War Thunder: A6M3 Zero 3 kills
12The A6M series were designed for the Japanese Imperial Navy as a carrier fighter. Mitsubishi heavy industries designed the aircraft, and it utilized a dura aluminum frame. This made the plane very light, but very little armor was added to it. The secret behind the plane was low weight, it weighed only 5300 lbs fully loaded. A P-40 aircraft weighed about 8800 lbs fully loaded and comparing this to the Zero, you can see the difference.
The A6M3 is a very nimble aircraft, so it is a very good dogfighter. The reason for the Zero being nimble, and agile lies in its low weight. The A6M3 isn't very fast due to its radial engine which has a wider diameter than the inline engine. The added drag causes the aircraft move slower, and it doesn't have a very powerful engine. The A6M3 has a top speed of 335 to 350 mph, and that is okay when it first came out. In the opening days of World War 2, the Zero was the best carrier borne air superiority fighter in the world.
The Zero did have its draw backs, it could not take many hits, and it didn't have a self sealing fuel tank. If you are in a Zero and you get hit, a few well placed shots with a machine gun can puncture your fuel tank. Another problem with the Zero is that, it doesn't dive fast, because of its low weight.
The good thing about the Zero is that it is well armed with 2 20mm cannons, and 2 7.7 mm machine guns. You could destroy most aircraft with 2 to 4 second bursts from all guns. The best feature about this design is its extra ordinary agility, you can get out of very tight spots by doing loops, and Immelman turn. Simply by doing high G turns, you can out turn most opponents without a problem.
The best way to use this aircraft is by forcing your opponent into a dogfight. There is no way they can get away once they get into the dogfight, because by doing maneuvers they would bleed their speed. If you are dogfighting at a high altitude, the heavier aircraft may not be able to out turn you, but they can get away by simply diving and doing a barrel roll.
Other Videos By Ace1000ks1975
Other Statistics
War Thunder Statistics For Ace1000ks1975
Currently, Ace1000ks1975 has 64,263 views for War Thunder across 228 videos. Roughly 2 days worth of War Thunder videos were uploaded to his channel, or 3.02% of the total watchable video on Ace1000ks1975's YouTube channel.