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    Ron 19. 5. 2016 01:40
    The Reppu should have had more co-operation between the IJN and the Mitsubishi design team.
    The Army counterpart IJA and Nakajima built 3,500 Ki 84s to succeed the Ki 43 with the same
    B-29 raids and earthquakes.
    Obviously, not as 'slipshod' in attitude.
    Can you imagine as many A7Ms running loose, kicking butt in 1945?

    The Zero should have been succeeded by the Reppu from late 1943!

    More than one MK9 factory was required.

    I like the A7M3. It didn't require a full redesign like the long nose A7M3-J. Yet it had most of the high altitude performance of that one but without the requisite delay.
    The 6x20mm fast cannons command attention too. I believe these were the 750 rpm Mod 5 Type 99-II.
    Good enough stopping power for tackling B-29s as well as a dense pattern of fire for dogfighting fighter escorts.
    These cannon were perhaps the most reliable cannon of Japan and with the best firing range up to 1,000m. Now they were fast too.

    I like the automatic combat flaps that impart Zero style agility to the Reppu.

    And dig that MK9C engine! So reliable and good at all altitudes. Rare for Japan, late in the war. The Reppu could climb like a Raiden. It could replace both the Raiden and Zero in 1944. All production resources used on those 2 should have switched to the Reppu by 1944.

    The Reppu program was delayed in 1941, in 1944, and 1945. And when it was going, it was low priority! I say 1945 not just for the bombings, but the A7M3-J redesign. The A7M3 could have preceeded that and saved 1/2 year but it was the understudy. Add that to the 12 months for the other 2 delays. It then comes down to the engine. The MK9C was the engine all late-war Japanese fighters needed, not just the Reppu. Having only one engine factory for it is a crying shame. Of course it got bombed! It should have been in a mountain at least.

    The IJN fought for the low power engine choice not once but twice, and Mitsubishi was right both times.
    The A6M5 was supposed to get a real engine upgrade to the 1,560 hp Ha-112-II in 1943. The IJN was chastised by the USN in the Marianas. If not the Reppu, at least the carriers should have been equiped with these more powerful Zeros. It couldn't have hurt any worse. So, the IJN relented and makes the A6M8 which misses the war too, just like the Reppu.
    Of course, if their boosted A6M6 experiment worked, it would be a different story. Alas, it failed.

    So, enter the Kamikazi A6M7 Zero.
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