It was intended to provide a spotter aircraft forwarships, to take off from a short ramp since shipboardcatapults had not yet been developed by the Japanese. The HD 25 was a conventional biplane with staggered wings and twin pontoonundercarriage. The pilot and observer sat in tandem, opencockpits.A single example of a modified demilitarised version was built by Aichi as theAB-1, and three surplusType 2 Two-seat Reconnaissance Seaplanes were converted with two seat cabins aft of the open rear cockpit, to seat three passengers, for use by theKouchi Shimbun newspaper.
Two prototypes were built by Heinkel in Germany, with the first flying in 1926.[1] Following trials, the Navy officially accepted the type in March 1928 and gave it the designationType 2 Two-seat Reconnaissance Seaplane. 16 were built byAichi and saw brief service aboard thecruisers of theImperial Japanese Navy.
A single aircraft redesigned for a competition by the Japanese Aviation Bureau of the Department of Communications for a locally developed transport. Modifications included increased dimensions overall, N-type interplane struts, a four seat enclosed cabin forward of the two open cockpits and a 450 hp (340 kW) Nakajima-Lorraine 12Eb W-12 engine.[1]
Specifications (Aichi-built Type 2 Two-seat Reconnaissance Seaplane)
