A6M6c

This page is about the Japanese fighter A6M6c. For other versions, see A6M (Family).

A6M6c

A6M6c

Japan

IV Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
5.0	5.0	4.7

Class:

PREMIUM

Fighter

Naval aircraft

Purchase:Bundle or Gift

Show in game

Description

The A6M6c is a premium gift rank IV Japanese fighter with a battle rating of 5.0 (AB/RB) and 4.7 (SB). It was introduced during Update "Red Skies" as a reward for Battle Pass: Season IV, "Fearless Voltigeur".

General info

Flight performance

Arrestor gear

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

Max speed

at 6 400 m543 km/h

Turn time20 s

Max altitude10 900 m

EngineNakajima Sakae 31a

TypeRadial

Cooling systemAir

Take-off weight3 t

Due to the weight of the self-sealing fuel tanks, pilot armour, and the additional heavy machine guns, the climb rate on this plane is rather poor for its BR. The engine won't overheat under combat conditions. The A6M6c can feel quite sluggish as it cannot turn as well as other planes in the A6M family. However, while the plane's turning ability is hampered by the extra weight, you will still be able to out-turn every other plane.

On top of that with the new Sakae 31a engine, the A6M6c has a water-methanol injection that makes the WEP slightly stronger and doesn't overheat the engine as much in trade-off having only limited WEP.

Characteristics	Max Speed (km/h at 5,500 m)		Max altitude (metres)	Turn time (seconds)		Rate of climb (metres/second)		Take-off run (metres)
	AB	RB		AB	RB	AB	RB
Stock	522	506	10900	20.9	21.7	7.8	7.8	350
Upgraded	566	543		19.1	20.0	14.4	10.7

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	+	-
0	300	398	369	220	~14	~6

Optimal velocities (km/h)
Ailerons	Rudder	Elevators	Radiator
< 280	< 420	< 410	> 336

Survivability and armour

Crew1 person

Speed of destruction

Structural0 km/h

Gear300 km/h

The A6M6c has self-sealing fuel tanks and has three armoured components:

• 45 mm bulletproof glass in front of the pilot, angled at 68°
• 55 mm bulletproof glass behind the pilot, angled at 12°
• 8 mm of steel behind the pilot, angled at 12°

This armour is enough to survive light machine gun fire and light AA fire. However, the A6M6c is still very fragile: don't rely solely on this armour, because the guns you will be facing at its battle rating will not be stopped by it. The self-sealing fuel tanks allow you to put out wing fires.

Modifications and economy

Repair cost

AB1 384

RB2 972

SB4 263

Crew training10 000

Experts250 000

Aces820

Research Aces870 000

Reward for battleAB / RB / SB

2 × 80 / 190 / 400 %

2 × 160 / 160 / 160 %

Modifications

Flight performance	Survivability	Weaponry
Fuselage repair Radiator Compressor Wings repair Engine Engine injection	Airframe Cover	type3_belt_pack Type 3 No.1 Mod.28 Mk.1 rockets type99mk2_belt_pack Type 3 No.6 Mod.27 Mk.1 rockets type3_new_gun 9 in (mod30) type99mk2_new_gun 12 in (mod30)

Armaments

Offensive armament

Weapon 12 x 20 mm Type 99 Model 2 cannon

Ammunition250 rounds

Fire rate490 shots/min

Weapon 23 x 13.2 mm Type 3 machine gun

Ammunition710 rounds

Fire rate798 shots/min

The A6M6c is armed with:

• 2 x 20 mm Type 99 Model 2 cannons, wing-mounted (125 rpg = 250 total)
• 1 x 13.2 mm Type 3 machine gun, nose-mounted (230 rpg)
• 2 x 13.2 mm Type 3 machine guns, wing-mounted (240 rpg = 480 total)

Suspended armament

List of setups (4)

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

Setup 21 x 250 kg Navy Type Number 25 Model 2 bomb

Setup 310 x Type 3 No.1 Mod.28 Mk.1 rockets

Setup 42 x Type 3 No.6 Mod.27 Mk.1 rockets

The A6M6c can be outfitted with the following ordnance:

• Without load
• 2 x 60 kg Navy Type 97 Number 6 bombs (120 kg total)
• 1 x 250 kg Navy Type Number 25 Model 2 bomb (250 kg total)
• 10 x Type 3 No.1 Mod.28 Mk.1 rockets
• 2 x Type 3 No.6 Mod.27 Mk.1 rockets

Usage in battles

Realistic Battles

In Air RB, your primary focus is to engage fighters. Do not bring any payload options for this plane, as it will weigh you down significantly. Select 400 m for the gun convergence, use the Ground Targets belt for your 13 mm guns, and the Universal or Tracers belts for your 20 mm cannons. Climb at a 15° angle and you may want to try a slight side climb on smaller maps. Try climbing and staying with your team. You will be outclassed by many fighters, so play to your strengths. Engage targets that have low energy states, and try to dogfight them. Do not engage in head-ons or high altitude fighting and stay close to your allied aircraft, as the A6M6c works well when an enemy is overfocused on an allied plane. Try not to stall out in this plane, as your weight is increased and the relatively weak engine won't allow you to recover from stalls easily.

Arcade Battles

In Air Arcade, this plane is extremely versatile: it can engage enemy ground units with rockets, intercept bombers and hunt enemy fighters. Engage in turnfights to reduce your exposure to enemy fire and play with caution, as this plane is fragile.

Mixed Battles (Ground/Naval)

In mixed battles, the 250 kg bomb is your best option. You can fly extremely low to the ground thanks to the plane's superb manoeuvrability. Set a 1.5 second fuse on the bomb and drop it really close to the target. Once you have spent all ordnance, you can either take on fighter duties or return to the airfield and rearm.

Specific enemies worth noting

• P-51 (Family): as always, anything with 0.50 cal Brownings is a threat to the A6M6c. These planes will always try to boom and zoom and light you an fire. These planes will usually have an altitude advantage, thanks to their amazing climb rate. To engage these fighters, make sure you have a good speed and room to dodge attacks. Try to bait a P-51 to lower altitudes or close to friendly fighters. The best way to kill an energy fighter is when it is low and slow.
• Bf 109 (Family): this planes' superb climb and energy retention allow them to make multiple boom and zoom attacks on you. Dodge these by making evasive loops to throw off the pilot and make them overshoot. Do not engage in head-ons with a Bf 109.
• XP-55: the XP-55 outperforms you in every way possible. Play smart when facing these planes, and stick with your team.

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

The Zero's manual engine controls are simple to learn. The propeller pitch should be kept at 95% at all times. The radiators both should be kept between 5 and 15% depending if you are on a hot or cold map. The second supercharger gear should be activated at 3,500 m and above.

Pros and cons

Pros:

• A6M as a carrier-based fighter:
  • Arrestor hook
  • Strictly air-to-air role
    • Gets 2 x 60 kg Type 97 No. 6 Land Bombs, though strongly ill-advised for air battles
  • Decent cannon armament
  • Extremely manoeuvrable
    • Excellent turn rate
    • Excellent roll rate
  • Very short takeoff distance

• Common Navy plane construction:
  • Decent offensive armament: 20 mm Type 99 Model 2 Cannon

• Ground targets: Great for Ground battles

• AP-I:

• Shreds soft targets, and can weaken/destroy tanks with weak top armour, especially engine decks
• Easily sets fire to air targets

• HEF(T):

• Tracer can help you aim on target
• The few rounds in the belt can still wreck havoc on enemy planes with their HE filler

• Stealth: Great for Air battles

• No tracers
• HEF:

• Near full HE belt
• Wrecks havoc on enemy planes with HE filler

• AP-I:

• Easily sets fire to air targets

• Excellent manoeuvrability
• Little radiator drag

• A6M5+ specific:
  • Can mount a bomb rack for a single 250 kg bomb, still strongly ill-advised for air-battles

• A6M6c specific:
  • Gets rid of the 7.7 mm's and has 2 x Type 3 (13.2 mm) in the wings and 1 x in the nose
  • Gets air-to-air time fused rockets
  • Up-armored compared to its previous variants
  • New Sakae 31a Engine
    • Slightly more HP over other previous models
    • Has more powerful WEP

Cons:

• A6M as a carrier-based fighter:
  • Mainly air-to-air role
  • Limited ammo
  • Slow
  • Low dive speed, and compresses easily in a dive

• Common Navy plane construction:
  • Poor offensive armament when stock: 20 mm Type 99 Model 2 Cannon
    • No HE filler
    • T & FI rounds usually do nothing

• A6M6c specific:
  • Heavier than your average A6M
    • Turns slightly longer
    • Slightly worse climb rate

History

In late 1944 into early 1945, the skies over the Pacific Ocean were ruled by US military aviation. The Japanese Empire was forced to deploy the already obsolete Zero against up-to-date Corsairs and Hellcats, because the development of new models of carrier-based fighter aircraft was delayed, and new Japanese army fighters often lacked range to win a tactical initiative. The design team of Mitsubishi did everything possible in an attempt to bring the Zero to the level of modern Allied combat aviation.

One of the latest versions of the Japanese carrier-based fighter was the Model 53 hei (A6M6c), developed after the design of the previous version, the A6M5 hei. Efforts to strengthen the structure and increase firepower were also traced in the new model: the A6M6c, like its predecessor, was armed with a pair of automatic cannons and three high-caliber machine guns, and also had protected wing tanks. In addition, this modification was supposed to install a new Nakajima Sakae 31 engine with a water-methanol injection system. As tests showed, the promising afterburner proved to be very unreliable in operation, so only a few A6M6c units were produced - one prototype at the Mitsubishi plant and several units of the testing batch at the Nakajima plant.

-From Devblog

Media

Skins

• Skins and camouflages for the A6M6c from live.warthunder.com.

See also

Other members of the A6M family

• A6M2 mod. 11
  • A6M2 mod. 21
  • A6M2-N
• A6M3 mod. 32
  • A6M3 mod. 22
  • A6M3a mod. 22A
• A6M5 mod. 52
  • A6M5a mod. 52A
  • A6M5b mod. 52B
  • A6M5c mod. 52C

External links

• [Devblog] Battle Pass vehicles: A6M6c