The Mitsubishi A6M “Zero” is a long-range fighter aircraft formerly manufactured by Mitsubishi Aircraft Company, the Zero was considered to have been the most capable carrier-based fighter in the world when it was introduced early in World War II. The armament consisted of two 13.2 mm (.52 in) Type 3 machine guns and two 20 mm (.80 in) Type 99 cannons in the wings. Mitsubishi A6M2b Model 21. Tora! Every possible weight-saving measure was incorporated into the design. [20][21] It proved a difficult opponent even for the Supermarine Spitfire. Like many surviving World War II Japanese aircraft, most surviving Zeros are made up of parts from multiple airframes. Material presented throughout this website is for historical and entertainment value only and should not to be construed as usable for hardware restoration, maintenance, or general operation. What most impressed the experts was that the Zero's fuselage and wings were constructed in one piece, unlike the American method that built them separately and joined the two parts together. Only one prototype was produced. She owes her existence to the 20th Century Fox movie company who in 1968 needed Japanese airplanes for the filming of their epic film, “Tora! Lundstrom 1994, pp. A second A6M1 was completed on 17 March 1939. includes: 10,094 A6M, 323 A6M2-N and 517 A6M-K builds. Koga died instantly of head injuries (his neck was broken by the tremendous impact), but his wingmen hoped he had survived and so went against Japanese doctrine to destroy disabled Zeros. The A6M was usually referred to by its pilots as the Reisen (零戦, zero fighter), "0" being the last digit of the imperial year 2600 (1940) when it entered service with the Imperial Navy. It was by far the most famous and widely used aircraft in Japanese history. One of them was a superbly maneuverable, well-armed naval fighter designated the "A6M", better known simply as the "Zero". Based on the experiences of the A5M in China, the IJN sent out updated requirements in October calling for a speed of 270 kn (310 mph; 500 km/h) at 4,000 m (13,000 ft) and a climb to 3,000 m (9,800 ft) in 9.5 minutes. Length: 29 feet 8 inches Wingspan: 39 feet 4 inches Wing area: 241.5 square feet Height: 10 feet Weight: 3,704 pounds (empty); 5,313 pounds (loaded) Armament: Two 7.7 mm Type 97 machine guns and two 20 mm Type 99 Mark 1 cannons Engine: 940 hp Nakajima NK1C Sakae 12 Max speed: 331 mph Climb rate: 3,100 fpm Max range (with auxiliary tank): 1,930 miles The Model 32, 22, 22 kou, 52, 52 kou and 52 otsu were all powered by the Nakajima 栄 (Sakae) 21型 engine. A6M5-S (A6M5 Yakan Sentōki) – Armament change: To intercept B-29s and other night-flying aircraft, an air arsenal converted some Model 52s to night fighters. [37] Nevertheless, the navy accepted the type and it entered production in April 1942.[40]. Tora!”, which portrays events leading to the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor December 7, 1941. [75][76] Testing continued on the A6M6 but the end of war stopped further development. Mitsubishi is unable to state with certainty that it ever used the designation "A6M4" or model numbers for it. By 1944, with opposing Allied fighters approaching its levels of maneuverability and consistently exceeding its firepower, armor, and speed, the A6M had largely become outdated as a fighter aircraft. [35] The Zero could not keep up with Allied aircraft in high-speed maneuvers, and its low "never exceed speed" (VNE) made it vulnerable in a dive. This aircraft was recovered from. 92717 – On display at the Kawaguchiko Motor Museum in Fujikawaguchiko, Yamanashi. [37], The new Sakae was slightly heavier and somewhat longer due to the larger supercharger, which moved the center of gravity too far forward on the existing airframe. 85.pdf 1,275 × 1,650, 11 pages; 625 KB Japanese airplane ZERO at … Zero, also called Mitsubishi A6M or Navy Type 0, fighter aircraft, a single-seat, low-wing monoplane used with great effect by the Japanese during World War II.Designed by Horikoshi Jiro, it was the first carrier-based fighter capable of besting its land-based opponents. [46] Mitsubishi's involvement in the project was probably quite limited or nil; the unmodified Sakae engine was made by Nakajima. The aircraft was shipped in pieces to the attraction and it was eventually made up for display as a crashed aircraft. [61] Nakajima manufactured the Model 52 at its Koizumi plant in Gunma Prefecture. This movie is a dramatization of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor and There they proved to be completely untouchable by the Polikarpov I-16s and I-153s that had been such a problem for the A5Ms when in service. [3] Thanks to a combination of unsurpassed maneuverability – compared to contemporary Axis fighters – and excellent firepower, it easily disposed of Allied aircraft sent against it in the Pacific in 1941. Aircraft Carrier Zuiho, Battle of the Bismarck Sea, 1943 The Allies' main opponent in the Pacific air war, the Zero is the most famous symbol of Japanese air power during World War II. It first flew on 1 April, and passed testing within a remarkably short period. [24] It was better to swoop down from above in a high-speed pass, fire a quick burst, then climb quickly back up to altitude. Full step by step build of Tamiya's 1/48 scale Mitsubishi A6M2 Zero fighter plane (Zeke). The Japanese method was much slower, but resulted in a very strong structure and improved close maneuverability. After hearing of these reports, the navy immediately ordered the A6M2 into production as the Type 0 Carrier Fighter, Model 11. The prototype engines nevertheless provided useful experience for future engine designs.[47]. Many highly experienced Japanese aviators were lost in combat, resulting in a progressive decline in quality, which became a significant factor in Allied successes. ", "Chinese biplane fighter aces - 'Clifford' 'Long Legged' Louie Yim-Qun", "Chuck Older's Tale: Hammerhead Stalls and Snap Rolls, Written in the mid-1980s", "Commander in Chief, Pacific Fleet report, Serial 01849 of 28 June 1942: USS Yorktown (CV-5) Action Report", "The Akutan Zero: How a Captured Japanese Fighter Plane Helped Win World War II", "The transitional Zero: New evidence that supports the theory. * Ribbons not necessarily indicative of actual historical campaign ribbons. The overall rating takes into account over. The new version was so promising that the Navy had 15 built and shipped to China before they had completed testing. Nevertheless, when the first A6M2 was completed in January 1940, the Sakae's extra power pushed the performance of the Zero well past the original specifications. More importantly, it regained its capabilities for long operating ranges, similar to the previous A6M2 Model 21, which was vastly shortened by the Model 32. ", "A6M2 Model 21 Zero Manufacture Number 5356 Tail EII-102", "Airframe Dossier – MitsubishiA6M, s/n 5349 IJNAF, c/n 840", "Mitsubishi A6M2 Model 21 Zero Fighter Aircraft : Japanese Navy Air Force", "A6M2 Model 21 Zero Manufacture Number 5784 Tail V-173", "A6M5 Model 52 Zero Manufacture Number 1493", "A6M5 Model 52 Zero Manufacture Number 4168 Tail 81-161", "A6M5a Model 52ko Zero Manufacture Number 4685 Tail 43-188", "A6M5 Model 52 Ko Zero Manufacture Number 4708", "A6M2 Model 21 Zero Manufacture Number 31870 Tail 53-122", "A6M5c Model 52 Zero Manufacture Number 62343", "A6M7 Model 62 Zero Manufacture Number 82729 Tail 210-B-118", "A6M2 Model 21 Zero Manufacture Number 91518", "A6M2 Model 21 Zero Manufacture Number 92717", "Victory, as airworthy Zero fighter returns home after 70-year hiatus", "World War II Zero fighter flies over Japan", "A6M3 Model 22 Zero Manufacture Number 3858 (Replica)", "A6M3 Model 22 Zero Manufacture Number 3844 Tail 2-152", "Airframe Dossier – Mitsubishi A6M5, s/n BI-05 IJNAF", "MITSUBISHI A6M REISEN / ZERO-SEN ("ZEKE")", "A6M3 Model 22 Zero Manufacture Number 3685 Tail Y2-176", "A6M5 Model 52 Zero Manufacture Number 1303 Tail 61-121", "A6M3 Model 22 Zero Manufacture Number 3618 Tail -133", "A6M3 Model 22 Zero Manufacture Number 3852 (Replica Two Seater)", "A6M5 Model 52 Zero Manufacture Number 4043 Tail 3-108", "Mitsubishi A6M5 Reisen (Zero Fighter) Model 52 ZEKE", "A6M5 Model 52 Zero Manufacture Number 4400 Tail HK-102", cntnt01, default,0&cntnt01alias=A6M5&cntnt01returnid=128 "Mitsubishi A6M5", "A6M2 Model 21 Zero Manufacture Number 5450 Tail EII-140", "A6M7 Model 62 Zero Manufacture Number 23186 Tail ヨ-143", "A6M5 Model 52 Zero Manufacture Number 4323", "A6M2 Model 21 Zero Manufacture Number 51553 Tail 313", "UPDATE: Original Japanese Zero Loses Tail", "Legend Flyers Zero – Restoration Update", "The Tale of a Zero Fighter – by Ron Cole", "The Zero: The first famed Japanese fighter captured intact reveals its secrets to U.S. Navy aerial experts", Mitsubishi A6M Zero Japanese fighter aircraft—design, construction, history, Mitsubishi A6M Reisen (Zero Fighter), Joao Paulo Julião Matsuura, Mitsubishi A6M2-K and A6M5-K, Joao Paulo Julião Matsuura, Nakajima A6M2-N, Joao Paulo Julião Matsuura, War Prize: The Capture of the First Japanese Zero Fighter in 1941, Imperial Japanese Navy aircraft designations (short system), Imperial Japanese Navy official aircraft names, World War II Allied reporting names for Japanese aircraft, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Mitsubishi_A6M_Zero&oldid=995623147, Wikipedia articles needing page number citations from December 2015, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles containing Japanese-language text, Wikipedia articles needing factual verification from December 2015, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. A6m Zero posters have a bright white base for sharp images and vibrant color reproduction. It was the first shipboard fighter capable of defeating its land-based opponents. On 5 October 1937, it issued "Planning Requirements for the Prototype 12-shi Carrier-based Fighter", sending it to Nakajima and Mitsubishi. The American military discovered many of the A6M's unique attributes when they recovered a largely intact specimen of an A6M2, the Akutan Zero, on Akutan Island in the Aleutians. Planes of Fame "61-120" A6M5 Zero Flight Video, Warren Pietsch, Texas Flying Legends Museum, A6M2 Model 21 Zero "Last Samurai" – Museum Secrets, Warren Pietsch, Texas Flying Legends Museum, A6M2 Model 21 Zero "Last Samurai" – Aerobatic Airshow, World War II Allied names for Japanese aircraft, Allied Technical Air Intelligence Unit (ATAIU), National Museum of the United States Air Force, List of aircraft of Japan during World War II, "A6M3 Model 22 Zero Manufacture Number 3869 (Replica) Tail X-133", "The Best Fighter Planes of World War II", "Time of the Aces: Marine Pilots in the Solomons, 1942–1944. However, that tradeoff in weight and construction also made it prone to catching fire and exploding when struck by enemy fire. The carburetor intake was much larger, a long duct like that on the Nakajima B6N Tenzan was added, and a large spinner—like that on the Yokosuka D4Y Suisei with the Kinsei 62—was mounted. [38]) This caused hot exhaust to burn the forward edge of the landing gear doors and heat the tires. It first flew on 1 April, and passed testing in a remarkably short period of time. Mitsubishi A6M (零式艦上戦闘機, Rei Shiki Kanjō Sentōki) (anlam: Sıfır Tipi Uçak Gemisinde Üslenen Avcı Uçağı, kısaca: Rei-Sen / 零戦, Zero-Sen / ゼロ戦, Zero / ゼロ), uçak gemileri için tasarlanmış, II. "Reisen Mushimegane", Fumetsu no Reisen, Maru, 2007. The Zero was wildly labor intensive, which is why barely 10,000 Zeros were built during its seven year life span. [33] While stable on the ground despite its light weight, the aircraft was designed purely for the attack role, emphasizing long range, maneuverability, and firepower at the expense of protection of its pilot. They arrived in Manchuria in July 1940, and first saw combat over Chungking in August. View All Selected Options. Mit 11.000 gebauten Exemplaren ist es das meistgebaute japanische Flugzeug des Krieges und infolge der medialen Präsenz auch das bekannteste. Most flying Zeros have had their engines replaced with similar American units. [41] That engine kept its designation in spite of changes in the exhaust system for the Model 52. One Model 52 was used during the production of Pearl Harbor. It quickly proved itself the finest fighter in the world and bested nearly all opponents in the Asian and Pacific theaters and certainly alerted observers in Washington, D.C. and elsewhere but nothing was done to further investigate the type. (Note, however, that the handling manual translation states that the new style of exhaust commenced with number 3904. The Flightline Season One is available on iTunes, Google Play and Vimeo On-Demand. Hokoku-515 a6m zero.jpg 396 × 645; 142 KB Informational Intelligence Summary No. [Note 1][13]. Two prototypes were completed in April 1945 but the chaotic situation of Japanese industry and the end of the war obstructed the start of the ambitious program of production for 6,300 A6M8s, only the two prototypes being completed and flown.[14][83]. Whether this is correct, indicates retrofitting intentions, refers to the prototype but not to all subsequent planes, or is in error is not clear.) [31], American test pilots found that the Zero's controls were "very light" at 320 km/h (200 mph), but stiffened at faster speeds (above 348 km/h (216 mph)) to safeguard against wing failure. Initially called `` Rufe '', and first saw combat over Chungking in August 1943 Navy Air service ( )! The finest fighter in the exhaust system provided an increment of thrust by aiming the stacks March! Some 10,939 examples from 1940 on 8 ] and unique in both its brilliant design and construction... Reisen, Maru, 2007 for use in kamikaze operations Grumman 's rudder and were. 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