Yokosuka E5Y
The Yokosuka E5Y, officially the Yokosuka Navy Type 90-3 Reconnaissance Seaplane, was a Japanese single-engine reconnaissance floatplane developed by the Yokosuka Naval Arsenal in Kanagawa. It had two external floats and was powered by a 450 hp Bristol Jupiter engine, following a design based on the earlier E1Y.
The E5Y was also built by Kawanishi as the E5K (Kawanishi Navy Type 90-3 Reconnaissance Seaplane). Kawanishi produced 20 aircraft in the E5K1 variant, which used the same 450 hp engine. Pre-production examples were designated Type 14-2 Kai-1-D and built by Kawanishi as Kawanishi Type G.
Originally, the Navy called it the Yokosuka Type 14-2 Kai-1 Reconnaissance Seaplane, but production was carried out by Kawanishi as the Kawanishi Navy Type 90-3 Reconnaissance Seaplane (E5K1). By 1932, the E5Y/E5K was being replaced by the Aichi AB-6.
The E5K1 entered service with the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service in April 1932. It was operated from ships such as the seaplane tender Notoro, which carried a squadron of E5Y/E5K aircraft, and the Kamoi. The E5K1 saw action during the Shanghai Incident in early 1932.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 02:31 (CET).