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Modification 4 x Type 99 20 mm cannon for Mitsubishi A7M2 Model 11
Welcome to today’s suggestion. This suggestion focuses on modifying the armament of the Mitsubishi A7M2 Model 11 fighter.
History
During the development work on the Mitsubishi A7M2 Model 11 fighter, it was supposed to have the same armament as the prototype version Mitsubishi A7M1, namely two Type 99 Model 2 cannons and two Type 3 machine guns in the wings. However, at that time, all the latest Japanese fighters were being equipped with better armament to fight the Americans. The Mitsubishi J2M3, Kawanishi N1K1-J Otsu, and Kawanishi N1K2-J fighters were already armed with four Type 99 cannons, while the intercepting Mitsubishi A6M5 Hei had two Type 99 cannons and three Type 3 machine guns. The Japanese Navy was fully aware that the successor to the Mitsubishi A6M fighter needed better armament to be able to fight against the increasing number of well-armed American fighters and bombers. Therefore, it was ordered that the mass-produced Mitsubishi A7M2 Model 11 aircraft be equipped with a new set of armament. The new armament was to consist of four Type 99 Model 2 Type 4 20 mm cannons in the wings, with 200 rounds per cannon. Such armament was sufficient for fighting American fighters and bombers, but it increased the weight of the aircraft. Therefore, it was decided that it would be best to have the option to change the armament. Lighter armament (2 x 20 mm + 2 x 13.2 mm) would be better for fighting enemy fighters, while heavier armament (4 x 20 mm) would be more effective against bombers. However, by the end of the war, the Japanese had produced only one series aircraft, the Mitsubishi A7M2 Model 11, and it did not take part in combat.
Modification description
The modification of the Mitsubishi A7M2 Model 11 aircraft involves replacing the external Type 3 13.2 mm machine guns in the aircraft’s wings with Type 99 Model 2 Type 4 cannons. The ammunition supply for all the cannons will be 800 rounds.
Technical sketches
Summary
A modification of 4 x Type 99 for the Mitsubishi A7M2 would be very useful. The ability to interchange armaments would make the Mitsubishi A7M2 a more versatile fighter with a deadly frontal attack. However, it should be remembered that such a modification could lead to raising the A7M2’s battle rating from 5.3 to 5.7 or even 6.0. I encourage you to discuss in the comments and to share your own knowledge on this subject.
Finally, I apologize for the linguistic and logical errors because unfortunately English is not my main language and I had to use google translator.
Internet sources
烈風 - Wikipedia
艦上戦闘機 『烈風』/三菱Mitsubishi A7M | 大日本帝国軍 主要兵器
烈風／Mitsubishi A7M：大日本帝国海軍 艦上戦闘機
Mitsubishi A7M Reppū - Wikipedia
Mitsubishi A7M Reppu (Hurricane)
Micubiši A7M2 22 Reppú [Sam] : Micubiši
Book sources
- The Xplanes of Imperial Japanese Army and Navy 1924-45 page 214-230
The Xplanes of Imperial Japanese Army and Navy 1924-45 | PDF - Japońskie Samoloty Marynarki 1912-45 (Japanese naval aircraft 1912-45) page 87-90
Japońskie Samoloty Marynarki 1912-45 | PDF - 日本航空機辞典 1910年(明治43年)～1945年(昭和20年) 上巻 (Encyclopedia of Japanese Aircraft 1910 (Meiji 43) – 1945 (Showa 20), Volume 1) page 270
- 野沢正『日本航空機総集 三菱篇』出版協同社 - page 210-216
Thank you for reading the suggestion, see you in the next one. Good luck pilots
