#kawasaki

During the early stages of the Second Sino-Japanese War, the unexpected appearance of the Russian-built Tupolev SB-2 bomber in Chinese skies caught the Japanese Army off guard. The SB-2's speed at altitude was nearly equal to that of the Nakajima Ki-27, which had only just been introduced to the Imperial Japanese Army Air Force (IJAAF). This performance gap rendered the SB-2 almost impervious to Japanese fighter interception, leaving a significant impression on Japanese military planners. Thus, the Kawasaki Ki-48 was conceptualized in 1937 as a Japanese equivalent of the Soviet-built bomber.