A6M3-22 Zero Pushed Goes Up Against F6F Hellcat

A6M3-22 Zero Pushed Goes Up Against F6F Hellcat | World War Wings Videos

(Fight to Fly Photography/YouTube)

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The Mitsubishi A6M Zero was the most popular Japanese fighter of WWII with more than 10,000 units made. The Japanese considered the Zero to be a perfect fighter until American planes began catching up with its advanced features. As the war raged on Imperial Japan did not want to be left in the dust so they made some modifications which produced the Mitsubishi A6M3-22 Zero.

Earlier variants of the A6M3 Zero such as the Model 32 became problematic in combat missions and engineers sought to correct its flaws with the introduction of Model 22. The A6M3-22 could go on long-range missions, unlike the preceding A6M3-32. Its wings also underwent modifications such as reduced size and folding wing tips. Fuel tanks were moved to the outer wings of the A6M3-22 in order to make it less vulnerable to enemy attack.

The A6M3-22 was a great fighter but it struggled to keep pace with newer American fighters in the Pacific Theater of War such as the P-51 Mustang, F4U Corsair, and the F6F Hellcat. Recently at the Skyfair Airshow guests were treated to an A6M3-22 Zero going up against an F6F Hellcat in an amazing flight display. So if you wondered how these two planes stacked up against each other in the air, then look no further.

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