A5M4

A5M4

F1M2

A6M2-N

A5M4

F1M2

A6M2-N

Japan

I Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
1.3	1.3	1.3

Class:

Fighter

Naval aircraft

Research:4 000

Purchase:2 100

Show in game

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

Description

The A5M4 is a rank I Japanese fighter with a battle rating of 1.3 (AB/RB/SB). It has been in the game since the start of the Open Beta Test prior to Update 1.27.

General info

Flight Performance

Describe how the aircraft behaves in the air. Speed, manoeuvrability, acceleration and allowable loads - these are the most important characteristics of the vehicle.

Characteristics
Stock
Max Speed (km/h at 2,900 m)		Max altitude (meters)	Turn time (seconds)		Rate of climb (meters/second)		Take-off run (meters)
AB	RB		AB	RB	AB	RB
431	421	9800	12.5	13.4	10	10	325
Upgraded
Max Speed (km/h at 2,900 m)		Max altitude (meters)	Turn time (seconds)		Rate of climb (meters/second)		Take-off run (meters)
AB	RB		AB	RB	AB	RB
463	447	9800	12.1	12.3	16.7	12.8	325

Details

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

Limits
Wing-break speed (km/h)	Gear limit (km/h)	Combat flaps (km/h)	Max Static G
			+	-
		420	~12	~4

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

Compressor (RB/SB)
Setting 1
Optimal altitude	100% Engine power	WEP Engine power
2,000 m	680 hp	788 hp

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

Like most Japanese planes, the A5M4 has no armour to protect the pilot and components of the plane. The best way to survive is to turn fight. Join a dogfight, make sure you can see your enemy at all times because it will only take a few good hits to the pilot or components to put this plane out of action.

Armaments

Offensive armament

The A5M4 is armed with:

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

Usage in battles

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 Not auto controlled	Controllable Not auto controlled	Separate	Not controllable 1 gear	Not controllable

Modules

Tier	Flight performance		Survivability	Weaponry
I	Fuselage repair	Radiator		Offensive 7 mm
II		Compressor	Airframe	New 7 mm MGs
III	Wings repair	Engine
IV		Engine injection	Cover

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Great turn time
• Good visibility (In cockpit view)
• Low stall speed

Cons:

• No armour
• Poor pilot protection
• Low top speed (Due to the fixed landing gear)
• Poor gun cooling, easily jams from continuous firing
• Suffers from fuel starvation problems (RB/SB)

History

Describe the history of the creation and combat usage of the aircraft in more detail than in the introduction. If the historical reference turns out to be too long, take it to a separate article, taking a link to the article about the vehicle and adding a block "/ History" (example: https://wiki.warthunder.com/(Vehicle-name)/History) and add a link to it here using the main template. Be sure to reference text and sources by using <ref></ref>, as well as adding them at the end of the article with <references />. This section may also include the vehicle's dev blog entry (if applicable) and the in-game encyclopedia description (under === In-game description ===, also if applicable).

In-game description

A single-seater, carrier-based, all-metal monoplane fighter with an open cockpit and fixed landing gear. The world's first carrier-based monoplane. A prototype of this fighter first flew on February 4, 1935. After extensive adjustments, the fighter was commissioned by the Japanese navy and designated carrier fighter type 96 (A5M). Mass production began in the fall of 1936.

In 1938, the fine-tuned A5M4 (model 4, later re-designated the model 24) variant was launched. This model had several new features: a new, more streamlined cockpit canopy with improved visibility, advanced fairings, and a radio transmitter. Since bombers often had to operate in the dark, the plane had landing lights and lights for flights over the open seas at night. The plane was equipped with a film camera near the left of the landing gear.

The power plant was a 9-cylinder radial air-cooled Nakajima Kotobuki 41 with a rated capacity of 795 horsepower. The plane had a two-bladed (later three-bladed) wooden variable pitch propellor, the Sumitomo VDM. Later planes began to use the Kotobuki 41KAI engine (which had roughly the same power), a design designated as model 34.

The A5M's armament consisted of two fuselage-mounted synchronous 7.7mm Nippon-Seikosho type 89 model 2 (Vickers "class E") machine guns with 500 rounds of ammunition each. Two 30-kg type 97 bombs could be carried under the wings. Under the fuselage, an additional 160-liter fuel tank could be carried. Later, this fuel tank was increased in size to 210 liters.

The A5M fighter saw action over China from September 1937 to September 1941. It was also active early on in the war in the Pacific, used for some time to defend Japan and the Marshall Islands. Afterwards, it was used for training missions and flight school. In 1945, the remaining A5M fighters were used for kamikaze missions.

Overall, the A5M met the contemporary requirements for a fighter. It was stable and maneuverable and was easy to control. However, the fighter's construction did not easily allow for upgrades, and it quickly became obsolete. Its armament was poor, its armor non-existent, its fuel tanks not self-sealing, and its wings overly weak.

Production of the A5M ceased in 1941. A total of 1,095 A5M fighters (of all variants) were produced.

Notable pilots

• 

  Iwamoto's first combat experience was in 1938 when flying against Chinese I-15 and I-16 fighters.

Media

Skin and Camouflages for the A5M4 on War Thunder Live.

See also

Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:

• reference to the series of the aircraft;
• links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.

External links

• [Wikipedia] Mitsubishi A5M

Mitsubishi Company (三菱商会)
Fighters	A5M4 · Hagiri's A5M4
	A6M2 mod. 11 · A6M2 · A6M3 · A6M3 mod. 22 · A6M3 mod. 22Ko · A6M5 · A6M5 Ko · A6M5 otsu · A6M5 Hei · A6M6c
	A7M1 (NK9H) · A7M2
	J2M2 · J2M3 · J2M4 Kai · J2M5 · J2M5 (30 mm)
Hydroplanes	F1M2
Interceptors	Ki-83 · Ki-109
Bombers	G4M1
	Ki-21-Ia · Ki-21-I hei · Ki-67-I Ko · Ki-67-I otsu
Jet Fighters	Ki-200
Captured	▃A6M2 · ␗A6M2
See also	Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (Post-War)