Dare Zero A6M5b

Details

From the attack on Pearl Harbor to the last desperate attempts to ward off allied fighters and bombers, the Zero took part in every major Jap Navy action. Mitsubishi recognized that massive improvements to the Zero were needed to keep pace with these new fighters. Two glaring insufficiencies recognized was the lack of firepower and marginal structural integrity. This became apparent during high-speed dives. The Zero would start to come apart when dived ay more than 400 mph. Thus, the need for rapid improvements, which spurred the development of the A6M5 series.