Kawanishi K-11
# Kawanishi K-11

The Kawanishi K-11 was a 1920s Japanese single-seat carrier fighter designed and built by the Kawanishi Aircraft Company to meet an Imperial Japanese Navy requirement. The type did not enter service and only two prototypes were built.

## Development and design

The K-11 was a private venture programme designed to meet a 1926 Imperial Japanese Navy requirement for a single-seat carrier fighter to replace the Mitsubishi 1MF, competing against officially sponsored designs from Aichi (the Aichi Type H), Mitsubishi (the 1MF9) and Nakajima. The K-11 Experimental Carrier Fighter was an equal-span biplane with a conventional landing gear and powered by 500 hp (373 kW) BMW inline engine. It had a metal fuselage with fabric covering and wooden wings.

The first prototype made its maiden flight in July 1927, with a second prototype, with a modified fuselage and tail, being built in 1928. The type was not accepted by the Navy, however, with the Nakajima design being selected, entering production as the A1N. The two K-11s were used by Kawanishi as communications and liaison aircraft.

## Specifications

Data from Japanese Aircraft 1910–1941

General characteristics

* Crew: 1
* Length: 7.88 m (25 ft 10 in)
* Wingspan: 10.80 m (35 ft 5 in)
* Height: 3.28 m (10 ft 9 in)
* Wing area: 33.8 $m^2$ (364 sq ft)
* Empty weight: 1,170 kg (2,579 lb)
* Gross weight: 1,750 kg (3,858 lb)
* Powerplant: 1 × BMW VI water-cooled V12 engine, 370 kW (500 hp)

Performance

* Maximum speed: 260 km/h (160 mph, 140 kn)
* Endurance: 3.5 hours
* Service ceiling: 9,000 m (30,000 ft)
* Time to altitude: 3,000 m (9,800 ft) in 5 min 30 s

Armament

* Guns: 2× 7.7mm machine guns
