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The Mitsubishi A6M "Zero" is a long-range carrier-capable fighter aircraft formerly manufactured by Mitsubishi Aircraft Company, a part of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries. It was operated by the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) from 1940 to 1945.
Few American fighter pilots on their own survived a turning, twisting, close-in dogfight against a capable Japanese pilot flying a Mitsubishi A6M Zero during World War II. Curator Russell Lee explores in a new blog.
One of the most famous planes of the Second World War, the Mitsubishi A6M Zero-Sen, was Japan’s best fighter and the bane of Allied airmen in the Pacific.
Zero, fighter aircraft, a single-seat, low-wing monoplane used with great effect by the Japanese during World War II. Designed by Horikoshi Jiro, it was the first carrier-based fighter capable of besting its land-based opponents.
Mitsubishi designed the A6M from Navy requirements set out in 1937 for a fighter that was fast, maneuverable and had great range. Designed as a carrier-borne fighter, it was exceptionally light compared to its opponents.
On the morning of December 7, 1941, a Mitsubishi Zero fighter, tail number A1-108, takes off from the aircraft carrier Akagi en route to attack Pearl Harbor and other American military installations on the island of Oahu. For a short time, the nimble Zero dominated the skies during the Pacific War.
Popularly known as the ‘Zero’, the Mitsubishi A6M was the world’s most capable carrier-based fighter at the time of its appearance, out-performing all land-based contemporaries. Latterly outclassed, it remained in service until the end of the war.
With its tight turning radius, it was an extremely deadly weapon in a dogfight, and was famous for its ability to outmaneuver, the Brewster F2A Buffalo, the Curtiss P-40 and the Grumman F4F Wildcat. It was the first shipboard fighter capable of surpassing land-based aircraft. 1.
The phenomenally successful Mitsubishi A6M Zero originated with a specification of 1937 which called for a carrier-borne fighter of high performance to succeed the Mitsubishi A5M. A prototype – the A6M1 , with a 780 hp Zuisei 13 radial engine – designed by a team led by Jiro Horikoshi made its maiden flight on 1 April 1939.
Discover the A6M Zero: Mitsubishi's iconic WWII fighter known for its agility and the challenges it faced against advancing Allied forces.