Author Topic: A6m2 (Read 506 times)

SAS_KID · « **on:** April 09, 2006, 12:34:03 AM »

Im getting mixed reviews on the A6M2 armament. In some places it says it had 2 20mm cannons some just say it only had the 2 7.7mm machine guns im so confused.

Quote: Does anyone know where this rumor got started about the zero having twin 20 mm cannons? If there are any good AIs(airframe inspectors) out there who would like to do a weight and balance on the zero with 2 of those heavy cannons and the ammo, I would like to read the results.

Quote: the zero did not have 20 mm cannon. I asked two fighter pilots, one who flew with the flying tigers, and the answer was,"No, never!" If you find printed material before 1960 you will notice the zero only had 7.7 mm mgs and the one atempt to mount a single 20 mm cannon was a failure because the weight placed the plane in a loaded condition.

Link:http://aeroweb.brooklyn.cuny.edu/specs/mitsubis/a6m2.htm

Urchin · « **Reply #1 on:** April 09, 2006, 12:46:55 AM »

The A6M2 had 2 20mm in the wings, 2 7.92 in the nose.

The A6M5 had 2 20mm in the wings, 1 7.92 and 1 12.7mm in the nose.

Believe there was a version of the A6M5 that had 2 20mm and 3 MG, but I dont rmember it off the top of my head.

StarOfAfrica2 · « **Reply #2 on:** April 09, 2006, 01:45:58 AM »

From the Warbirds Resource Group page on the A6M Zero-Sen

ARMAMENT:
A6M1, 2, 3, and 2-N:
Two 20mm Type 99 Cannon fixed in outer wings.
- Ammo: 60 rounds per gun.
Two 7.7mm Type 97 machine guns above front fuselage.
- Ammo: 500 rounds per gun.
Wing racks for two 66 lb (30 kg) bombs.

http://www.warbirdsresourcegroup.org/IJARG/a6mzero.htm

If you look at the entries for the A6M5, it shows armament for the a, b and c models. The "a" had 2x7.7mm MGs in the cowl, the "b" had 1x7.7mm and 1x12.7mm, as does our AH version of the A6M5b, and the "c" version had 13.2mm MGs in the wings next to the 20mm cannons, and had an optional MG for the cowl as well.

SAS_KID · « **Reply #3 on:** April 09, 2006, 01:05:12 PM »

ah ok.

Rino · « **Reply #4 on:** April 09, 2006, 01:11:55 PM »

I don't believe the Tigers ever saw action against Zeros, so they might
be discussing Nates or Oscars.

Karnak · « **Reply #5 on:** April 09, 2006, 06:29:44 PM »

Flying Tigers never faced the A6M2. They fought the Ki-43, which was armed in the first version with two 7.7mm machine guns. Later versions increased the size of the guns, but it was still only armed with two 12.7mm machine guns.

Many pilots just called any Japanese fighter a "Zero", but that is definately not true.

Nakajima, the company that built the Ki-43, didn't even submit a design for the Imperial Japanese Navy due to the requirements of speed, range and armament, only Mitsubishi did. Nakajima considered the requirements contradictory. Mitsubishi pulled it off, but had to sacrafice any semblence of protection to do so.