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| The Mitsubishi A5M |
Introduction
The Mitsubishi A5M was a Japanese carrier-based aircraft. The Imperial Japanese Navy’s official designation was Type 96 Carrier-Based Fighter. The A5M was the first monoplane shipboard fighter in the world, and was the direct ancestor of the famous Mitsubishi A6M Zero. The Allied code-name for the A5M was ‘Claude’.
Design and Development
In 1934, the IJN issued their 9-Shi specification for an advanced fighter with a maximum speed of 220mph at 10,000ft, ability to climb to 16,500ft in 6.5min, and excellent maneuverability. Both Mitsubishi and Nakajima produced designs. Mitsubishi’s submission was designed by the team led by Jiro Horikoshi, the man who later designed the A6M. The design was designated Ka-14 by Mitsubishi.
To save on weight, a fixed undercarriage was used, housed in streamlined fairings. The fuselage was of a tubular shape, and covered in flush-riveted aluminum skin, with a small cross-section. The tail section was conventional, with the applicable tail surfaces. The wings were low-fitted to the front of the aircraft, and had rounded wingtips. The first prototype had inverted gull type wings. The pilot sat well forward, just aft of the engine housing. It had an opened-cockpit, with a windscreen to the front and a raised fuselage-spine to the rear. Armament consisted of two 7.7mm Type 97 Machine Guns mounted in the fuselage.
The first prototype was powered by a Nakajima Kotobuki 5 radial engine, and flew on February 4, 1935. It far exceeded the requirements, reaching speeds of 279mph. The second prototype, which did not have the gulled wings and had other various changes for better maneuverability and reduced drag, was ordered into production as the A5M.
Since the Ka-14 gave excellent performance, the Imperial Japanese Army Air Force showed interest, and ordered a single prototype designated as the Ki-18. It was much faster than the current IJAAF fighter, the Kawasaki Ki-10, but was rejected because the Ki-10 was more maneuverable. The IJAAF then issued a specification for an advanced fighter to replace the Ki-10. Mitsubishi, busy with the A5M for the navy, gave a prototype with very few changes, designated as the Ki-33. However, it was defeated by Nakajima, who got the contract for the Ki-27.
A trainer version, the A5M4-K, was developed, and 103 produced. It had a two-seat cockpit, and was used for fighter training well after the A5M left front-line service.
Operational History
The Mitsubishi A5M entered service in 1937, and saw action during the Second Sino-Japanese War. The A5M participated in some of the first ever dogfights between monoplanes when it fought with Chinese Boeing P-26C Peashooters. The A5M was better than any aircraft that the Chinese could put into the air, except for the Polikarpov I-16, flown by Russian volunteers.
Mitsubishi continued to improve the design. A closed cockpit was tried, but it was disliked by pilots. The final variant put into production was the A5M4, which had provision for a ventral drop tank.
The A5M was very effective and damage tolerant. Its main duties in the Second Sino-Japanese War was escorting Mitsubishi G3M bombers in raids which almost destroyed the Chinese Nationalist Air Force, and saw many fierce battles. For example, on April 29, 1938, 27 A5M’s escorted 10 G3M’s on a raid, and were intercepted by 67 I-16’s. Both sides claim victory in the battle. The Chinese and Soviets claimed 11 A5M’s and 10 G3M’s destroyed; the Japanese only admit two of each lost, while claiming 40 I-16’s! A5M’s continued to see action into the 1940’s. The American Volunteer Group unofficially encountered a few, and one was shot down over Mingaladon Airfield, Burma, on January 29, 1942.
A5M’s saw a small amount of service after December 7, 1941 in Malaya and the East Indies. United States intelligence mistakenly believed that it was still the primary fighter of the IJN, but it really had been replaced by the A6M by that time. The last official combat action of the A5M was in the Battle of the Coral Sea, on May 7, 1942, when two A5M’s and four A6M’s unsuccessfully defended the light carrier Shoho against attacking US Navy Aircraft. Most A5M’s were put into training services after they were removed from front-line units. Some A5M’s were used for kamikaze attacks in the closing months of the war.
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| An A5M from the Akagi, 1938 or 1939 |
In all, A5M’s saw service on the Imperial Japanese Carriers Akagi, Hosho, Kaga, Ryujo, Shoho, Soryu, and Zuiho, and several land-based naval squadrons.
There were several pilots who became aces in the A5M, with Lieutenant Tetsuzo scoring fourteen kills to become the top-scoring A5M ace.
Variants
Ka-14: Six prototypes using various engines and design modifications
A5M1: Navy carrier-based fighter, Model 1. The first production model with an 850hp Kotobuki 2 KAI I engine.
A5M2 and A5M2a: The Model 21 with a more powerful engine.
A5M2b: The Model 22: the first production models with an NACA cowling and a 640hp Kotobuki 3 engine.
A5M3a: Prototypes utilizing a 601hp Hispano-Suiza 12 Xcrs engine.
A5M4: The Model 24; an A5M2b with a different engine, closed cockpit, and drop tank. Last production models (Model 34) utilized a Kotobuki 41 KAI engine.
A5M4-K: The two-seat trainer version of the A5M4; 103 built by Naval Ohmura Arsenal.
Ki-18: Single prototype for a land-based version for the IJAAF, based on the A5M, utilizing a 550hp Kotobuki 5 engine.
Ki-33: Two prototypes, a development of the Ki-18, using a different engine and a closed cockpit.
780 A5M1-A5M4’s were produced by Mitsubishi, 39 by Watanabe, and 161 by Naval Ohmura Arsenal(this figure does not include the A5M4-K).
1094 Total A5M versions were produced.
Specifications
Mitsubishi A5M ‘Claude’
Length: 24ft 10in
Height: 10ft 9in
Wingspan: 36ft 1in
Wing Area: 192 sq ft
Empty Weight: 2,675lb
Maximum Weight: 3,751lb
Powerplant: 710hp Nakajima Kotobuki 41 9-cylinder air-cooled radial engine
Maximum Speed: 270mph
Range: 750mi
Ceiling: 32,200ft
Armament: 2x 7.7mm Type 97 machine guns in the fuselage; 60kg of bombs
Mitsubishi A5M4 ‘Claude’
Length: 24ft 9.25in
Height: 10ft 6in
Wingspan: 36ft 1in
Wing Area: 191.6 sq ft
Empty Weight: 2,681lb
Loaded Weight: 3,759lb
Max Weight: 4,017lb
Powerplant: 1x 785hp Nakajima Kotobuki 41 9-cylinder air-cooled radial engine
Maximum Speed: 273mph @ 9,840ft
Range: 746 miles
Ceiling: 32,150ft
Armament: 2x 7.7mm Type 97 machine guns in the fuselage; 60kg of bombs
Sources:
Hunters in the Sky
www.aircraftaes.com
www.daveswarbirds.com
www.militaryfactory.com
www.wikipedia.org
www.wwiivehicles.com
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