The fuselage behind the wing leading edge was again similar; as far as is known the defensive armament intended for the bomber was never fitted,[1] and it had three windows on each side, though not the continuous line of sliding openings seen on the transport.
From there, forward to the nose the top of the fuselage was now horizontal, rather than falling away downwards as on the civil aircraft.
This change, giving a poorer forward view resulted from fitting the longer inline Lorraine 12 Ds in the bomber rather than the short Salmson radials of the Latécoère 4.
Though the design was registered in January 1921, the first flight did not take place until 18 February 1924,[1] four years after the Latécoère 4, partly because of the engine disputes.
[1] The first time the aircraft was officially referred to as the Latécoère 5 was in the documentation of the completion of contract in 1925.