The S.E.5 (Scout Experimental 5) went into service over the Western Front in early April 1917 with the RFC 56th Squadron.

According to acepilots.com "Flown by the greatest Allied aces during the First World War - such as Billy Bishop, James McCudden and Edward Mannock, the Royal Aircraft Factory S.E.5 (Scout Experimental #5) was without doubt the most successful plane produced by this firm. A single-seat biplane with dihedral wings, H.P. Folland's design team focused on making it easy to fly. This characteristic enabled the Royal Flying Corps to entrust the plane to relatively inexperienced pilots. Thanks to the efforts of the engineers, this aircraft was as almost as manoeuverable as its contemporary, the Sopwith Camel, but was noticeably faster and quieter.

Technical Notes:
Crew	One
Type	Biplane Fighter Aircraft
Length	21 ft (6.4 m) Hispano-Suiza engine 20 ft 11 inches (6.38 m) Viper engine
Wingspan	26 ft 7 inches (8.11 m)
Height	9 ft 6 inches (2.89 m)
Wing Area	244 sq. ft (22.67 sq.m)
Empty Weight	1,410 lbs (639 kg)
Loaded Weight	2,048 lbs (929 kg)
Powerplant	1 x Hispano-Suiza 8 or Wolsey W.4A Viper watercooled V8 engine 200hp (150 kW)
Max Speed	121 mph/15,000 ft (195 km/h)
Range	300 miles (483 km)
Service Ceiling	17,000 ft (5,185 m)
Armament	1 x .303 (7.7 mm) forward firing Vickers Machine Gun (plus interrupter gear) 1 x .303 (7.7 mm) Lewis Machine Gun on Foster mounting (on upper wing) 4 x 25 lb (11 kg) Cooper bombs
Number manufactured	5,225
Production Dates	Sept 1916 to Oct 1918