Mitsubishi A7M Reppū
The Mitsubishi A7M Reppū was designed as the successor to the Imperial Japanese Navy's A6M Zero, with development beginning in 1942. Performance objectives were to achieve superior speed, climb, diving, and armament over the Zero, as well as better maneuverability – all parameters that were ultimately achieved towards the end of its development in 1945. However, limitations on Japanese industry towards the end of the war prevented the A7M from ever entering mass production or being deployed for active duty, and it never saw active service. Its Allied reporting name was "Sam".
Design and development
Towards the end of 1940, the Imperial Japanese Navy asked Mitsubishi to start design on a carrier-based fighter, to meet specification 16-Shi. The fighter would be the successor to the carrier-based Zero. At that time, however, there were no viable high-output, compact engines to use for a new fighter. In addition, Jiro Horikoshi's team was preoccupied with addressing early production issues with the A6M2b as well as starting development on the A6M3 and the 14-Shi interceptor. As a result, work on the Zero successor was halted in January 1941.In April 1942, the development of the A6M3 and the 14-Shi interceptor was complete, and the Japanese Navy once again tasked Mitsubishi and Horikoshi's team with designing a new Zero successor to become the Navy Experimental 17-shi Ko Type Carrier Fighter Reppu. In July 1942 the Navy issued specifications for the fighter: it had to fly faster than above, climb to in less than 6 minutes, be armed with two 20 mm cannon and two machine guns, and retain the maneuverability of the A6M3.
As before, one of the main hurdles was engine selection. To meet the specifications the engine would need to produce at least, which narrowed the choice to either Nakajima's NK9 (Ha-45/Homare), or Mitsubishi's MK9 (Ha-43), both still under development. These engines were based on 14-cylinder 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 bomber, while the larger MK9 promised more horsepower.
With the larger, more powerful engine, 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 medium bomber 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 had feared, and with a top speed similar to the A6M5 Zero. 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, while climb and other performance areas surpassed the Zero, leading the Navy to change its mind and adopt the aircraft. The A7M2 was also equipped with automatic combat flaps, used earlier on the Kawanishi N1K-J, significantly improving maneuverability.
In June 1945, ace pilot Saburō Sakai was ordered to test the prototype at Nagoya. He was favorably impressed.
Variants
; A7M1 Reppū; A7M2 Reppū
; A7M3 Reppū
; A7M3-J ''Reppū-Kai''
Production
- Production was disrupted by an earthquake on 7 December 1944 in the Nagoya region, and Allied bombing raids of Nagoya on 11 March 1945, which caused the loss of full scale drawings and jigs for the A7M2 and Ki-83. This ceased the development of the A7M2 and the plane would never see combat.