Mitsubishi A6M Zero.docxVIP

Mitsubishi A6M TYPE 01. Design and development:The design of the A6M Zero began in May 1937, shortly after the introduction of the Mitsubishi A5M fighter. Operating under the Imperial Japanese Navys (IJN) specification 12-Shi, Mitsubishi and Nakajima commenced preliminary design work on a new carrier-based fighter, while waiting to receive the final requirements for the aircraft. These were issued by the IJN in October and were based upon the A5Ms (in China) performance in the on-going Second Sino-Japanese War. The final specifications called for the aircraft to possess two 7.7 mm machine guns, as well as two 20 mm cannon. Each airplane was to have a radio direction finder for navigation and a full radio set. For performance, the IJN required that the new design be capable of 310 mph at 13,000 ft. and possess an endurance of two hours at normal power and six to eight hours at cruising speed (with drop tanks). As the aircraft was to be carrier-based, its wingspan was limited to 39 ft. (12m). Stunned by the navys requirements, Nakajima pulled out of the project and believe that such an aircraft could not be designed. At Mitsubishi, the companys chief designer, Jiro Horikoshi, began toying around potential designs.After initial testing, Horikoshi determined that the IJNs requirements could be met, but that the aircraft would have to be extremely light. As a result, the design lacked armor to protect the pilot. On July 31 of 1940, the aircraft was?formally accepted for production as the Navy Type 0 Carrier Fighter Model 11. The?popular name was Reisen (Zero?Fighter), so chosen for its type number which was 0, standing for the last digit of?the current Japanese year, which was 2600 in the Japanese calendar.The new A6M was one of the most modern fighters in the world when it completed all testing.General:Length: 9.06 m (29 ft 9 in)Wingspan: 12.0 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