Mitsubishi A6M Zero

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An A6M2 Zero exhibited at the U.S. National Air Force Museum.

The Mitsubishi A6M "Zero" is a long-range fighter used by the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service from 1940 to 1945.

The A6M was designated as Type 0 Shipped Fighter (零式艦上戦闘機 rei-shiki-kanjō-sentōki ?), the Japanese also used an official contraction of rei sentōki —zero fighter— or rei-sen, but they used the word Zero-sen more familiarly, since the words English «zero» and French «zéro» were introduced in Japan from the end of the xix century, when Meiji era Japan began to receive engineers and scientists French and English with the intention of establishing a modern and powerful industry and army. Although the official Allied codename was Zeke—pronounced Zik—he is universally known as Zero after his Japanese naval designation.

Born from the request for a naval fighter in May 1937, the first prototype was able to take off for flight tests in March 1939. When it was introduced into service at the beginning of World War II, the Zero was considered the fighter most capable ship in the world, combining excellent maneuverability and very long range.

In early combat operations, the Zero earned a legendary reputation in close air combat, achieving the exceptional 12 to 1 victory ratio in its favor, but by mid-1942 a combination of new tactics and the introduction Better equipment allowed the Allied pilots to face the Zero in more equal conditions.

The Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service also frequently used it as a land-based fighter. In 1943, inherent weaknesses in the design and the increasing lack of more powerful aircraft engines made the Zero less effective against more modern enemy fighters that were superior in firepower, armor, and speed, and also approached the maneuverability of the Zero. Zero. Although the Mitsubishi A6M became obsolete in 1944, it was never completely replaced by new Japanese aircraft models. During the final years of the Pacific War, the Zero was used in kamikaze operations.

More Zero fighters were produced during the war than any other type of Japanese aircraft, and it became the most produced Japanese aircraft in history with nearly 11,000 examples manufactured.

Identification codes

A6M taking off during the Battle of the Holy Cross 1942

Project code

Jirō Horikoshi, Zero program designer

Starting in 1931, when a Japanese military aircraft (intended for either the Imperial Army or the Navy) began to be conceived on the drawing boards of aeronautical engineers, it was given a project name based on the year in which course of the emperor's reign.

In the case of A6M, the current reign was that of Emperor Shōwa, whose real name was the now well-known Hirohito. The number of that year was called the Shi number. The Mitsubishi A6M, before it was called that, before it was even determined if it was going to be manufactured by the Mitsubishi company, was a ship-borne fighter project launched in the twelfth year of the Showa era (1937). Its project name was therefore Embarked fighter 12 Shi. The chief designer was Jirō Horikoshi, a Mitsubishi engineer in Nagoya, who developed the Model 12 program for the Imperial Japanese Navy that would lead to the famous Japanese Zero fighter.

Device type code

Used by the Navy and Army from 1939 onwards, this code assigned a type number to each Japanese aircraft, a number based on the last two figures of the year of the Japanese imperial calendar in which the aircraft entered service. For example, the Mitsubishi G3M was a torpedo bomber entered service in the year 2596 of the imperial calendar (1936), consequently receiving the identification code Type 96 torpedo bomber. The Mitsubishi A6M entered service in the year 2600 of the imperial calendar (1940). For aircraft entered into service that year, the double zero was ignored and they were simply called type 0. The A6M was therefore the Type 0 embarked fighter rei shiki kanjō sentōki (零式艦上戦闘機 ?) (rei=zero, shiki=type, kanjō=embarked, sentōki=hunting). This designation system was what gave the Cero its most popular name, both among the crews that flew it and among its adversaries.

Imperial Japanese Navy Code

A Mitsubishi A6M3 Model 32 from Tainan kokutai.

When a device entered service with the Imperial Navy, it assigned its own identification code. The Navy code was based on a series of four characters: a letter that corresponded to a type of device ("A" in the case of embarked fighters), a figure that corresponded to the number of different models up to that time (the Mitsubishi A6M was the sixth embarked fighter to enter service in the Imperial Japanese Navy), a letter, the initial of the manufacturer's name ("M" in the case of the Mitsubishi A6M) and finally a figure that corresponded to the version number: A6M1, A6M2, A6M3, A6M4, A6M5, A6M6, A6M7 and A6M8 in the case of the Mitsubishi A6M, but the versions A6M1, A6M4, A6M6 and A6M8 never entered service, they remained in the state of experimental prototypes. The first letter indicated the type of device, but when one type of device was extrapolated from another, the original letter was retained and the letter corresponding to the new type of device was added at the end. For example, the A6M2 was extrapolated in a fighter seaplane version but also in a two-seat training version. The fighter seaplane was given the identification code A6M2-N ("N" for "fighter seaplane") and the training version was called A6M2-K ("K" #34; for "training aircraft").

Allied code

A6M5 Type 0 Model 52 preserved at the Yasukuni Sanctuary in Tokyo.

In the course of 1942, as they fought more and more with Japanese planes, the Americans established an identification code for Japanese planes. Essentially bombers were given a female first name (e.g. 'Betty' in the case of the Mitsubishi G4M Navy bomber) and fighters were given a male first name (e.g. 'Oscar').; in the case of the Nakajima Ki-43 Army fighter). The Mitsubishi A6M was a fighter, so the male name "Zeke", an American abbreviation of "Ezekiel" ("Ezequiel" in Spanish).

The reason why this code name was chosen is not known with certainty. It is possible that the origin is found in a character from the Walt Disney studios. In 1933 Walt Disney won his second Oscar for an animated short film: The three little pigs. In this animated short the Big Bad Wolf (Big Bad Wolf, the character's only official name in 1933) tried to eat the three little pigs, but never succeeded. The film was so successful that the public incessantly demanded that new adventures of the wolf and the pigs be made. During the 1930s, and in response to this demand, Disney produced up to three new short films, and also a comic series that began in 1936 and in which the wolf character was given a first and last name: Zeke Midas. When American pilots first came into contact with Zero (in 1941 and 1942), the latter systematically shot them down, this new aerial adversary seemed invincible and just seeing it appear in the sky could plunge them into panic. That is why they called the Mitsubishi A6M 'the Big Bad Wolf', in memory of the cartoon they had seen as children in 1933. Taking into account this nickname given to the A6M by the American pilots themselves (and taking also taking into account that they assiduously read the comics of the time) perhaps the code name Zeke appeared as the most appropriate to the American office that attributed those code names. However, there is no data that the name of Walt Disney's character is actually the one that inspired the code name finally attributed.

Two versions of the Zero were, however, sufficiently different from the general shape of the plane that the Americans confused them with a new type of aircraft and attributed their own identification code to them. The fighter seaplane version (A6M2-N) was called Rufe and the A6M3-32 (whose wing edges were straight and not rounded, which caused confusion) was called Hamp. The latter was first called Hap, after the commander in chief of the US Air Force, General Henry Harley Arnold. Arnold had several nicknames but Hap had stuck with him since his childhood. An aunt of his always called him Happy ("happy", "happy"), but over time the nickname was abbreviated to Hap. The general did not appreciate that his nickname was given to a Japanese plane because, according to him, American pilots would not refrain from making jokes like "I just shot down a Hap", actually referring to their commander. in chief. Arnold therefore requested that the identification code of the supposed new Japanese plane be changed and the service in charge of assigning said identification codes added an "m" in the middle of the word, calling the device Hamp, which in English means nothing. Only later did the Allies realize that it was actually a Zeke, but the code name Hamp persisted in Allied pilot slang for the A6M3. -32.

Design

Mitsubishi A6M taking off from the Akagi carrier for the attack on Pearl Harbor. The auxiliary fuel tank is appreciated and the end of the handle, right in front of the tail wheel.

The A6M was a low-wing monoplane with an all-metal structure and retractable undercarriage. The wing combined the advantages of notable lightness with high robustness for all types of acrobatics, but suffered from a serious lack of structural resistance after being damaged in combat, breaking very easily after being hit by some shots, which led to an immediate spin and a catastrophic fire of the wing fuel tanks.

To avoid giving more weight to the 'Zero', the first models did not include armor for the pilot or self-sealing fuel tanks, which were not introduced until the A6M5 type, late in the war. The AL7075 Zicral space aluminum alloy (with a better strength/weight ratio than steel, with the exception of Armox 600 sheets) was developed for the Mitsubishi A6M Zero project (apart from high requirements and space mechanisms, Al7075 is also used used in Bradley armored vehicles).

The engine, initially a 780 HP Zuisei 13, will soon be replaced (in the A6M2-11 and A6M2-21 versions) by a 980 HP Nakajima Sakae 12. The A6M3, A6M5 and A6M7-62 versions were powered by the Sakae 21, a 1,130 HP double-row 14-cylinder engine equipped with a two-speed compressor. The latter will allow reaching a speed of 560 km/h and a range of up to 1,922 km in the different A6M5 variants, thanks to the additional thrust of its exhaust pipes, absent in versions prior to the A6M5. The only version of Zero-sen to be mass produced with the Sakae 31 (also 1,130 HP) was the A6M7-63. The Nakajima Kinsei engine, of 1300 HP, was integrated into the A6M8 version, but the latter was never mass-produced.

The armament, at first rather light, was later notably increased, but it will always be inferior to the American, which had as its basic weapon the 12.7 mm Browning M2 machine gun (between 6 and 8) while the Japanese was generally based in 4 weapons, if not less: 2 7.70mm and either another 2 13.2mm or 2 20mm cannons.

Undisputed owner of the sky during the first year of war, starting in 1943 it began to lose air supremacy when more powerful American fighters appeared, such as the Grumman F6F Hellcat. It was the beginning of defeat. The latest "Zero" participated in the "kamikaze" against American ships and as interceptors against Boeing B-29 squadrons.

Variants

Zero Type Cazas taking off from Japanese aircraft carriers during World War II.

A6M1

Two prototypes of this variant were manufactured, powered by a 780 hp Mitsubishi Zuisei 13 engine. The first of them flew in Kagamigahara on April 1, 1939, demonstrating extraordinary qualities, with the exception of its speed (489 km/h), which almost caused him to lose the contract. A constant speed propeller was tested, which allowed an improvement in overall performance, but even so, more power was needed.

A6M2 Model 11

Initial production version powered by a 940 hp Sakae 12 engine, with an armament of 2 20 mm cannons in the wings and 2 7.70 mm machine guns; wingspan of 12 m and normal take-off weight of 2410 kg; The initial aircraft of the batch, as well as those that, from the 22nd production example, incorporated the reinforced rear spar, were called A6M2-11.

A6M2 Model 21

Starting with number 65, the wingtips could be folded manually. Used in Japanese naval aviation, its wingspan was 12.2 m, 12.6% (1.4 m) longer than the A6M5C.

A6M2-K

Two-seat training version with dual control of the A6M2.

A6M2-N

Hydro version of the A6M2 with one main float and two wing floats; normal takeoff weight 2460 kg.

A6M3 Model 32

A6M3 Abandoned Model 32, stationed at the base of Buna, New Guinea

Improved model, powered by a 1130 hp Sakae 21 engine, starting with the fourth example, the amount of ammunition for the 20 mm cannons was increased; The last devices in the series had square wingtips and a wingspan of 11 m, the normal takeoff weight was 2,544 kg.

A6M3 Model 22

Same as the A6M3 Model 32, but with a 12 m wingspan and rounded wingtips.

A6M4 Model 41

Unfortunate experimental version with turbocharged Sakae engine.

A6M5 Model 52

It is an improved A6M3 with thicker wing covering, rounded wing tips and power increase exhausts, its normal takeoff weight is 2,733 kg.

A6M5a Model 52a (A6M5 Model 52 KO)

Derived from the A6M5 with thicker wing skin and improved Type 99 Model 2 Series 3 cannon.

A6M5b Model 52b (A6M5 Model 52 OTSU)

Upgraded A6M5 with extra protection, fire suppression system for tanks and one of the 7.70mm machine guns replaced with another 13.2mm Type 3

A6M5c Model 52c (A6M5 Model 52 HEI)

The ultimate upgrade, with two 13.2mm Type 3 machine guns added outside the wing guns, armor behind the pilot, increased fuel capacity and mounting for eight 10kg air-to-air unguided rockets.

A6M6 Model 53

Upgraded A6M5c with 1,210 hp Sakae 31 engine and water/methanol injection, and self-sealing wing tanks.

A6M7 Model 62

A6M7 Model 63

Dive bombing version of the A6M6c, intended for use on small aircraft carriers; provision for a 250kg bomb and underwing supports for two 350 liter fuel tanks.

A6M8c Model 64

Upgraded model with 1,560 hp Kinsei 62 engine; devoid of weapons on the engine hood, and with better protection; normal takeoff weight 3150 kg.

Evolutionary organizational chart

Users

Bandera del Imperio del Japón Japan
  • Japanese Imperial Navy Air Service
Bandera de la República de ChinaRepublic of China
  • The Republic of China Air Force operated with a small number of A6M variants captured after World War II.

Specifications (A6M2 Type 0 Model 21)

Data reference: The Great Book of Fighters.

Drawing 3 views of Mitsubishi A6M2 Zero

General characteristics

  • Triple: One (pilot)
  • Length: 9,06 m
  • Scope: 12 m
  • Height: 3,05 m
  • Elong surface: 22,44 m2
  • Empty weight: 1,680 kg
  • Weight loaded: 2.410 kg
  • Motriz plant: 1× 14-cylinder radial engine in two air-cooled rows Nakajima Sakae 12.
    • Power: 708 kW (950 HP; 963 CV)
  • Propellers: 1× tripala per motor.

Performance

  • Speed never exceeded (Vne): 660 km/h (410 MPH; 356 kt)
  • Maximum operating speed (Vno): 533 km/h (331 MPH; 288 kt)
  • Scope: 3105 km (1677 nmi; 1929 mi)
  • Flight board: 10 000 m (32 808 ft)
  • Promotional regime: 15.7 m/s (3091 ft/min)
  • Long load: 107.4 kg/m2
  • Power/weight: 2.94 W/kg

Weapons

  • Machine guns:
    • 2x Type 97 of 7.70 mm on the engine, with 500 shells each.
  • Cannons:
    • 2x Type 99 of 20 mm on the wings, with 60 shells each.
  • Pumps:
    • 2 60 kg or 1 250 kg fixed pump for attacks kamikaze


Technical characteristics of A6M1, A6M2, A6M3 and A6M8 versions
Versions A6M1A6M2A6M3A6M8
Proyectista Technical team led by engineer Jirō Horikoshi
First flight March 1939 - - -
Larger 12 m 12 m 11 m 11 m
Length 9,06 m 9,06 m 9,06 m 9,24 m
Height 3,05 m - 3,51 m 3,64 m
Alar surface 22,44 m2 - 21,53 m2 21,30 m2
Weight charged/vacuum 2343 kg/1652 kg 2408 kg/1678 kg 2544 kg/1807 kg 3150 kg/2150 kg
Triple 1 1 1 1
Motor Mitsubishi Zuisei 13 of 780 HP Nakajima NK1C Sakae 12 of 940 HP Nakajima Sakae 21 of 1,130 HP Mitsubishi Kinsei 62 of 1,580 HP
Trepada to 6000 m - 7 minutes and 27 seconds 7 minutes and 19 seconds 6 minutes and 50 seconds
Cruise speed - - 371 km/h -
Maximum speed 510 km/h to 3600 m 534 km/h to 5050 m 545 km/h to 6000 m 573 km/h to 6000 m
Flight roof - 10 300 m 10 000 m 11 200 m
Arms 2 cannons 20 mm
2 7.70 mm machine guns
2 cannons 20 mm
2 7.70 mm machine guns
2 cannons 20 mm
2 7.70 mm machine guns
2 cannons 20 mm
1 7.70 mm machine gun
1 13.2 mm machine gun
Charge 120 kg of pumps 120 kg of pumps 120 kg of pumps 500 kg of pumps
Autonomy 1820 km 3100 km 2830 km (with repository) -

In popular culture

  • Part of Jirō Horikoshi's life, the engineer who designed the plane is portrayed in the animated film Kaze Tachinu (Hayao Miyazaki, 2013).
  • The Zero appears in the video game War Thunderas an investigative plane in Japan.
  • These planes make appearance in the video game Heroes of the Pacific, being a Japanese plane of origin that the player can use.

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