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Zero, also known as the Mitsubishi A6M or Navy Type 0, fighter plane, a single-seater, low-wing aircraft that was used with great effect by the Japanese during the Second World War. Designed by Horikoshi Jiro, it was the first carrier-based fighter capable of outclassing its land-based opponents. It was developed according to specifications written in 1937, first tested in 1939, and put into production and service in China in 1940. Although the aircraft was given the code name "Zeke" by the Allied forces, it was commonly referred to as the Zero. derived from one of his Japanese names -
Japanese Planes Wwii
1940, when it began production, marked the 2,600th anniversary of the ascension of Japan's legendary first emperor Jimmu, hence the "zero" designation.
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The Zero was built by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and was first powered by a Nakajima Sakae radially air-cooled 14-cylinder engine (two staggered inline-sevens) developing 1,020 hp. It later used a 1,130 horsepower engine to turn a three-bladed propeller at constant speed. It had a top speed of 350 mph (565 km/h) at an altitude of nearly 20,000 ft (6,100 m) and was armed with two 7.7-millimeter machine guns and two 20-millimeter cannons in the wings; it could carry two 132 lb (59.9 kg) bombs under its wings.
When it first came out, the Zero could outrun any aircraft it encountered. In addition, its 156-gallon (591-liter) internal fuel tank was supplemented by a 94-gallon external tank that could be dropped when empty, allowing the Zero to fly well beyond its intended range. Until 1943, the Allies did not use fighters that could defeat it in air battles. In the final months of the war, many Zeros were converted into kamikaze ships. In total, almost 10,430 of them were built. The Mitsubishi A6M "Zero" is a long-range carrier-based fighter aircraft formerly produced by the Mitsubishi Aircraft Company, part of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, and operated by the Imperial Japanese Navy. from 1940 to 1945. The A6M was designated as the Mitsubishi Navy Type 0 Carrier Destroyer (零式艦上戦旦機, rei-shiki-kanjō-stōki) or Mitsubishi A6M Rei-s. The A6M was commonly called Reis (零戦 , Zero Fighter) by its pilots, with the '0' being the last digit of the Imperial 2600 (1940) when it served in the Imperial Navy. The official Allied reporting name was "Zeke", although the name "Zero" (from Type 0) was also commonly used.
Introduced at the beginning of World War II, the Zero is considered the most capable carrier-based fighter in the world, combining superior maneuverability and a very long range.
But by mid-1942, new tactics and better equipped Allied pilots had combined to judge the Zero on equal terms.
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By 1943, the Zero was less effective against newer Allied fighters due to design limitations. It lacked hydraulic boost for the ailerons and rudder, which made it difficult to maneuver at high speeds. By 1944, when Allied fighters approached the A6M in maneuverability and consistently exceeded its firepower, armor and speed, the A6M was largely obsolete as a combat aircraft. However, as design delays and production difficulties prevented the introduction of newer Japanese aircraft models, the Zero continued to serve on the front lines in the Pacific until the end of the war. In its final stages it was also adapted for kamikaze operations.
The Mitsubishi A5M fighter only entered service in early 1937 when the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) began looking for a real replacement. On October 5, 1937, it issued "Planning Requirements for a Prototype 12-shi Carrier-Based Fighter", and sent them to Nakajima and Mitsubishi. Both companies began preliminary design work, waiting a few months later for more precise requirements.
Based on the experience of the A5M in China, the IJN updated the requirements in October to require a speed of 270 kn (310 mph; 500 km/h) at 4,000 m (13,000 ft). 3,000 m (9,800 ft) in 9.5 minutes. With drop tanks, the navy wanted a duration of two hours at normal power or six to eight hours at economical cruising speed. Armament would consist of two 20 mm cannons, two 7.7 mm (0.303 in) machine guns and two 60 kg (130 lb) bombs. All aircraft were to be equipped with a full radio set as well as a radio direction finder for long range navigation.
Maneuverability had to be at least the same as the A5M, while the wingspan had to be less than 12 m (39 ft) to be used on aircraft.
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Nakajima's team found the new requirements unworkable and withdrew from the competition in January. The chief designer of Mitsubishi, Jiro Horikoshi, believed that the requirements could be met, but only if the aircraft was made as light as possible. Every possible weight-saving measure was incorporated into the design. Most of the planes were built from a new top secret aluminum alloy developed in 1936 by Sumitomo Metal Industries. Called "extra super duralumin" (ESD), it was lighter, stronger and more flexible than other alloys (such as 24S alloy) used at the time, but was subject to corrosive attack that made it brittle.
This harmful effect was prevented by an anti-corrosion coating applied after manufacture. There was no armor protection for the pilot, engineer, or other critical points of the aircraft, nor were the self-sealing fuel tanks commonly used among other fighters. This made the Zero lighter, more maneuverable and the longest-lasting single-engine fighter of World War II, allowing it to search for the enemy hundreds of kilometers away, bring it into battle, return to its base or aircraft carrier. . However, the compromise of weight and design also resulted in ignition and explosion, which was affected by the emy fire.
With its low-wing cantilever monoplane layout, retractable, wide-set conventional landing gear, and enclosed cockpit, the Zero was one of the most advanced carrier-based aircraft in the world at the time of its introduction. It had a fairly high, low speed wing with a very low wing loading. This, combined with the light weight, resulted in a very low stall speed of well under 60 kn (110 km/h; 69 mph). This was the main reason for its formal maneuverability, which allowed it to outperform all Allied fighters of the time. Early models were fitted with servo bumps on the ailerons after pilots complained that the control forces became too heavy at speeds above 300 kilometers per hour (190 mph). They were discontinued in later models after it was found that the illuminated controls caused pilots to overload the wings during powerful maneuvers.
The A6M is commonly referred to as "Zero" from its Japanese Navy type designation, Type 0 Fighter (Rei shiki Kanjō stōki, 零式艦上戦旦機), the last digit of the Imperial year 2600 (1940). service In Japan, it was officially known as both Rei-s and Zero-s; Japanese pilots mostly called it Zero-s, where s is the first syllable of stōki, which means "plane of destruction" in Japanese.
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In the official designation "A6M", the "A" stood for carrier-based destroyer, the "6" meant that it was the sixth such model built for the Imperial Navy, and the "M" indicated Mitsubishi as the manufacturer .
The official Allied code name was "Zeke", in keeping with the practice of giving male names to Japanese fighters, female names to bombers, bird names to gliders, and tree names to trainers. "Zeke" was part of the first batch of "hillbilly" code names assigned by Captain Frank T. McCoy of Nashville, Tennessee (assigned to the Allied Technical Air Intelligence Unit (ATAIU) at Eagle Farm Airport in Australia), who wanted quick, distinctive, easy to remember names. The Allied code for Japanese aircraft was introduced in 1942, and McCoy chose "Zeke" for "Zero". Later, two variants of the fighter received their code names. Nakajima's A6M2-N watercraft version Zero was named "Rufe", while the A6M3-32 variant was originally named "Hap". However, USAAF Commander Gerald "Hap" Arnold objected to this name, so it was changed to "Hamp".
Cockpit (starboard console) of an A6M2 that crashed into Building 52 at Fort Kamehameha during the attack on Pearl Harbor, killing the pilot.
The first Zeros (pre-series 15 A6M2) wt entered service with 12th Rgo Kōkūtai in July 1940.
Japanese Aircraft Of World War Ii (technical Guides): 1937–1945: Amazon.co.uk: Thomas Newdick: 9781782744740: Books
On September 13, 1940, the Zeros scored their first air-to-air victories when 13 A6M2s led by Lt. Saburo Shindo, escorting 27 G3M "Nell" medium bombers on a Chunking raid, 34 Soviet-made Polikarpov I-15's attacked. and Chinese Nationalist Air Force I-16s claimed that "all 27" Chinese fighters were shot down without loss, but Major Louis Yimkun had actually fed his I-15, which had 48 bullet holes, back to base. and Lt. Gao Youxin claimed to have shot down one of Lt. Shindo's Zeros, but no more than 4 Zeros sustained minor damage in the half-hour battle for Chunking.
521 Zeros operated in the Pacific during the attack on Pearl Harbor,
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