Hagiri's A5M4

This page is about the premium Japanese fighter Hagiri's A5M4. For the regular version, see A5M4.

Hagiri's A5M4

Hagiri's A5M4

Japan

I Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
1.3	1.3	1.3

Class:

PREMIUM

Fighter

Naval aircraft

Purchase:250

Show in game

Description

This A5M4 (W-102) was piloted by the Japanese pilot Matsuo Hagiri during his time in the fighter squadron on the Sōryū aircraft carrier. He would become an ace during the Second Sino-Japanese War and in the Pacific theatre of World War II. His early successes came in the skies over China where he shot down 8 Chinese aircraft, with both his A5M4 (W-102) and an A6M which he was piloting as part of combat trials with other high-ranking Navy pilots.

The Hagiri's A5M4 was introduced in Update 1.31 and translates exactly over from reality, leading in monoplane manoeuvrability at the early ranks. It allows the pilot to evade and manoeuvre around their adversaries, as well as presenting a decent airframe that can take a beating from regular munitions. However, it lacks in damage output, being equipped with only two 7.7 mm machine guns.

General info

Flight performance

Arrestor gear

Accelerates braking by grabbing the brake cable on the deck of the aircraft carrier

Max speed

at 2 900 m447 km/h

Turn time12 s

Max altitude9 800 m

EngineNakajima Kotobuki 41

TypeRadial

Cooling systemAir

Take-off weight2 t

Characteristics	Max Speed (km/h at 2,900 m)		Max altitude (metres)	Turn time (seconds)		Rate of climb (metres/second)		Take-off run (metres)
	AB	RB		AB	RB	AB	RB
Stock	431	421	9800	12.5	13.4	10.0	10.0	325
Upgraded	464	447		12.1	12.3	16.7	12.8

Matsuo "Mustashio" Hagiri sitting on the wing of his A5M4 W-102.

Details

Features
Combat flaps	Take-off flaps	Landing flaps	Air brakes	Arrestor gear
✓	✓	✓	X	✓

Limits
Wings (km/h)	Gear (km/h)	Flaps (km/h)			Max Static G
		Combat	Take-off	Landing	+	-
558	558	398	369	220	~12	~4

Optimal velocities (km/h)
Ailerons	Rudder	Elevators	Radiator
< 280	< 320	< 360	> 324

Engine performance

Engine
Engine Name			Number present
Nakajima Kotobuki 41 9-cylinder			1
Engine characteristics
Weight (each)		Type	Cooling
350 kg		Radial	Air
Engine power (Stock)
Mode	Max		Take-off
Arcade	557 hp		656 hp
Realistic/Simulator	551 hp		650 hp
Engine power (Upgraded)
Mode	Max		Take-off
Arcade	700 hp		799 hp
Realistic/Simulator	619 hp		718 hp

WEP Duration
Arcade		Realistic/Simulator
25 seconds		Infinite

Survivability and armour

Crew1 person

Speed of destruction

Structural0 km/h

Gear558 km/h

• No armour
• Non-self-sealing fuel tanks (2 in each wing)
• Oil cooling systems located in prone position (in each inner top part of the wing)
• Open cockpit

Modifications and economy

Repair cost

AB323

RB204

SB149

Total cost of modifications4 670

470

Crew training150

Experts1 000

Aces20

Research Aces145 000

Reward for battleAB / RB / SB

2 × 20 / 20 / 80 %

2 × 75 / 75 / 75 %

Modifications

Flight performance	Survivability	Weaponry
Fuselage repair Radiator Research: 600 Cost: 60 45 Compressor Research: 660 Cost: 65 45 Wings repair Engine Research: 750 Cost: 75 55 Engine injection Research: 1 400 Cost: 145 100	Airframe EFS Cover	type89_belt_pack Research: 600 Cost: 60 45 type89_new_gun Research: 660 Cost: 65 45

Armaments

Offensive armament

Weapon 12 x 7.7 mm Type 89 machine gun

Ammunition1 000 rounds

Fire rate900 shots/min

Hagiri's A5M4 is armed with:

• 2 x 7.7 mm Type 89 machine guns, nose-mounted (500 rpg = 1,000 total)

Suspended armament

List of setups (1)

Setup 12 x 60 kg Navy Type 97 Number 6 ground bomb

The Hagiri's A5M4 can be outfitted with the following ordnance:

• Without load
• 2 x 60 kg Navy Type 97 Number 6 bombs (120 kg total)

Usage in battles

The Hagiri's A5M4 is to be used in a fighter role, staying low and using the extremely quick turn times to get on the tail on the enemy is essential. Keep an eye on ammo levels and well as your surroundings, this is an extremely weak aircraft in terms of armour. It is relatively fast in a straight line, but not as quick as much of the opposition it will be facing in the game. It is recommended to use speed against biplanes as their turn times are nearly matched if not better than this monoplane.

Realistic battles

The A5M4 can accelerate to 350 km/h in just less than a minutes time from takeoff. Will climb up to 2,500 m in around one minute and fifty seconds time when climbing in a 20-degree angle. Dive speeds are decent as the A5M4 will exceed 550 km/h in an 80-degree angle from just 2,500 m height. Be careful though, once the A5M4 reaches 560 km/h, the plane will violently shake about and if the throttle isn't cut, the plane wings may rip off. Though speed can be gained in the dive, energy is not easily retained, taking only a minute or so to fall to back to the maximum speed of 380 km/h with WEP or 360 km/h without.

Decent horsepower with the typical Japanese light aircraft would give the idea that the plane would be great in the vertical axis dog fighting. With a problem with keeping constant fuel flow as the plane changes the angle on its vertical axis means it is better to stick with horizontal dog fighting which isn't a bad thing as it will outturn most all contemporary aircraft.

Simulator mode procedures

Hands-off carrier take-off (Auto engine control): Ignite engine, flaps: raised, elevator trim: 6% up, aileron trim: 0%, rudder trim: 21% right, WEP throttle, hands off controls until the plane lifts off the carrier.

Manual Engine Control

MEC elements
Mixer	Pitch	Radiator			Supercharger	Turbocharger
		Oil	Water	Type
Controllable	Controllable Not auto controlled	Controllable Auto control available	Controllable Auto control available	Separate	Not controllable 1 gear	Not controllable

Pros and cons

Pros:

• A5M for Carrier-based fighter:
  • Arrestor hook
  • Strictly air-to-air role
  • Extremely manoeuvrable
    • Excellent turn rate
  • Very short takeoff distance
• Common Navy plane construction:
  • Excellent manoeuvrability
  • Nose mounted armament
• A5M specific:
  • Good visibility (In cockpit view)
  • Low stall speed
  • Fixed landing gear makes landings easier

Cons:

• A5M for Carrier-based fighter:
  • Slow
  • Low dive speed, and easily compressed in a dive
• Common Navy plane construction:
  • Poor offensive armament: 7.7 mm Type 89 MG
  • Fragile, little armour, and no self-sealing fuel tanks
• A5M specific:
  • Exposed pilot
  • Fixed landing gear creates more drag
  • Suffers from fuel starvation problems (RB/SB)

History

Matsuo Hagiri

From War Thunder News:

Japanese ace pilot Matsuo Hagiri of the Imperal Japanese Navy.

Matsuo Hagiri was born in Shizuoka Prefecture on the southern coast of the Japanese island of Honshu in November 1913. After finishing school he worked briefly as a fireman before joining the Enlisted ranks of the Imperial Japanese Navy. A gifted aviator, Hagiri was streamed onto single seat fighters after the excelling during the notoriously harsh and competitive training regime of Japanese naval aviators. He graduated from flying training in 1935; by 1939 he had risen through the ranks to become a Petty Officer – 1st Class and flew the Mitsubishi A5M4 fighter as part of the carrier Soryu's embarked fighter squadron. Soryu was stationed in home waters for training after a busy period of operations during the Second Sino-Japanese War. In August 1940 Hagiri joined the 12th Ku - his unit were shortly to equip with the new Mitsubishi A6M "Zero" – a move which was met with some resentment at first by some pilots as the older A5M4 was able to outmanoeuvre the newer fighter in a variety of scenarios during mock dog fights. Hagiri was one of the pilots selected to transport the first batch of new Zero fighters across to Hankow, China for operational use.

However, Hagiri persevered and on August 19th 1940 was one of the pilots who flew with the 12th Air Group in the historic combat debut of the legendary fighter. The mission, led by Lieutenant Tomotsu Yokoyama, involved twelve A6M fighters escorting a bomber force to Chunking. Whilst the Japanese aircraft were not engaged in air-to-air combat the Zero did stun the world by establishing a new record for the longest distance escort mission flown by a single engine fighter at over 1000 nautical miles. However, when the Zero saw its combat debut the next month with Japanese naval pilots claiming 27 Chinese I-15s and I-16s shot down without loss in a single engagement, Hagiri – like his peers – found a new found confidence and respect in his aircraft.

By now a confident and flamboyant character (he grew a long, waxed moustache giving rise to his nickname 'Mustachio') Hagiri joined three other pilots from his unit in a dangerous prank on October 4th, 1940. The four Zero pilots flew to the Chinese airbase at Taipingsze, Chengtu where the four Japanese pilots landed, jumped out of their aircraft and attempted to vandalize a row of parked Chinese aircraft and set fire to the base command post. The alarm was swiftly raised and the four Japanese pilots were forced to sprint for their Zeros, bullets whistling past them as they fled. However, Hagiri still managed to find an opportunity to break away from his comrades and engage three Chinese fighters alone, shooting down two of them before heading for home. By the time Hagiri was rotated out of combat and returned to Japan he had shot down seven Chinese aircraft. With the outbreak of hostilities against the British Commonwealth and the United States, Hagiri was employed in Japan as an instructor.

The next busy period of operations for Hagiri came in July 1943 when, now promoted to Warrant Officer, he flew as part of the 204th Air Group in the Solomon Islands. On September 23rd Hagiri flew as part of a twenty seven aircraft Wing to intercept a combined American/Australian bombing raid against Kahili Airfield in Papua New Guinea and its surrounding anti-aircraft defences. Hagiri shot down two F4U Corsairs of the US Marine Corps (possibly three, according to some sources), but was so severely injured that his treatment required him to return to Japan. After recovering, Hagiri remained in Japan as a test pilot. However, he did see combat again when, along with several other test pilots, he was involved in defensive operations against American bombing raids on the mainland, during which he claimed two B-29 Superfortresses destroyed. In April 1945, he was wounded again by defensive fire from a B-29; this would be Hagiri's last flight.

Matsuo Hagiri is credited with between thirteen and fifteen victories; he passed away on January 15th 1997.

Archive of the in-game description

An all-metal single-seat fighter with an open cockpit and unretractable landing gear, it was the first carrier-based monoplane fighter in the world. Its prototype got off the ground for the first time on February 4, 1935. This aircraft, with the tail number W-102, was part of the fighter squadron based on the aircraft carrier Souryu, of the Imperial Japanese Navy. It was piloted by Matsuo Hagiri, a Japanese ace and test pilot who shot down 13 enemy planes. Hagiri was among the first sortie of Zeroes that accompanied the bombers during the Chongqing air raid.

Media

Skins

• Skins and camouflages for Hagiri's A5M4 from live.warthunder.com.

Images

• 

  Japanese aviators pose in front of Matsuo Hagiri's A5M4, Hagiri is seated in the center.

Videos

Premium Review. Hagiri's A5M4. Outdated and replaced - Joseph 2000

Hagiri's A5M4 (Patch 1.31 New Plane) (Iwo Jima) - BaronVonGamez

See also

Related development

• A5M4

Aircraft of comparable role, configuration and era

• Ki-27 otsu
• F2A (Family)
• P-26 (Family)
• G.50 (Family)
• I-16 (Family)

External links

• [News] Lieutenant Matsuo Hagiri

Mitsubishi Company (三菱商会)
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