Mitsubishi A6M2 Zero "Zeke"
Mitsubishi · Japan · first flew 1940 · fighter
The early production Zero that attacked Pearl Harbor, identifiable by its folding square-tipped wing and the light, long-span airframe that gave unrivalled manoeuvrability at the cost of armour and self-sealing tanks.
Recognition (WEFT)
| W — Wings | Low-mounted, straight |
|---|---|
| E — Engines | 1 × piston, nose-mounted |
| F — Fuselage | Longer, thinner fuselage than the A6M5; the wing span is visibly greater and the overall silhouette more lightly built |
| T — Tail | Conventional |
WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.
Spot it by:
- Square-tipped, folding wing tips — the A6M2's outer wing panels fold upward at a hinge for carrier stowage, creating a stepped leading-edge break visible from below
- Nakajima Sakae 12 radial with a narrow cowling and a relatively small-diameter propeller spinner compared with US contemporaries
- Longer, thinner fuselage than the A6M5; the wing span is visibly greater and the overall silhouette more lightly built
Against the A6M5: the A6M2 has a longer span and the prominent wing-tip fold break. The A6M5 has shorter, non-folding rounded tips and a broader cowling for the uprated Sakae 21 engine.
Specifications
- The Mitsubishi A6M2 Zero has a length of 9.06 m (30 ft).
- It has a wingspan of 12 m (39 ft).
- Its maximum speed is 533 km/h (331 mph).
- Typical crew: 1.
Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.
History
The A6M2 entered IJN service in 1940 and was the version that dominated the first year of the Pacific War. Its extraordinary range — over 3,000 km — and agility shocked Allied pilots trained to fight European opponents. The absence of pilot armour reflected Japanese doctrine valuing range and performance over survivability.
Variants
Model 11 (no folding tips), Model 21 (folding tips for carriers — the Pearl Harbor version). The folding tip is the visual differentiator between the two sub-variants.
Where you'll see it
Genuine airworthy A6M2s are exceedingly rare; the Planes of Fame Museum's example at Chino, California, is the best-known flying Zero. Most replicas are built on wartime or replica airframes.
Related aircraft
- Mitsubishi Ki-57
- G4M 'Betty'
- Mitsubishi A6M Zero
- Mitsubishi A6M3 Model 32
- Arado Ar 240
- Bell XFL-1 Airabonita
- Bloch MB.700
- CANSA FC.12
AircraftIQ — the aircraft field guide: 5,024 recognition guides, live overhead identification, works offline.