"fulfill the requirements; however, production of the MK9 was delayed compared to the NK9, and the Japanese Navy instructed Mitsubishi to use the NK9. Work on the 17-""Shi"" was further delayed by factories prioritizing A6M and Mitsubishi G4M production as well as further work on A6M variants and addressing ""Raiden"" issues. As a result, the 17-""Shi"", which became the A7M1, officially flew for the first time on 6 May 1944, four years after development started. The aircraft demonstrated excellent handling and maneuverability, but was underpowered as Mitsubishi engineers feared, and with a top speed similar to the A6M5 Zero. It"
"Mitsubishi G3M The Mitsubishi G3M (九六式陸上攻撃機 ""Kyūroku-shiki rikujō kōgeki-ki"": Type 96 land-based attack aircraft ""Rikko""; Allied reporting name ""Nell"") was a Japanese bomber and transport aircraft used by the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service (IJNAS) during World War II. The G3M has its origins in a specification submitted to the Mitsubishi company from the Imperial Japanese Navy requesting a bomber aircraft with a range unprecedented at the time. This principally stemmed from Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto's influence in the Naval High Commission. The bomber was to have the capacity to accommodate an aerial torpedo capable of sinking an armoured battleship. The"
"from these defeats the Navy stabilized its lines in summer 1942. At the start of the war, the United States and Japan were well matched in aircraft carriers, in terms of numbers and quality. Both sides had nine, but the Mitsubishi A6M Zero carrier fighter plane was superior in terms of range and maneuverability to its American counterpart, the F4F Wildcat. By reverse engineering a captured Zero, the American engineers identified its weaknesses, such as inadequate protection for the pilot and the fuel tanks, and built the Hellcat as a superior weapon system. In late 1943 the Grumman F6F Hellcats"
"of ""Nells"" served as glider tugs, aircrew and paratroop trainers, and transports for high-ranking officers and VIPs between the home islands, occupied territories, and combat fronts. Mitsubishi G3M The Mitsubishi G3M (九六式陸上攻撃機 ""Kyūroku-shiki rikujō kōgeki-ki"": Type 96 land-based attack aircraft ""Rikko""; Allied reporting name ""Nell"") was a Japanese bomber and transport aircraft used by the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service (IJNAS) during World War II. The G3M has its origins in a specification submitted to the Mitsubishi company from the Imperial Japanese Navy requesting a bomber aircraft with a range unprecedented at the time. This principally stemmed from Admiral Isoroku"
"the Japanese Mitsubishi A6M Zero. Several nations, including Finland, Belgium, Britain and the Netherlands, ordered the Buffalo. The Finns were the most successful with their Buffalos, flying them in combat against early Soviet fighters with excellent results. During the Continuation War of 1941–1944, the B-239s (a de-navalized F2A-1) operated by the Finnish Air Force proved capable of engaging and destroying most types of Soviet fighter aircraft operating against Finland at that time and achieving in the first phase of that conflict 32 Soviet aircraft shot down for every B-239 lost, and producing 36 Buffalo ""aces"". In December 1941, Buffalos operated"
"Nakajima A6M2-N The Nakajima A6M2-N (Navy Type 2 Interceptor/Fighter-Bomber) was a single-crew floatplane based on the Mitsubishi A6M Zero Model 11. The Allied reporting name for the aircraft was Rufe. The A6M2-N floatplane was developed from the Mitsubishi A6M Type 0, mainly to support amphibious operations and defend remote bases. It was based on the A6M-2 Model 11 fuselage, with a modified tail and added floats. A total of 327 were built, including the original prototype. The aircraft was deployed in 1942, referred to as the ""Suisen 2"" (""Hydro fighter type 2""), and was only utilized in defensive actions in"
"their own separate studies. A Mitsubishi A6M ""Zero"" of the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service made a forced landing in June 1942 on Akutan Island, off Alaska. The aircraft (known later as the ""Akutan Zero"") was recovered by the USN and shipped to NAS North Island, California, where it was repaired and made a number of test flights to determine its performance and capabilities. In late 1942, the Australian Army captured lightly damaged or incomplete examples of the Nakajima Ki-43 ""Hayabusa"" (""Oscar"") – the main fighter used by the Imperial Japanese Army Air Force during the war – in Papua"
"much less framing than the A6M). While relatively easy for a trained eye to tell apart with the ""finer"" lines of the Ki-43's fuselage — especially towards the tail — and more tapered wing planform; in the heat of battle, given the brief glimpses and distraction of combat, Allied aviators frequently made mistakes in enemy aircraft identification in the heat of a dogfight, reportedly having fought ""Zeros"" in areas where there were no Navy fighters. Like the Mitsubishi-produced A6M Zero, the radial-engined Ki-43 was light and easy to fly and became legendary for its combat performance in East Asia in"
"accident in 1945. Parts of it are preserved in several museums in the United States. The Second Sino-Japanese War began in 1937. Attacks by Chinese fighter planes on Japanese bombers led the Japanese to develop the concept of fighter escorts. The limited range of the Mitsubishi A5M ""Claude"" fighter used to escort the bombers caused the Japanese Navy Air staff to commission the Mitsubishi A6M Zero as a long-range land- and carrier-based fighter. The Zero, which first flew in 1939, was exceedingly agile and lightweight, with maneuverability and range superior to any other fighter in the world at that time."
"problems, the Soviets slowly and methodically began to regain air supremacy after the Battle of Stalingrad in 1943. This theater is notable for including the only female fighter aces in history, Yekaterina Budanova and Lydia Litvyak. After the bombing of Pearl Harbor, in the Hawaiian Islands, the United States entered the war. The Japanese used the Mitsubishi A6M Zero, an extremely lightweight fighter known for its exceptional range and maneuverability. The U.S. military tested out the Akutan Zero, a Mitsubishi A6M2 which was captured intact in 1942, advising — along the same lines that General Claire Chennault, commander of the"
"Mitsubishi F1M The Mitsubishi F1M (Allied reporting name ""Pete"") was a Japanese reconnaissance floatplane of World War II. It was the last biplane type of the Imperial Japanese Navy, with 944 built between 1936 and 1944. The Navy designation was ""Type Zero Observation Seaplane"" (零式水上観測機). In 1934, the Imperial Japanese Navy issued a specification to Mitsubishi, Aichi and Kawanishi for a replacement for its Nakajima E8N floatplanes, which were used for short-ranged reconnaissance and observation missions from the Navy's warships. Mitsubishi's design, the Ka-17, given the short system designation F1M1 by the Japanese Navy, was a small all-metal biplane powered"
"Nakajima C6N The Nakajima C6N Saiun (彩雲, ""Iridescent Cloud"") was a carrier-based reconnaissance aircraft used by the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service in World War II. Advanced for its time, it was the fastest carrier-based aircraft put into service by Japan during the war. The Allied reporting name was Myrt. The C6N originated from a 1942 Imperial Japanese Navy specification for a carrier-based reconnaissance plane with a top speed of 350 knots (650 km/h) at 6,000 m and range of 2,500 nautical miles (4,960 km). Nakajima's initial proposal, designated N-50, was for a craft with two 1,000 hp engines housed"
"often used as a dive bomber in Burma. The aircraft was not necessarily a failure, and was considered an acceptable light bomber for the first few years of the war by many historians. Much like the Mitsubishi A6M Zero fighter, it was satisfactory for the period when it was designed and produced, but had to be used against much newer and faster competition, due to Japan's inability to produce enough newer aircraft. The aircraft served in China from late 1940, replacing the Kawasaki Ki-32, and were widely used in the Philippines, Malaya, Burma, New Guinea, the Solomon Islands and the"
"Mitsubishi J4M The Mitsubishi J4M ""Senden (閃電""Flashing Lighting"") or Navy Experimental 17-""Shi Otsu"" B Type Interceptor Fighter ""Senden, Allied reporting name Luke, was a Japanese World War II fighter aircraft proposed by Mitsubishi for use by the Imperial Japanese Navy. The J4M project did not proceed beyond the design stage. To provide the Imperial Japanese Navy with a land-based high-performance interceptor aircraft, Mitsubishi designed the J4M. It was to have been a single-seat, twin-boom, low-wing monoplane with a central nacelle housing an unstepped cockpit and a 1,590-kilowatt (2,130-hp) Mitsubishi Ha-43 radial engine behind the pilot driving a four-bladed pusher propeller"
"in the Pacific. During the final phases, it was also adapted for use in ""kamikaze"" operations. Japan produced more Zeros than any other model of combat aircraft during the war. The Mitsubishi A5M fighter was just entering service in early 1937, when the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) started looking for its eventual replacement. On October 5, 1937, they issued ""Planning Requirements for the Prototype 12-shi Carrier-based Fighter"", sending it to Nakajima and Mitsubishi. Both firms started preliminary design work while they awaited more definitive requirements to be handed over in a few months. Based on the experiences of the A5M"
"transport, and anti-shipping strike; for example sinking Motor Torpedo Boat PT-34 on 9 April 1942. The type was also used as an area-defense fighter and engaged in aerial combat in the Aleutians, the Solomons and several other theaters. In the New Guinea front, it was often used in aerial combat with the Allied bombers and Allied fighters. Mitsubishi F1M The Mitsubishi F1M (Allied reporting name ""Pete"") was a Japanese reconnaissance floatplane of World War II. It was the last biplane type of the Imperial Japanese Navy, with 944 built between 1936 and 1944. The Navy designation was ""Type Zero Observation"
"Genda was chosen by the Japanese Naval Department to travel abroad as a military attaché to obtain first-hand military accounts of German air offensives and British defensive measures during the Battle of Britain. His assessment of the Royal Air Force (RAF), Hawker Hurricane Mk I and Supermarine Spitfire Mk I fighters against the German Messerschmitt Bf 109E ""Emil"" later provided evidence that the Japanese Mitsubishi A6M Zero Model 21 could easily outmaneuver these Western European aircraft. The carefully recorded details were secretly documented during his brief tour in London and were hand-carried by Genda during his return trip to Japan"
"Mitsubishi Ki-67 The Mitsubishi Ki-67 ""Hiryū"" (飛龍, ""Flying Dragon""; Allied reporting name ""Peggy"") was a twin-engine medium bomber produced by Mitsubishi and used by the Imperial Japanese Army Air Force and Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service in World War II. Its Army long designation was ""Army Type 4 Heavy Bomber"" (四式重爆撃機). Its Navy designations were ""P2M"" and ""Q2M"". The Ki-67 was the result of a 1941 Japanese army specification for a successor to the Nakajima Ki-49. This new aircraft was specified to be a high-speed twin-engined heavy bomber suitable for possible conflicts with the Soviet Union over the Manchuria-Siberia border,"
"program, and as a potential supplement to the Nakajima Ki-6. Two examples were acquired and tested, and the airframe was given the designation of Ki-7. One prototype used a Mitsubishi Type 92 nine-cylinder air-cooled radial engine and the other a Nakajima Kotobuki nine-cylinder air-cooled radial engine. However, the IJAAF opted not to go into production with either version. The civil version offered to commercial operators was with a Nakajima-built Bristol Jupiter VI nine-cylinder air-cooled radial engine. The Mitsubishi K3M was used for both civil and military roles with some remaining in operation until well after World War II. Mitsubishi K3M"
"Mitsubishi G4M The Mitsubishi G4M (long designation: Mitsubishi Navy Type 1 attack bomber: 一式陸上攻撃機, 一式陸攻 ""Isshiki rikujō kōgeki ki, Isshikirikkō"") was the main twin-engine, land-based bomber used by the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service in World War II. The Allies gave the G4M the reporting name Betty. Japanese Navy pilots called it due to its cylindrical shape. The G4M had very good performance, especially in respect of range; this was achieved by its structural lightness and an almost total lack of protection for the crew, with no armor plating or self-sealing fuel tanks. These omissions proved to be the aircraft's"
"and became part of the RAF St Athan collection of historic aircraft, before passing to the RAF Museum at RAF Cosford where it is currently (2013) on public display. Mitsubishi Ki-46 The Mitsubishi Ki-46 was a twin-engine reconnaissance aircraft used by the Imperial Japanese Army in World War II. Its Army ""Shiki"" designation was Type 100 Command Reconnaissance Aircraft (一〇〇式司令部偵察機); the Allied nickname was ""Dinah"". On 12 December 1937, the Imperial Japanese Army Air Force issued a specification to Mitsubishi for a long-range strategic reconnaissance aircraft to replace the Mitsubishi Ki-15. The specification demanded an endurance of six hours and"
"Mitsubishi F-1 The Mitsubishi F-1 is Japan's first domestically developed and built supersonic military jet. It was nicknamed ""Supersonic ""Rei-Sen"""" (""Rei-Sen"" being the Japanese term for Mitsubishi's famed A6M ""Zero"" fighter of WWII). Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and Fuji Heavy Industries jointly developed the F-1. At first glance, it somewhat resembles the French/Anglo SEPECAT Jaguar, but was a completely independent Japanese effort (although it uses the same engines). Its primary role is anti-ship attack with a secondary ground attack role. It can carry AIM-9 Sidewinder missiles for self-defense. In the mid 1960s, the Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF) commenced studies into"
"the war, he served with the Oita, Omura and Suzuka Kōkūtai (air groups/wings). In October 1941, he was transferred to the Chitose Kōkūtai, with the rank of petty officer 1st class. After the outbreak of war with the Allies, Nishizawa's squadron (""chutai"") from the Chitose Air Group, then flying the obsolete Mitsubishi A5M, moved to Vunakanau airfield on the newly taken island of New Britain. The squadron received its first Mitsubishi Zeros (A6M2, Model 21) the same week. On 3 February 1942, Nishizawa, still flying an obsolete A5M, claimed his first aerial kill of the war, a PBY Catalina; historians"
"fighter engaged with RCAF Curtiss P-40 Warhawk, Lockheed P-38 Lightning fighters and Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress bombers. The aircraft was used for interceptor, fighter-bomber, and short reconnaissance support for amphibious landings, among other uses. Later in the conflict the Otsu Air Group utilized the A6M2-N as an interceptor alongside Kawanishi N1K1 Kyofu (""Rex"") aircraft based in Biwa lake in the Honshū area. The last A6M2-N in military service was a single example recovered by the French forces in Indochina after the end of World War II. It crashed shortly after being overhauled. Nakajima A6M2-N The Nakajima A6M2-N (Navy Type 2"
"Mitsubishi Ki-46 The Mitsubishi Ki-46 was a twin-engine reconnaissance aircraft used by the Imperial Japanese Army in World War II. Its Army ""Shiki"" designation was Type 100 Command Reconnaissance Aircraft (一〇〇式司令部偵察機); the Allied nickname was ""Dinah"". On 12 December 1937, the Imperial Japanese Army Air Force issued a specification to Mitsubishi for a long-range strategic reconnaissance aircraft to replace the Mitsubishi Ki-15. The specification demanded an endurance of six hours and sufficient speed to evade interception by any fighter in existence or development, but otherwise did not constrain the design by a team led by Tomio Kubo（a 1931 graduate from"
"still be deadly. Due to shortages of high-powered aviation engines and problems with planned successor models, the Zero remained in production until 1945, with over 11,000 of all variants produced. The American military discovered many of the A6M's unique attributes when they recovered a largely intact specimen of an A6M2, the Akutan Zero, on Akutan Island in the Aleutians. During an air raid over Dutch Harbor on June 4, 1942, one A6M fighter was hit by ground-based anti-aircraft fire. Losing oil, Flight Petty Officer Tadayoshi Koga attempted an emergency landing on Akutan Island about northeast of Dutch Harbor, but his"
"Mitsubishi A6M Zero fighter planes in aerial combat. Despite these odds, VF-32 shot down 21 enemy aircraft without suffering a single loss. Outlaw himself was credited with 5 kills and a probable on this sortie, making him an ace-in-a-day. On May 12, 1944, while ""Langley"" was at anchor in Majuro between strike action, Outlaw was promoted to Commander Air Group 32 (CAG-32). The air group resumed its flight schedule on June 6 as part of the opening air strikes of the Mariana campaign. During the initial fighter sweep that day, CAG Outlaw downed an enemy Zero, bringing his score to"
"against US aircraft that sank their carrier. In the closing months of the war most remaining A5M airframes were used for ""kamikaze"" attacks. Data from Data from No restored or flightworthy A5Ms are known to be in existence. The one A5M known to exist is a disassembled one underwater in the sunken ship ""Fujikawa Maru"" in Chuuk Lagoon in Micronesia, along with a number of disassembled Mitsubishi A6M Zeroes. Mitsubishi A5M The Mitsubishi A5M, formal Japanese Navy designation Mitsubishi Navy Type 96 Carrier-based Fighter (九六式艦上戦闘機), experimental Navy designation Mitsubishi Navy Experimental 9-Shi Carrier Fighter, company designation Mitsubishi Ka-14, was a"
"and pilots of the Imperial Japanese Navy flying the Mitsubishi A5M ""Claudes"" were the first aerial dogfights and kills between all-metal monoplane fighter aircraft. A single P-26 was in service with the Spanish Republican Air Force during the Spanish Civil War of 1936–1939, but no aerial kills were recorded with this fighter aircraft. It was shot down in 1936. By December 1941, U.S. fighter strength in the Philippines included twenty-eight P-26s, 12 of which were operational with the 6th Pursuit Squadron of the Philippine Army Air Corps. Filipino-flown P-26s claimed one G3M and two or three Mitsubishi A6M2 Zeros before"
"Mitsubishi K3M The was a trainer built by Mitsubishi which was used by the Imperial Japanese Navy in an extremely wide variety of roles, including light transport, liaison aircraft, utility aircraft and occasionally light bomber. Its Allied reporting name was Pine. The Mitsubishi K3M was designed by British aeronautical engineer and aircraft designer Herbert Smith, from Sopwith working in Japan for Mitsubishi. The prototype, designated Mitsubishi 4MS1, made its maiden flight in 1930. The aircraft was strut-braced high-wing cabin monoplane, with fixed wide-track landing gear, and was powered by a single water-cooled radial piston engine. Pilot and gunner were located"
"foam dispensers on each side. The hangars were served by two aircraft elevators. The ship's air group was originally intended to consist of 12 Mitsubishi A5M (""Claude"") fighters, plus 4 in storage, 18 Aichi D3A ""Val"" dive bombers, plus 2 in reserve, and 18 Nakajima B5N ""Kate"" torpedo bombers. This was revised to substitute a dozen Mitsubishi A6M Zero fighters, together with 3 more in storage, for the A5Ms by the time the ship commissioned in 1942. As a result of the lessons learned from the Battle of Midway in June, the ship's fighter complement was strengthened to 21 Zeros,"
"ever flown a fighter that could match the rate of turn of the Zero. The Zero had ruled the roost totally and was the finest fighter in the world until mid-1943."" The first two A6M1 prototypes were completed in March 1939, powered by the Mitsubishi Zuisei 13 engine with a two-blade propeller. It first flew on 1 April, and passed testing within a remarkably short period. By September, it had already been accepted for Navy testing as the A6M1 Type 0 Carrier Fighter, with the only notable change being a switch to a three-bladed propeller to cure a vibration problem."
"Mitsubishi J8M The Mitsubishi J8M ""Shūsui"" (Japanese: 三菱 J8M 秋水, literally ""Autumn Water"", used as a poetic term meaning ""Sharp Sword"" deriving from the swishing sound of a sword) was a Japanese World War II rocket-powered interceptor aircraft closely based on the German Messerschmitt Me 163 ""Komet"". Built as a joint project for both the Navy and the Army Air Services, it was designated J8M (Navy) and Ki-200 (Army). The J8M1 was intended to be a licence-built copy of the Messerschmitt Me 163 ""Komet"". Difficulties in shipping an example to Japan meant that the aircraft eventually had to be reverse-engineered"