A6M Zero

The Mitsubishi A6M Type 0 Carrier Fighter or "Zero" was the primary combat plane of the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II, and led the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. They were once one of the deadliest planes in the world until more advanced American fighters came like the F6F Hellcat and the F4U Corsair. The Zero's main weapons were two 7.7mm caliber machine guns and two 20mm cannons. Though they were fast and agile, they had almost no armor and would catch fire with even the smallest burst hitting their fuel tanks. Towards the end of the war they were used for kamikaze missions like in the Battle of Okinawa. One of the more notable kamikaze attacks by a Zero took the USS Enterprise, the first aircraft carrier ever to be granted the US Presidential Unit Citation, out of the war.

You encounter them in Call of Duty: World at War in the mission "Black Cats".

Trivia

 * There is a Trophy/Achievement, Sum of all Zeros, for shooting 45 Zeros down in the mission Black Cats.

History
The A6M was produced before the war to replace the outdated A5M Type 96 Carrier Fighter "Claude" in July 1940. The A6M2 took part in the infamous raid on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. The Zero was an almost unstoppable aircraft in the early part of the war, until one was captured by the Allies. This Zero was extensively evaluated by the USAAF and with the knowledge gained from the airplane, Grumman designed and produced the F6F Hellcat. Later Models were deployed, but could not stop the Hellcats. They were used until the end of the war as kamikaze, fighters, and fighter bombers. Many of the aircraft were destroyed post war.

Specifications
Engine: 1x Nakajima Sakae radial

Armament: 2x Type 97 Machine guns above engine, 2x Type 99 Cannons in wings

Range: 3,105 km

Weight: 1,680 kg unloaded

Length: 9.06 meters

Height: 3.05 meters