Mitsubishi A6M
Japanese A6M5 Type 0 Model 52
Type	Fighter
Manufacturer	Mitsubishi
Maiden flight	1 April 1939
Introduction	July 1940
Retired	1945 (Japan)
Produced	1940-1945
Number built	11,000
Variants	Nakajima A6M2-N

The Mitsubishi A6M Zero was a lightweight fighter aircraft operated by the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service (IJNAS) from 1940 to 1945. An aerospace manufacturer is a company or individual involved in the various aspects of designing building testing selling and maintaining Aircraft, Aircraft parts The, Mitsubishi Group of Companies, or Mitsubishi Companies is a Japanese conglomerate consisting of a range of autonomous businesses which share the Mitsubishi The maiden flight of an Aircraft is the first occasion on which an aircraft leaves the ground of its own accord Events 527 - Byzantine Emperor Justin I names his nephew Justinian I as co-ruler and successor to the throne This is a list of Aviation -related events from 1939: Events January January 12 - the RAF Auxiliary Air Force Reserve This is a list of Aviation -related events from 1940: Events January January 6 - During the Winter War between This is a list of Aviation -related events from 1945: Events January January 1 - the Luftwaffe begins targeting This is a list of Aviation -related events from 1940: Events January January 6 - During the Winter War between This is a list of Aviation -related events from 1945: Events January January 1 - the Luftwaffe begins targeting WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout A fighter aircraft is a Military aircraft designed primarily for air-to-air combat with other Aircraft, as opposed to a Bomber, which is designed The Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service ( Japanese:" 海軍航空本部 Dai-Nippon Teikoku Kaigun Koku Hombu) was the air branch of the Imperial Japanese Year 1940 ( MCMXL) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display the full 1940 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Year 1945 ( MCMXLV) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar The origin of its official designation was that "A" signified a fighter and "6" for the sixth model built by Mitsubishi ("M"). The, Mitsubishi Group of Companies, or Mitsubishi Companies is a Japanese conglomerate consisting of a range of autonomous businesses which share the Mitsubishi The A6M was usually known to the Allied militaries as the "Zero" — a name that was frequently misapplied to other Japanese fighters, such as the Nakajima Ki-43 — as well as other codenames and nicknames, including "Zeke", "Hamp" and "Hap". The Allies of World War II were the countries officially opposed to the Axis powers during the Second World War. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout

Its history mirrored that of the Empire of Japan in World War II. The Empire of Japan ( {{unicode|Kyūjitai}}: ja 大日本帝國 Shinjitai: ja 大日本帝国 pronounced Dai Nippon Teikoku World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including When it was introduced, the Zero was the best carrier-based fighter in the world and it was greatly feared by Allied pilots. An aircraft carrier is a Warship designed with ^{[1] [2] [3]} The IJNAS also frequently used the type as a land-based fighter. By 1942, due to the evolution of new tactics and techniques, Allied pilots were able to engage the Zero on more equal terms. By 1943, American and British manufacturers were producing fighters with greater firepower, armor, and speed and approaching the Zero's maneuverability. By 1944, the Mitsubishi A6M was outdated but remained in production. In shifting priorities during the final years of the War in the Pacific, the Zero was utilized in kamikaze operations. The Pacific Ocean theater was one of four major naval theatres of war of the Second World War that pitted forces of the Japan against those of the United ( is a word of Japanese origin which in English usually refers to the Suicide attacks by military aviators from the Empire of Japan against

A combination of excellent maneuverability and very long range made it one of the finest fighters of its era. In early combat operations, the Zero gained a legendary reputation, outclassing its contemporaries. Later, design weaknesses and the increasing scarcity of more powerful aircraft engines meant that the Zero became less effective against newer fighters. An aircraft engine is a Propulsion system for an Aircraft. Aircraft engines are almost always a type of lightweight Internal combustion engine.

Contents 1 Design and development 1.1 Name 2 Operational history 3 Variants 4 Operators 5 Survivors 6 Specifications (A6M2 Type 0 Model 21) 7 See also 8 References 8.1 Notes 8.2 Bibliography 8.3 Scale Aircraft Modelling 9 External links

Design and development

The Mitsubishi A5M fighter was just starting to enter service in early 1937 when the Imperial Japanese Navy started looking for its eventual replacement. WWII Service In 1941 Zuikaku, under the command of Captain Yokokawa Ichibei and her sister ship ''Shōkaku'' made up Carrier Division Five WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout For Combined Fleet, please see that article For Carrier Striking Task Force, please see that article In May they issued specification 12-Shi for a new aircraft carrier-based fighter, sending it to Nakajima and Mitsubishi. An aircraft carrier is a Warship designed with The, Mitsubishi Group of Companies, or Mitsubishi Companies is a Japanese conglomerate consisting of a range of autonomous businesses which share the Mitsubishi Both firms started preliminary design work while they awaited more definitive requirements to be handed over in a few months.

Based on the experiences of the A5M in China, the Navy sent out updated requirements in October. The new requirements called for a speed of 500 km/h at 4000 m and a climb to 3000 m in 3. 5 min. They needed an endurance of two hours at normal power, or six to eight hours at economical cruising speed (both with drop tanks). The term drop tank (or belly tank) is used to describe auxiliary fuel tanks in both aeronautics and spaceflight Armament was to consist of two 20 mm cannon and two 7. | NOTE Throughout this article "cannon" is used as BOTH the || singular and plural 7 mm machine guns and two 30 kg or 60 kg bombs. A bomb is any of a range of devices that typically rely on the Exothermic Chemical reaction of an Explosive material to produce an extremely A complete radio set was to be mounted in all airplanes, along with a radio direction finder for long-range navigation. A radio direction finder ( RDF) is a device for finding the direction to a Radio source The maneuverability was to be at least equal to that of the A5M, while the wing span had to be less than 12 m to fit on the carriers.

Nakajima's team thought the new requirements were impossible to achieve and pulled out of the competition in January. Mitsubishi's chief designer, Jiro Horikoshi, felt that the requirements could be met, but only if the aircraft could be made as light as possible. Dr Jiro Horikoshi (June 22 1903 - January 11 1982 was the chief engineer behind many Japanese fighters of WWII Every weight-saving method was used. Most of the airplane was built of T-7178 aluminum, a top-secret variety developed by the Japanese just for this aircraft. It was lighter and stronger than the normal aluminum used at the time, but more brittle. In addition, no armor was carried for the pilot, engine or other critical points of the aircraft, and the self-sealing fuel tanks that were becoming common at the time were also left off. In Aviation, self-sealing fuel tank is a Fuel tank technology in wide use since World War II that prevents fuel tanks primarily on Aircraft from This made the Zero lighter and more agile than most other aircraft at the start of the war, but that also made it prone to catching fire and exploding when struck by enemy rounds.

With its low-wing cantilever monoplane layout, retractable wide-set landing gear and enclosed cockpit, the design was not only much more modern than any the Navy had used in the past, it was one of the most modern in the world. A cantilever is a beam supported on only one end The beam carries the load to the support where it is resisted by moment and Shear stress. In Aviation, the undercarriage or landing gear is the structure (usually wheels that supports an Aircraft on the ground and allows it to taxi The Zero had a fairly high-lift, low-speed wing with a very low wing loading; combined with the light weight this gave it a very low stalling speed of well below 60 knots. In Aerodynamics, wing loading is the loaded weight of the aircraft divided by the area of the wing For other uses see Stall. In Aerodynamics, a stall is a sudden reduction in the lift forces generated by an Airfoil This is the reason for the phenomenal turning ability of the airplane, allowing it to turn more sharply than any Allied fighter of the time. Roll rate is enhanced by servo tabs on the ailerons which deflect opposite to the ailerons and make the control force much lighter. Roll Rate is a term used to define the rate at which an aircraft can change its Roll attitude, typically expressed in degrees per second A Servo tab (sometimes called a Flettner tab after its inventor Anton Flettner) is a small hinged device installed on an aircraft control surface to assist the movement For the band with a similar name see The Ailerons Ailerons are hinged control surfaces attached to the Trailing edge of the Wing of a Fixed-wing The disadvantage is that they reduce the maximum roll effect at full travel. At 160 mph (260 km/h) the A6M2 had a roll rate of 56 degrees per second. Because of wing flexibility, roll effectiveness dropped to near zero at about 300 mph indicated airspeed.

Name

It is universally known as Zero from its Japanese Navy designation, Type 0 Carrier Fighter (Rei shiki Kanjo sentoki, 零式艦上戦闘機), taken from the last digit of the Imperial year 2600 (1940), when it entered service. The Japanese era calendar scheme is a common Calendar scheme used in Japan, which identifies a year by the combination of the and the year number within the era In Japan it was unofficially referred to as both Rei-sen and Zero-sen, Japanese pilots most commonly called their plane Zero-sen (the English word "zero" and the French "zéro" were introduced in the late 19th century by English and French engineers). The 19th century of the Common Era began on January 1, 1801 and ended on December 31, 1900, according to the Gregorian calendar

The official Allied code name was Zeke in keeping with the practice of giving boys' names to Japanese fighters, girls' names to bombers, bird names to gliders and tree names to trainers. The reason for choosing Zeke as a code name for the Mitsubishi A6M is uncertain. When in 1942 the Allied code for Japanese planes was introduced Zeke may have been thought an appropriate choice. Later two variants of the fighter, not immediately identified as such, received their own code names: the A6M2-N (floatplane version of the Zero) was called Rufe and the A6M3-32 variant was called Hamp.

Operational history

The pre-series A6M2 Zero became known in 1940-41, when the fighter destroyed 266 confirmed aircraft in China. At the time of Pearl Harbor, there were 420 Zeros active in the Pacific. The attack on Pearl Harbor (or Hawaii Operation, as it was called by the Imperial General Headquarters) was a surprise Military strike conducted by The carrier-borne Model 21 was the type encountered by the Americans, often much further from its carriers than expected, with a mission range of over 1600 statute miles (2,600 km). The Zero fighters were superior in many aspects of performance to all Allied fighters in the Pacific in 1941 and quickly gained a great reputation. However, the Zero failed to achieve complete air superiority due to the development of suitable tactics and new aircraft by the Allies. During World War II, the Zero destroyed at least 1,550 American aircraft. The Japanese ace Saburo Sakai described how the resilience of early Allied aircraft was a factor in preventing the Zeros from total domination: ^[4]

“

I had full confidence in my ability to destroy the Grumman and decided to finish off the enemy fighter with only my 7. Lieutenant junior grade Saburo Sakai 坂井三郎 Sakai Saburō ( August 25, 1916 &ndash September 22, 2000) was a WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout 7mm machine guns. I turned the 20mm. cannon switch to the 'off' position, and closed in. For some strange reason, even after I had poured about five or six hundred rounds of ammunition directly into the Grumman, the airplane did not fall, but kept on flying. I thought this very odd - it had never happened before - and closed the distance between the two airplanes until I could almost reach out and touch the Grumman. To my surprise, the Grumman's rudder and tail were torn to shreds, looking like an old torn piece of rag. With his plane in such condition, no wonder the pilot was unable to continue fighting! A Zero which had taken that many bullets would have been a ball of fire by now.

”

Designed for attack, the Zero gave precedence to maneuverability and firepower at the expense of protection — most had no self-sealing tanks or armor plate — thus many Zeros were lost too easily in combat along with their pilots. During the initial phases of the Pacific conflict, the Japanese trained their aviators far more strenuously than their Allied counterparts. However, unexpectedly heavy pilot losses at the Coral Sea and Midway made them difficult to replace. The Battle of the Coral Sea, fought from May 4 – May 8, 1942, with most of the action occurring on May 7 and May 8, was The Battle of Midway was a major Naval battle, widely regarded as the most important one of the Pacific Campaign of World War II.

The American military discovered many of the A6M's unique attributes when they recovered a mostly intact specimen on Akutan Island in the Aleutians. Flight Petty Officer Tadayoshi Koga was losing fuel and hoped to make an emergency landing but the Zero flipped over and the pilot's neck was broken. The relatively undamaged fighter was recovered and shipped to North Air Station, North Island, San Diego. Subsequent testing of the repaired A6M revealed not only its strengths but also deficiencies in design and performance. ^[5]

With the extreme agility of the Zero, the Allied pilots found that the appropriate combat tactic against Zeros was to remain out of range and fight on the dive and climb. By using speed and resisting the deadly error of trying to out-turn the Zero, eventually cannon or heavy machine guns could be brought to bear and a single burst of fire was usually enough to down the Zero. These tactics, known as boom-and-zoom, were successfully employed in the CBI against similarly maneuverable Japanese Army aircraft such as the Ki-27 and Nakajima Ki-43 by the Flying Tigers (American Volunteer Group). China Burma India Theater (CBI (later IBT or India-Burma theater was the name used by the United States Army for its forces operating in conjuction with Allied air WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout The American Volunteer Groups were volunteer air units organized by the government of the USA in order to aid the Nationalist government of China against AVG pilots were trained to exploit the advantages of their P-40s; very sturdy, heavily armed, generally faster in a dive and in level flight at low altitude, with a good rate of roll. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout

Another important maneuver was called the "Thach Weave," named for the man that invented it, then-Lt Cdr John S. "Jimmy" Thach. The Thach Weave was an Aerial combat tactic developed by naval aviator John S John Smith "Jimmy" Thach ( 19 April 1905 - 15 April 1981) was a World War II naval aviator air combat It required two fighters, a leader and his wingman, to fly about 200 ft (61 meters) apart. A wingman (or wingmate) is a pilot who supports another in a potentially dangerous flying environment When a Zero would latch onto the tail of one of the fighters, the two planes would turn toward each other. If the Zero followed its original target through the turn, it would come into a position to be fired on by his target's wingman. This tactic was used with spectacular results at the Battle of the Coral Sea and at the Battle of Midway, helping make up for the inferiority of the U. The Battle of the Coral Sea, fought from May 4 – May 8, 1942, with most of the action occurring on May 7 and May 8, was The Battle of Midway was a major Naval battle, widely regarded as the most important one of the Pacific Campaign of World War II. S. fighters until new aircraft types were brought into service.

When the powerful Grumman F6F Hellcat, Vought F4U Corsair and Lockheed P-38 appeared in the Pacific theater, the A6M with its low-powered engine lost its competitiveness. The Grumman Aircraft Engineering Corporation, later Grumman Aerospace Corporation, was a leading 20th century U WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout The U. S. Navy's 1:1 kill ratio suddenly jumped to better than 10:1. While the Hellcat and Corsair are generally considered better all-around than the Zero, U. S. successes also had to do with the increasingly inexperienced Japanese aviators.

Nonetheless, until the end of the war, in competent hands, the Zero could still be deadly. Because of the scarcity of high-powered aviation engines and some problems with planned successor models, the Zero remained in production until 1945, with over 11,000 of all types produced.

Variants

A6M1, Type 0 Prototypes

The first A6M1 prototype was completed in March 1939, powered by the 780 hp (580 kW) Mitsubishi Zuisei 13 engine with a two-bladed propeller. It first flew on 1 April, and passed testing in a remarkably short period of time. By September it had already been accepted for Navy testing as the A6M1 Type 0 Carrier Fighter, with the only notable change being a switch to a three-bladed propeller to cure a vibration problem.

A6M2, Type 0 Model 11

While the Navy was testing the first two prototypes, they suggested that the third be fitted with the 940 hp (700 kW) Nakajima Sakae 12 engine instead. Design Shōkaku was laid down at Yokosuka Dockyard on December 12, 1937, launched on June 1, 1939, and commissioned The Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands, October 26, 1942, sometimes referred to as the Battle of Santa Cruz or in Japanese sources as the, was the fourth WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout Mitsubishi had its own engine of this class in the form of the Kinsei, so they were somewhat reluctant to use the Sakae. The Mitsubishi Kinsei (Japanese 金星 "Venus" was a 14-cylinder air-cooled twin-row radial aircraft engine developed in Japan for Navy use during Nevertheless when the first A6M2 was completed in January 1940, the Sakae's extra power pushed the performance of the plane well past the original specifications.

The new version was so promising that the Navy had 15 built and shipped to China before they had completed testing. They arrived in Manchuria in July 1940, and first saw combat over Chungking in August. Manchuria ( Romanized Manchu: Manju,, Маньчжурия Mongolian: Манж is a historical name given to a vast geographic region in northeast Chongqing ( Postal map spelling: Chungking; Wade-Giles: Ch'ung-ch'ing) is the largest and most populous of the People's Republic of China There they proved to be completely untouchable by the Polikarpov I-16s and I-153s that had been such a problem for the A5Ms currently in service. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout In one encounter 13 Zeros shot down 27 I-15s and I-16s in under three minutes without loss. After hearing of these reports the Navy immediately ordered the plane into production as the Type 0 Carrier Fighter, Model 11.

Reports of the Zero's performance filtered back to the US slowly. There they were dismissed by most military officials, who felt it was impossible for the Japanese to build such an aircraft.

A6M2, Type 0 Model 21

After the delivery of only 65 planes by November 1940, a further change was worked into the production lines, which introduced folding wingtips to allow them to fit on the aircraft carriers. An aircraft carrier is a Warship designed with The resulting Model 21 would become one of the most produced versions early in the war. When the lines switched to updated models, 740 Model 21s were completed by Mitsubishi, and another 800 by Nakajima. Two other versions of the Model 21 were built in small numbers, the Nakajima-built A6M2-N "Rufe" floatplane (based on the model 11 with a slightly modified tail), and the A6M2-K two-seat trainer of which a total of 508 were built by Hitachi and the Sasebo Naval Air Arsenal. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout

A6M3, Type 0 Model 32

In late 1941, Nakajima introduced the Sakae 21, which used a two speed supercharger for better altitude performance, and increased power to 1,130 hp (840 kW). A supercharger is an air compressor used for Forced induction of an Internal combustion engine. Plans were made to introduce the new engine into the Zero as soon as possible.

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. To correct for this the engine mountings were cut down by 8 inches (200 mm), moving the engine back towards the cockpit. This had the side effect of reducing the size of the main fuel tank (located to the rear of the engine) from 518 litres to 470 litres.

The only other major changes were to the wings, which were simplified by removing the Model 21's folding tips. This changed the appearance enough to prompt the US to designate it with a new code name, Hap. This name was short-lived, as a protest from USAAF commander General Henry "Hap" Arnold forced a change to Hamp. The United States Army Air Forces ( USAAF) was the military aviation arm of the United States of America during and immediately after World War II. Henry Harley "Hap" Arnold GCB ( June 25, 1886 – January 15, 1950) was a five-star General officer Soon after, it was realized that it was simply a new model of the Zeke. The wings also included larger ammunition boxes, allowing for 100 rounds for each of the 20 mm cannon.

The wing changes had much greater effects on performance than expected. The smaller size led to better roll, and their lower drag allowed the diving speed to be increased to 360 knots (670 km/h). On the downside, maneuverability was reduced, and range suffered due to both decreased lift and the smaller fuel tank. Pilots complained about both. The shorter range proved a significant limitation during the Solomons campaign of 1942.

The first Model 32 deliveries began in April 1942, but it remained on the lines only for a short time, with a run of 343 being built.

A6M3, Type 0 Model 22

In order to correct the deficiencies of the Model 32, a new version with the Model 21's folding wings, new in-wing fuel tanks and attachments for a 330 litre drop tank under each wing were introduced. The internal fuel was thereby increased to 570 litres in this model, regaining all of the lost range.

As the airframe was reverted from the Model 32 and the engine remained the same, this version received the navy designation Model 22, while Mitsubishi called it the A6M3a. The new model started production in December, and 560 were eventually produced. This company constructed some examples for evaluation, armed with 30 mm Type 5 Cannon, under denomination of A6M3b (model 22b).

A6M4 Type 0 Model 41

The A6M4 designation was applied to two A6M2s fitted with an experimental turbo-supercharged Sakae engine designed for high-altitude use. The design, modification and testing of these two prototypes was the responsibility of the 第一海軍儀実首相 (First Naval Air Technical Arsenal) at Yokosuka and took place in 1943. Lack of suitable alloys for use in the manufacture of the turbo-supercharger and its related ducting caused numerous ruptures of the ducting resulting in fires and poor performance. Consequently, further development of the A6M4 was cancelled. The program still provided useful data for future aircraft designs and, consequently, the manufacture of the more conventional A6M5, already under development by Mitsubishi Jukogyo K. K. , was accelerated. ^[6]

A6M5, Type 0 Model 52

The A6M5 was a modest update of the A6M3 Model 22, with nonfolding wing tips and thicker skinning to permit faster diving speeds, plus an improved exhaust system (four pipes on each side) that provided an increment of thrust. Improved roll-rate of the clipped-wing A6M3 was now built in.

Sub-variants included:

• "A6M5a Model 52a «Kou»," featuring Type 99-II cannon with belt feed of the Mk 4 instead of drum feed Mk 3 (100 rpg), permitting a bigger ammunition supply (125 rpg)
• "A6M5b Model 52b «Otsu»," with an armor glass windscreen, a fuel tank fire extinguisher and one 7. 7 millimeter Type 97 gun (750 m/s muzzle velocity and 600 m range) in the cowling replaced by a 13. A cowling is a covering of a vehicle's Engine, most often found on automobiles and aircraft 2 millimeter Type 3 Browning-derived gun (790 m/s muzzle velocity and 900 m range) with 240 rounds
• "A6M5c Model 52c «Hei»" with more armor plate on the cabin's windshield (5. 5 cm) and in the pilot's seat. This version also possessed armament of three 13. 2 millimeter guns (one in the cowling, and one in each wing with a rate of fire at 800 rpm), twin 20 millimeter Type 99-II guns and an additional fuel tank with a capacity of 367 liters, often replaced by a 250 kg bomb.

The A6M5 could travel at 540 km/h and reach a height of 8000 meters in nine minutes, 57 seconds. Other variants are the night fighter A6M5d-S (modified for night combat, armed with one 20 mm type 99 cannon, inclined back to the pilot's cockpit) and A6M5-K "Zero-Reisen"(model l22) tandem trainer version, also manufactured by Mitsubishi.

A6M6c Type 0 Model 53c

This was similar to the A6M5c, but with self-sealing wing tanks and a Nakajima Sakae 31a engine featuring water-methanol engine boost.

A6M7, Type 0 Model 63

Similar to the A6M6 but intended for attack or Kamikaze role. ( is a word of Japanese origin which in English usually refers to the Suicide attacks by military aviators from the Empire of Japan against

A6M8 Type 0 Model 64

Similar to the A6M6 but with Mitsubishi Kinsei 62 engine. The Mitsubishi Kinsei (Japanese 金星 "Venus" was a 14-cylinder air-cooled twin-row radial aircraft engine developed in Japan for Navy use during This resulted in an extensively modified cowling and nose for the aircraft. 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. Armament was unchanged from the Model 52 Hei (20mm cannon x 2; 13mm MG x 2). In addition, the Model 64 was modified to carry two 150-liter drop tanks on either wing in order to permit the mounting of a 250kg bomb on the underside of the fuselage. Two prototypes were completed in 1945 and production was ordered following flight testing, but the war ended before any production began.

Operators

Main article: List of A6M Zero operators

 China

• Republic of China Air Force

 Indonesia

• Indonesian Air Force

 Japan

• Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service

Survivors

Several Zero fighters survived the war and are on display in Japan (in Aichi, Tokyo's Science Museum, Hamamatsu and Shizuoka), China (in Beijing), United States (at the National Museum of the United States Air Force and at the Pacific Aviation Museum), and the UK (Duxford) as well as the Auckland War Memorial Museum in New Zealand. This is a list of units which operated the Mitsubishi A6M, more commonly known as the Mitsubishi Zero, the most celebrated Japanese warplane of REPUBLIC OF CHINA ARTICLE GUIDELINES Republic of China Air Force Personnel53000 The Republic of Indonesia ( (Republik Indonesia is a Country in Southeast Asia. See also List of aircraft of the Indonesian Air Force The Indonesian Air Force ( Indonesian: Tentara Nasional Indonesia Angkatan Udara or For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Japan topics. The Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service ( Japanese:" 海軍航空本部 Dai-Nippon Teikoku Kaigun Koku Hombu) was the air branch of the Imperial Japanese The National Museum of the United States Air Force (formerly the United States Air Force Museum) is the official National Museum of the United States Air The Pacific Aviation Museum is located on Ford Island, located in the middle of Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.

A number of flyable Zero airframes exist; most have had their engines replaced with similar American units; only one, the Planes of Fame Museum's example, bearing tail number "61-120" (see external link below) has the original Sakae engine. Planes of Fame is an aviation museum located in Chino, California and Valle, Arizona. ^[7] Although not truly a survivor, the "Blayd" Zero is a reconstruction based on templating original Zero components recovered from the South Pacific; a small fraction of parts in the reconstruction are from original Zero landing gears. ^[8][9] The aircraft is now on display at the Fargo Air Museum in Fargo, North Dakota. The Fargo Air Museum is an Aviation related museum in Fargo North Dakota.

It is due to this rarity that converted single-seat T-6 Texans are painted in Japanese markings to represent Zeros in the movies Tora! Tora! Tora! and The Final Countdown, as well as most other television and movie depictions of the aircraft. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout The Final Countdown is a 1980 Science fiction Film about a modern Aircraft carrier that travels through time to just

Specifications (A6M2 Type 0 Model 21)

Data from The Great Book of Fighters^[10]

General characteristics

• Crew: 1
• Length: 9. 06 m (29 ft 9 in)
• Wingspan: 12. The wingspan (or just span) of an airplane or a Bird, is the distance from the left wingtip to the right wingtip 0 m (39 ft 4 in)
• Height: 3. 05 m (10 ft 0 in)
• Wing area: 22. 44 m² (241. 5 ft²)
• Empty weight: 1,680 kg (3,704 lb)
• Loaded weight: 2,410 kg (5,313 lb)
• Max takeoff weight: kg (lb)
• Powerplant: 1× Nakajima Sakae 12 radial engine, 709 kW (950 hp)
• Aspect ratio: 6. The Maximum Takeoff Weight or Maximum Takeoff Mass of an Aircraft is the maximum weight at which the pilot of the aircraft is allowed to attempt to take off WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout The radial engine is a reciprocating type internal combustion Engine configuration in which the cylinders point outward from a central In Aerodynamics, the aspect ratio of a wing is defined as the square of the wing span divided by the wing area 4

Performance

• Never exceed speed: 660 km/h (356 knots, 410 mph)
• Maximum speed: 533 km/h (287 knots, 331 mph) at 4,550 m (14,930 ft)
• Range: 3,105 km (1,675 nm, 1,929 mi)
• Service ceiling 10,000 m (33,000 ft)
• Rate of climb: 15. In Aviation, V-speeds or Velocity-speeds are standard terms used to define Airspeeds important or useful to the operation of Aircraft, such In Aviation, V-speeds or Velocity-speeds are standard terms used to define Airspeeds important or useful to the operation of Aircraft, such The maximal total range is the distance an Aircraft can fly between Takeoff and Landing, as limited by fuel capacity in powered aircraft or cross-country In Aeronautics, a ceiling is the maximum Density altitude an aircraft can reach under a set of conditions In Aerodynamics, the rate of climb RoC is the speed at which an Aircraft increases its Altitude. 7 m/s (3,100 ft/min)
• Wing loading: 107. In Aerodynamics, wing loading is the loaded weight of the aircraft divided by the area of the wing 4 kg/m² (22. 0 lb/ft²)
• Power/mass: 294 W/kg (0. Power-to-weight ratio (specific power is a calculation commonly applied to Engines and other mobile power sources to enable the comparison of one unit or design to another 18 hp/lb)

Armament

• Guns:
  
  • 2× 7. 7 mm (0. 303 in) Type 97 machine guns in the engine cowling
  • 2× 20 mm (0. The was the standard Machine gun used on Tanks and Armored vehicles of the Imperial Japanese Army in World War II, and also as a Light machine The 20 mm caliber is a specific size of Cannon or Autocannon ammunition commonly the smallest caliber which is unambiguously a cannon (or more commonly today autocannon 787 in) Type 99 cannons in the wings
    
    

    Divergence of trajectories between 7. The Type 99 cannon was adaptated from the Oerlikon FF by the Imperial Japanese Navy and served as their standard Aircraft Autocannon during 7mm and 20mm ammunition
• Bombs:
  
  • 2× 60 kg (132 lb) bombs or
  • 2× fixed 250 kg bombs for kamikaze attacks

See also

Related development

• Nakajima A6M2-N
  

Comparable aircraft

• Curtiss-Wright CW-21
• Curtiss P-40 Warhawk
• Grumman Wildcat
• Messerschmitt Bf 109
• Nakajima Ki-43
• Supermarine Spitfire
  

Related lists

• List of fighter aircraft
• List of military aircraft of Japan
  

References

Notes

Bibliography

Scale Aircraft Modelling

External links

• Mitsubishi A6M Zero Japanese fighter aircraft - design, construction, history
• WW2DB: A6M Zero
• www.j-aircraft.com: Quotes A6M
• THE MITSUBISHI A6M ZERO at Greg Goebel's AIR VECTORS
• Imperial Japanese Navy's Mitsubishi A6M Reisen
• Planes of Fame Museum's Flightworthy A6M5 Zero
• War Prize: The Capture of the First Japanese Zero Fighter in 1941

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