Nakajima Ki-8

The Nakajima Ki-8, also known as the Nakajima DF, was an unsuccessful attempt by the Nakajima Aircraft Company to interest the Imperial Japanese Army Air Force in a modern two-seat monoplane fighter. Development began in 1933 on an all-metal design with low inverted gull wings and fixed, spatted landing gear, powered by a single 550 horsepower Nakajima Kotobuki radial engine and armed with two forward-firing machine guns and a third on a flexible mount behind the rear cockpit. Test pilots disliked its stability and the prototypes suffered manufacturing defects. Its performance was no better than the existing Nakajima Type 91 fighter, and since the army had no use for two-seat fighters the project was cancelled in 1934 after five prototypes had been built.