zero21a

Mitsubishi A6M Reisen (Zero Fighter)
Allied Code Name was "ZEKE"

$TorpedoSqdn\zero.jpg$

The Zero Fighter was the definitive Imperial Japanese Navy Fighter airplane.
It was designed for speed, range and maneuverability, and had no match at
the start of the World War Second.

Armed with two 20 mm cannons and two 7.7mm machine guns, it could cruise
for 8 hours with a drop tank attached. One of the first aircraft built of duralumin
at the time.

In May of 1937, the Imperial Japanese Navy demanded that both Mitsubishi and
Nakajima aircraft manufacturer to send in their projects of Carrier-based Fighter,
which was to succeed the one in use at the time. In response to this, the one
developed by Mitsubishi aircraft manufacturer was the Zero Fighter, which had
made the first test hop at the Kakamigahara airfield in Gifu, on 1st April, 1939.

Jiro Horikoshi, commented to be a noted aircraft designer, played an important
roll in the designing of the Zero Fighter. In the postwar, he had participated
together with Takeo Doi, who designed the Imperial Japanese Army Air Force
Fighter, Kawasaki Ki-61 (Hien), code-named Tony by the Allies Forces, in the
production of YS-11 which was the first aircraft built in Japan after the war
was over.

Model 21 (A6M2b) was the first Zero Fighter with the folding wing tips and the
tailhook to capture the arresting gear, and is known to have played most active
role in the Pacfic theatre.

The Zero Fighter was a invincible, unrivaled fighter plane in the hands of veteran
pilots, however, against later, more-powerful American Fighter, the Zero lost ground
and became an easy target mainly due to its weakness of the protection of pilot.

Technical Data

Model 21	A6M2b
Production	a total of 740 were built
Span	12.00 m
Length	9.060 m
Height	3.570 m
Weight, loaded	2.421kg
Weight, empty	1.754 kg
Powerplant	Sakae 12, fourteen-cylinder air cooled radial.
Power	950 hp at 4.200 m
Maximum speed	288 kt (533 km/h) at 4.550 m
Armament	20mm cannon x 2, 7.7mm machine gun x 2
Bomb	two 60 kg bombs

Nakajima B5N2 KYUNANA KANKO (97 Torpedo
Dive Bomber), Allied Code Name was "KATE"

$TorpedoSqdn\kate.jpg$

In fall of 1935, the Imperial Japanese Navy directed development of the
carrier-borne bomber to both companies of Mitsubishi Aircraft Manufacture
and Nakajima Aircraft Manufacture. The one responded by the Nakajima was
selected and they received an order to make further developement of the
IJN carrier-borne bomber. This was the first case in which Nakajima won the
competition with Mitsubishi.

The carrier-borne bomber in the developement of Nakajima was all-metal
construction, low-wing monoplane and were the designs that took in a new
scheme of hydraulic retractable landing gear, single-beam main wings, enlcosed
cockpit and upward folding main wings.

The first Nakajima's carrier-borne bomber rolled out at the end of November,
1936, however, the engine mounted on it was HIKARI engine instead of SAKAE
which was the one adopted in the original design of this airplane. The reason
was that simply SAKAE engine could not be made available as scheduled for
the production. In fall of 1937, after official evaluation made by the IJN, she
had formally become the KYUNANA KANKO (ninety-seven, carrier-borne
bomber) of the Imperial Japanese Navy.

The first quantity production type KYUNANA KANKO (B5N1) (Allied code name,
KATE) rolled out during April, 1938, and she had to make a debut in the combat
arena already from August, 1938, due to break out of the conflict between
Japan and China. In actual operation, KYUNANA KANKO was proved to be
successful plane as she was capable of carrying heavy load for a long distance.

From the end of 1939, production of the KYUNANA KANKO with SAKAE
11 engine, as was originally designed, was commenced and they were named
KYUNANA KANKO Type 3 (B5N2).

Since the diameter of SAKAE 11 engine was smaller than HIKARI engine, her
looks became handsome. Her speed was increased by 28km/h and was given
higher climb capability, since new engine had more power.

The torpedo bomber badly needed to be escorted by the friendly fighter,
because she had to fly slow at low altitude, straight forward to the target
once she commenced a torpedo run. Thus, she became an easy target of
the enemy fighter and flak once she lost the protection of Zero, which
was the case happened in the latter half of the Pacific War.

Technical Data

Type 3	B5N2
Production	a total of 1,149 were built
Span	15.518 m
Length	10.300 m
Height	3.700 m
Weight, loaded	3.800 kg
Weight, empty	2.279 kg
Powerplant	Sakae 11, fourteen-cylinder air cooled radial.
Power	970 hp at 3.000 m
Maximum speed	204 kt (378 km/h) at 3.600 m
Armament	one flexible rear-firing, 7.7mm machine gun
Bomb	one Torpedo 800 kg or one 800 kg of bomb or two 250 kg of bomb or six 60 kg of bomb

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