it had not the best maneuverability. Finally, after the creation of four prototypes, the project was canceled. However, the experience gained from working on the Kawasaki Ki-5 was later used in other designs of this aviation plant: the Ki-28, Ki-60 and Ki-61.