Originally presented on Tuesday 25th October 2022 to the RAeS Boscombe Down Branch.
“The Mitsubishi Ki-15 (code-named “Babs” by the Allies) was developed during a brief golden aeronautical period (between the mid 1930s and early 1940s), when the Japanese aircraft industry flourished under constant military aircraft competitions and production orders. Free from prying eyes and shrouded within a self-imposed veil of secrecy, the Japanese developed numerous designs that were equal to and in some cases ahead of contemporary Western manufacturers.”
This description is taken from Joe Picarella’s book Mitsubishi Babs Vol. 1: The World’s First High-Speed Strategic Reconnaissance Aircraft and in this lecture, Joe discusses the story behind the development and operational deployment of the “Babs”.