Hello everyone! Regarding the wonderful Japanese X-Planes, I couldn't leave unnoticed a kind of gap in the hangar. I am sure this had been requested many times before and I also saw a WIP version about a year ago, but since then I've heard nothing. Thus, I obviously couldn't resist making this request as I would really like to see the Reppu flying in Il-2, and I believe I'm not the only person with this wish. I can imagine how big amounts of work it takes to put a new plane in-game, but if someone of our great modders was so kind and took on this wonderful bird, I would be really grateful and appreciate the work (and I believe I wouldn't be the only one).
History:Mitsubishi A7M Reppu (codename Sam) was intended to replace the Zero. Design work started at Mitsubishiin July 1942.
Problems began with searching for a suitable powerplant - the designers had a choice of Mitsubishi Ha-43
and Nakajima NK9 Homare, of which the latter was used.
The handling and maneuverability was very good, but the airplane offered roughly as much top speed as the A6M5.
The prototype was refitted with the previously rejected Ha-43 engine and the result was much more successful.
After 5 prototypes being tested, the aircraft was granted for serial production.
However, allied bombing runs in combination with an earthquake that hit both the production plants of Mitsubishi and Nakajima ended this very promising project.
Variants:A7M1: First prototypes with Nakajima Homare 22 engine @ 1491 kW. Three built, rejected.
A7M2: Revised version with Mitsubishi Ha-43 engine @ 1641 kW. Five prototypes built, proposed to be the initial production version.
A7M3: Land-based version of A7M2 with supercharged Ha-43 engine. Only proposed, not built.Specifications:Crew: One
Length: 10.99 m
Wingspan: 14.00 m
Height: 4.28 m
Wing area: 30.86 m²
Empty weight: 3226 Kg
Loaded weight: 4720 Kg
Powerplant: 1 x Mitsubishi Ha-43 1641 kWArmament:2 x 20 mm Type 99 cannons
2 x 13.2 mm Type 3 MGs
possibly 2 x 250 kg bombsPerformance:Top speed: 630 km/h (390 mph) at 6600 m
Cruise speed: 417 km/h (259 mph)
Range: 1240 km (770 miles)
Ceiling: 10900 m
Endurance: 2.5 hrs cruise + 30 min. combat
Climb: 6min. 7 sec. to 6000 m
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Topic: Mitsubishi A7M Reppu-Sam (Read 25157 times)
