Time Period: World War II
Country of Origin: Japan
Type: Fighter Aircraft, Monoplane
Manufacturer: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries
Mitsubishi A5M Aircraft Overview
The Mitsubishi A5M was a fighter aircraft developed by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries for the Imperial Japanese Navy in the early 1930s. It was the first monoplane fighter to enter service with the Japanese Navy and played an important role in the early stages of World War II in the Pacific.
The A5M had a sleek, streamlined design with a low-wing monoplane configuration and retractable landing gear. It was powered by a single Nakajima Kotobuki radial engine and was armed with two 7.7mm machine guns and two 20mm cannons.
The A5M entered service with the Japanese Navy in 1937 and was used extensively in combat during the Second Sino-Japanese War. It also saw action in the early stages of World War II, including the attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941.
Despite being eventually outclassed by newer Allied fighters, such as the F4U Corsair and F6F Hellcat, the A5M was a highly successful fighter aircraft for its time. Its speed, maneuverability, and long range made it an effective fighter and reconnaissance aircraft, and it paved the way for future Japanese Navy fighter designs.
The A5M was eventually replaced by the Mitsubishi A6M “Zero” in the early years of World War II, but it remained in service in secondary roles, such as training and ground attack, until the end of the war.
Mitsubishi A5M4 Specifications
- Crew: 1
- Length: 7.565 m (24 ft 10 in)
- Wingspan: 11 m (36 ft 1 in)
- Height: 3.27 m (10 ft 9 in)
- Wing area: 17.8 m2 (192 sq ft)
- Airfoil: root: B-9 mod. (16%); tip: B-9 mod. (9%)
- Empty weight: 1,216 kg (2,681 lb)
- Gross weight: 1,671 kg (3,684 lb)
- Powerplant: 1 × Nakajima Kotobuki 41 or 41 KAI 9-cylinder air-cooled radial piston engine, 530 kW (710 hp) for take-off. 585 kW (785 hp) at 3,000 m (9,843 ft)
- Propellers: 3-bladed metal propeller
Mitsubishi A5M4 Performance
- Maximum speed: 435 km/h (270 mph, 235 kn) at 3,000 m (9,843 ft)
- Range: 1,201 km (746 mi, 648 nmi)
- Service ceiling: 9,800 m (32,200 ft)
- Time to altitude: 3,000 m (9,843 ft) in 3 minutes 35 seconds
- Wing loading: 93.8 kg/m2 (19.2 lb/sq ft)
- Power/mass: 0.3161 kW/kg (0.1923 hp/lb)
Mitsubishi A5M4 Armament
- Guns: 2× 7.7 mm (0.303 in) Type 97 aircraft machine gun fuselage-mounted synchronized machine guns firing through the engine cylinders and propeller at about 1 and 11 o’clock.
- Bombs:
- 2x 30 kg (66 lb) Type 99 high-explosive bombs or
- 1x 160 L (42.27 US gal; 35.20 imp gal) drop-tank
