A6M3

A6M3

A6M2

A6M3 mod. 22

A6M3

A6M2

A6M3 mod. 22

Japan

III Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
4.3	4.0	3.7

Class:

Fighter

Naval aircraft

Research:18 000

Purchase:47 000

Show in game

This page is about the Japanese fighter A6M3. For other versions, see A6M (Family).

Description

The A6M3 Reisen is a rank III Japanese fighter with a battle rating of 4.3 (AB), 4.0 (RB), and 3.7 (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 6,000 m)		Max altitude (meters)	Turn time (seconds)		Rate of climb (meters/second)		Take-off run (meters)
AB	RB		AB	RB	AB	RB
537	522	10050	16.6	17.1	10.1	10.1	288
Upgraded
Max Speed (km/h at 6,000 m)		Max altitude (meters)	Turn time (seconds)		Rate of climb (meters/second)		Take-off run (meters)
AB	RB		AB	RB	AB	RB
578	556	10050	15.8	16.0	18.2	13.8	288

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	~14	~6

Optimal velocities
Ailerons (km/h)	Rudder (km/h)	Elevators (km/h)	Radiator (km/h)
< 280	< 420	< 410	> 335

Compressor (RB/SB)
Setting 1
Optimal altitude	100% Engine power	WEP Engine power
1,850 m	1,105 hp	1,235 hp
Setting 2
Optimal altitude	100% Engine power	WEP Engine power
5,000 m	985 hp	1,101 hp

Survivability and armour

Examine the survivability of the aircraft. Note how vulnerable the structure is and how secure the pilot is, whether the fuel tanks are armoured, etc. Describe the armour, if there is any, and also mention the vulnerability of other critical aircraft systems.

Armaments

Offensive armament

The A6M3 is armed with:

• 2 x 20 mm Type 99 Model 1 navy cannons, wing-mounted (100 rpg = 200 total)
• 2 x 7.7 mm Type 97 navy machine guns, nose-mounted (700 rpg = 1,400 total)

Suspended armament

The A6M3 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

Describe the tactics of playing in an aircraft, the features of using aircraft in a team and advice on tactics. Refrain from creating a "guide" - do not impose a single point of view, but instead, give the reader food for thought. Examine the most dangerous enemies and give recommendations on fighting them. If necessary, note the specifics of the game in different modes (AB, RB, SB).

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	Controllable 2 gears	Not controllable

Modules

Tier	Flight performance		Survivability	Weaponry
I	Fuselage repair	Radiator		Offensive 7 mm
II		Compressor	Airframe	New 7 mm MGs	9 in (mod30)
III	Wings repair	Engine		Offensive 20 mm
IV		Engine injection	Cover	New 20 mm cannons

Pros and cons

Summarise and briefly evaluate the vehicle in terms of its characteristics and combat effectiveness. Mark its pros and cons in the bulleted list. Try not to use more than 6 points for each of the characteristics. Avoid using categorical definitions such as "bad", "good" and the like - use substitutions with softer forms such as "inadequate" and "effective".

Pros:

Cons:

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

In April of 1942, a new A6M model fighter was launched. The main difference between the A6M3 model 32 and the A6M2 Model 21 was the new Sakae 21 engine (1130 hp), which had a two-stage supercharger making it more stable at higher altitudes and a propeller diameter of 3.05 m (150 mm greater than that of its predecessor). The engine was much heavier and longer than those used in previous models, so to prevent displacement of the center of gravity the engine was moved closer to the cockpit and the main fuel tank's capacity was reduced from 518 to 470 liters.

Also, the folding wingtips were removed, which increased the plane's dive speed limit but reduced its maneuverability and range. The latter side effect was particularly important as it made it impossible to use the A6M3 effectively during the 1942 campaign in the Solomon Islands. The 20-mm guns were replaced by Type 99-I model 3s, and their ammunition was increased to 100 rounds. Also, the aircraft could carry two 60-kg bombs.

A total of 343 A6M3 Model 32s were made for the Japanese navy.

Notable pilots

• 

  Iwamoto flew sorties throughout the Pacific Theater in an A6M3.

Media

• Skin and Camouflages for the A6M3 on War Thunder Live.

See also

Related development

• Nakajima A6M2-N
• Nakajima A6M3
• Nakajima A6M5

Aircraft of comparable role, configuration and era

• Brewster F2A Buffalo
• Curtiss-Wright CW-21
• Fiat G.50
• Grumman F4F Wildcat
• Grumman F6F Hellcat
• IAR-81
• Macchi C.200
• Nakajima Ki-43 Oscar
• Supermarine Seafire
• Hawker Sea Hurricane

External links

• [Wikipedia] A6M3 Type 0 Model 32

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)