Royal Aircraft Factory S.E.5 Country: UK Type: Fighter Manufacturer: Royal Aircraft Factory Service: 1917 - 1919 First Flight: 22 November 1916 Production: 5265

The Royal Aircraft Factory S.E.5 was a British biplane fighter aircraft of the First World War. Although the first examples reached the Western Front before the Sopwith Camel, and it had a much better overall performance, problems with its Hispano-Suiza engine meant that there was a chronic shortage of S.E.5s until well into 1918 and fewer squadrons were equipped with the type than with the Sopwith fighter. Together with the Camel, the S.E.5 was instrumental in regaining allied air superiority in the summer of 1917 - and maintaining this for the rest of the war - ensuring there was no repetition of Bloody April 1917, when losses in the Royal Flying Corps were much heavier than in the German Air Service.

General characteristics