Description
The Zero Fighter, which achieved victory in the early stages of the war, was an amazing fighter aircraft
that achieved maximum flight performance with an engine of less than 1000 horsepower . Because it was such an excellent aircraft, manufacturers and the military began to demand something even better, and development of the A6M3 model, including an engine replacement, began in early 1945, less than a year before the outbreak of the Pacific War .
The main focus of development was on the manufacturer's side to improve high-altitude performance by replacing the engine, and on the
military's side to improve roll rate and speed performance by eliminating the main wing folding device,
as well as improving productivity and maintainability. Ta.
The engine is a performance-enhanced Sakae 21 type with a 1-stage 2-speed supercharger , and the propeller is a Hamilton constant-speed propeller with a diameter 15 cm larger
to absorb the increased horsepower . Although the performance of the engine was improved, the weight increased, so the mounting parts and fuselage underwent major changes, resulting in a shorter fuselage compared to the Zero Fighter Type 21. The cowling has also been redesigned for improved aerodynamic refinement, with the carburetor intake moved from the bottom to the top. The wing tips have been shaped into a square shape and have been shortened by a total of 1m. The 20mm machine gun on the main wing fixed armament has also been replaced with a Type 99 fixed gun type 2, which has an increased number of bullets.
The thus modified A6M3 made
its first flight on July 14, 1945, and as a result of numerous tests, it
was adopted by the Navy as the Type 0 Type 2 Carrier-Based Fighter Type 32 and
was deployed to the Solomon Islands and the Southwest Pacific.
As a result of these modifications, although speed and roll rate were improved,
maneuverability on the horizontal plane and cruising performance, which is a characteristic of the Zero fighter, were significantly reduced.
Although this did not pose much of a problem when it first entered service, its lack of range came into focus
when the long-distance invasion from Rabaul to Guadalcanal began .
Therefore , a version with improved cruising performance was created by reducing the width of the main wings to 12 m and adding fuel tanks inside the outer wings,
and it was adopted on January 29, 1945 as the Type 2 Type 2 carrier-based fighter.
The Type 22 had a longer range than the Type 32, and
while the Type 32 was later sent to training units even though it was a new aircraft,
the Type 22 played an active role in the air battles in the Solomons area.
In addition, for each model,
Type 22 and Type 32 armor were also created, in which the armament in the main wing was replaced with a long-barreled Type 99 No. 2 fixed gun Type 3.
[Data] Mitsubishi Zero Type 22
Crew: 1
Width: 12.00m Overall Length
: 9.060m
Overall Height: 3.570m
Maximum Speed: 540.8km/h (6,000m)
Engine: "Sakae" 21 Type (takeoff output 1,130 HP)
Armament: 7.7mm machine gun x 2, 20mm machine gun x 2
《Data》Mitsubishi Zero Type 32 Crew
: 1 person
Width: 11.00m Overall length
: 9.060m
Overall height: 3.570m
Maximum speed: 544.5km/h (6,000m)
Engine: "Sakae" Type 21 (takeoff output 1,130m) HP)
Armament: 7.7mm machine gun x 2, 20mm machine gun x 2
