Mitsubishi Ki-15

The Mitsubishi Ki-15 was a Japanese reconnaissance and light bomber aircraft developed in the mid-1930s. It originated from a Japanese Army requirement for a fast, long-range reconnaissance machine that could outrun contemporary fighters. Mitsubishi began work in 1935, with the prototype flying in May 1936. The aircraft was a low-wing monoplane of all-metal construction, featuring a streamlined fuselage, fixed spatted undercarriage, and a single radial engine.

The Ki-15’s performance was excellent for its time. It could reach speeds in excess of 480 km/h, making it faster than many fighters of the mid-1930s. Its combination of speed, reliability, and long range made it attractive not only to the Japanese Army but also to the press and international aviation circles. One early civilian example, named Kamikaze-go, famously flew from Tokyo to London in April 1937 in just under 51 hours, a major propaganda success that demonstrated Japan’s aviation progress.

In military service, the Ki-15 was adopted by the Imperial Japanese Army as the Army Type 97 Command Reconnaissance Plane. It entered service in 1937 and was used extensively during the Second Sino-Japanese War. Its speed allowed it to operate with impunity early on, providing critical intelligence and directing air and ground operations. The Ki-15 also carried a light bomb load on occasion, enabling it to serve in a secondary bomber role.

By the early 1940s, however, the Ki-15 had become outdated. New Allied fighters could easily catch it, and its fixed landing gear limited further development potential. Nevertheless, the type remained in secondary reconnaissance and training roles into the Pacific War, with many withdrawn by 1943.

The Ki-15 was also used by the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service as the Mitsubishi C5M.