Editing Mitsubishi A6M Zero (section)

===Allied analysis===

==== Chinese opinions ====
The Japanese deployed the A6M during the [[Second Sino-Japanese War]]. Inevitably some aircraft were lost, with at least two falling more-or-less intact into Chinese hands. The first known example, an A6M2 (the 12th of the 15 pre-production aircraft, Serial V-110), fell near Fainan Island. On 18 September 1940 a team, including Western volunteers assisting the Chinese, examined the wreck. It was largely intact, and a detailed report was compiled and sent to the U.S. The second, an A6M2-21 (Serial V-173), made a forced landing near Tietsan airfield 17 February 1941. The pilot was shot before he could destroy his plane, the fuel system fixed, and it was taken into Chinese service. The plane was extensively flown and studied by a team which included [[Gerhard Neumann]], and a detailed and illustrated report was sent to Washington. Overall they were impressed with the quality of the aircraft, less so by the performance—although this was later put down to using 85 octane fuel rather than the 100 octane required by the Sakae engine.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Gunston |first=Bill |title=Plane Speaking: a personal view of aviation history |publisher=Patrick Stephens Limited |year=1991 |isbn=1-85260-166-3 |location=Somerset, England |pages=131 |language=en}}</ref>

====American opinions====
The American military discovered many of the A6M's unique attributes when they recovered a largely intact specimen of an A6M2, the [[Akutan Zero]], on [[Akutan Island]] in the [[Aleutians]]. During an air raid over [[Dutch Harbor]] on 4 June 1942, one A6M fighter was hit by ground-based anti-aircraft fire. Losing oil, Flight Petty Officer Tadayoshi Koga attempted an emergency landing on Akutan Island, about {{convert|20|mi}} northeast of Dutch Harbor, but his Zero flipped over on soft ground in a sudden crash-landing. Koga died instantly of head injuries (his neck was broken by the tremendous impact), but his wingmen hoped he had survived and so went against Japanese doctrine to destroy disabled Zeros.<ref name=":0" /> The relatively undamaged fighter was found over a month later by an American salvage team and was shipped to [[Naval Air Station North Island]], where testing flights of the repaired A6M revealed both strengths and deficiencies in design and performance.<ref name= "life1942110986">Wilcox 1942, p. 86.</ref><ref>Jablonski 1979 {{Page needed|date=December 2015}}</ref>

The experts who evaluated the captured Zero found that the plane weighed about {{convert|2360|kg|lb|abbr=on}} fully loaded, some {{convert|1260|kg|lb|abbr=on}} lighter than the F4F Wildcat, the standard United States Navy fighter of the time. The A6M's airframe was "built like a fine watch"; the Zero was constructed with [[flush rivet]]s, and even the guns were flush with the wings. The instrument panel was a "marvel of simplicity… with no superfluities to distract [the pilot]". What most impressed the experts was that the Zero's fuselage and wings were constructed in one piece, unlike the American method that built them separately and joined the two parts together. The Japanese method was much slower but resulted in a very strong structure and improved close maneuverability.<ref name= "life1942110986"/>

American test pilots found that the Zero's controls were "very light" at {{convert|320|km/h|abbr=on}} but stiffened at speeds above {{cvt|348|km/h|0|abbr=on}} to safeguard against wing failure.<ref name="Green and Swanborough 2001">Green and Swanborough 2001{{Page needed|date=December 2015}}</ref> The Zero could not keep up with Allied aircraft in high-speed maneuvers, and its low "[[Vne#VNE|never exceed speed]]" (V<sub>NE</sub>) made it vulnerable in a dive. Testing also revealed that the Zero could not roll as quickly to the right as it could to the left, which could be exploited.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url= https://www.history.com/news/the-akutan-zero-how-a-captured-japanese-fighter-plane-helped-win-world-war-ii|title= The Akutan Zero: How a Captured Japanese Fighter Plane Helped Win World War II |last= Hanes|first=Elizabeth|date=16 January 2015|website=History.com}}</ref> While stable on the ground despite its light weight, the aircraft was designed purely for the attack role, emphasizing long range, maneuverability, and firepower at the expense of protection of its pilot. Most lacked self-sealing tanks and armor plating.<ref name="life1942110986"/>

====British opinions====
Captain [[Eric Brown (pilot)|Eric Brown]], the chief naval test pilot of the [[Royal Navy]], recalled being impressed by the Zero during tests of captured aircraft. "I don't think I have ever flown a fighter that could match the rate of turn of the Zero. The Zero had ruled the roost totally and was the finest fighter in the world until mid-1943."<ref name="Thompson with Smith p. 231."/>