The Mitsubishi A6M Zero was a WW2 carrier-based fighter. It was in service with the Imperial Japanese Navy between July 1, 1940, and August 15, 1945. Produced in large numbers, more than 10,000 aircraft, it was the most maneuverable and the fastest plane in the Pacific Theater of Operation until the emergence of the F6F Hellcat in 1943. Until then, no American fighter matched the Zero in firepower, agility, and range.
Officially designated Navy Type 0, Reisen, the A6M had performed its maiden flight on April 1, 1939. Mitsubishi delivered the first batch to the IJN in late June, 1940. During the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, the Zero was used as an escort fighter and ground attack aircraft. For this operation, it took off from Kaga, Akagi, Soryu, and Hiryu aircraft carriers. During the battles of the Coral Sea and Midway, the Zero would shoot down more than 200 US Navy's dive bombers and F4F Wildcat fighters. At the end of the war, after it had lost its reputation to the F6F Hellcat and the F4U Corsair, it was used mostly as a kamikaze aircraft.
Technical Characteristics
The A6M Zero was a single-seat, single-engine monoplane which operated from aircraft carrier and land bases. Its fuselage consisted of a metal structure with stressed skin, while the control surfaces (flaps, ailerons, and rudder) were fabric-covered type. It was fitted with straight, cantilever, low wings. The A6M2 version wings were hinged in the middle to fold them upwards to facilitate storage. A peculiar feature of this Japanese aircraft was that its wings were built as an integral part of fuselage. Landing gear was retractable. It was powered by one Nakajima Shakae NK1-F, 14-cylinder, radial engine, delivering 1,130-HP.
Specifications
Type: Carrier-borne fighter
Designer: Jiro Horikoshi
Length: 9.12 m (29 ft, 11 in)
Wingspan: 11 m (36 ft, 1 in)
Wing Area: 21.30 square meters (230 sq. ft)
Height: 3.6 m (11 ft, 6 in)
Maximum Speed: 565 km/h (350 mph)
Range: 1,800 km (1,200 miles)
Armament: two 20mm Type 99 cannons; two 7.7mm machine guns; plus two 60-kg bombs under wing.
Below, a squadron of Mitsubishi A6M2 fighters flying over the Philippines, with drop tanks, in 1944
The prototype A6M1 in 1939.
