A7M (Family)

Description

The Mitsubishi A7M is a direct successor over the A6M in every regard, used by the Imperial Japanese Navy in World War II.

Nicknames being:

• ▅ - Reppū (烈風, Strong Wind)
• ▃ - Sam

Vehicles

Rank III

• A7M1
• A7M2

History

Very soon after the A6M2 mod.11 started entering the production phase in end-1940 the Japanese Navy already requested Mitsubishi to design a direct successor of the A6M which would be dubbed as the 16-shi. But at the time there was no viable high-output, compact engine for this new fighter and besides that Jiro Horikoshi's team who designed the A6M, were still occupied with engineering the A6M2 mod.21 and designing the 14-shi interceptor (which would later be known in service as the J2M), for these reasons Mitsubishi put the plans for a Zero-successor on hold in January of 1941.

Development

In April of 1942, development of the A6M3 mod.32 and J2M2 mod.11 were finished and the navy once again tasked Mitsubishi and Horikoshi's team to design a new zero successor dubbed this time as the 17-shi Ko (a). The Navy requirements for the 17-shi were as followed:

• Speed ≥ 345 kn above 6,000 m
• Climb rate ≥ 6,000 m in less than 6 minutes
• Armament = 2 x 20 mm and 2 x 13 mm
• Maneuverability ≥ A6M3

As before, one of the main hurdles was engine selection. To meet the specifications the engine would need to produce at least 2,000 hp (1,500 kW), which narrowed choices down to Nakajima's NK9 "Homare" (Ha-45), or Mitsubishi's MK9 (Ha-43); both engines still being under development. These engines were based on 14-cylinder (Nakajima NK1 "Sakae" (Ha-25) and Mitsubishi MK8 "Kinsei" (Ha-33), respectively) engines converted to 18-cylinder powerplants. The early NK9 had less output but was already approved by the Navy for use on the Yokosuka P1Y Ginga, while the larger MK9 promised more horsepower.

With the larger, more powerful engine compared to the A6M's, wing loading became an issue. The Navy requested at most 150 kg/m², but wanted 130 kg/m² which complicated design considerations further. With the NK9 it could achieve 150 kg/m2, but with the less power it would not meet the specifications for maximum speed. With the MK9 the engineers concluded it could fulfill the requirements; however, production of the MK9 was delayed compared to the NK9, and the Japanese Navy instructed Mitsubishi to use the NK9.

Work on the 17-Shi was further delayed by factories prioritizing A6M and Mitsubishi G4M production as well as further work on A6M variants and addressing Raiden issues. As a result, the 17-Shi, which became the A7M1, officially flew for the first time on 6 May 1944, four years after development started. The aircraft demonstrated excellent handling and maneuverability, but was underpowered as Mitsubishi engineers feared, and with a top speed similar to the A6M5 mod.52. It was a disappointment, and the Navy ordered development to stop on 30 July 1944, but Mitsubishi obtained permission for development to continue using the Ha-43 engine, flying with the completed Ha-43 on 13 October 1944. The A7M2 now achieved a top speed of 339 kn, while climb and other areas of performance surpassed the Zero, leading the Navy to change its mind and adopt the ordered cancel. The A7M2 was also equipped with automatic combat flaps, used earlier on the Kawanishi N1K-J, significantly improving manoeuvrability.

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)