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Aircraft - Zero (Japanese)

For the most part, American aerospace testing
was done on American aircraft. However,
beginning with WWI, whenever the United States
obtained examples of foreign aircraft - either
from friendly countries through cooperative
arrangements or from enemies via capture or
defection- they were likely to wind up at McCook
Field or Wright Field for a thorough evaluation
which included flight testing if possible.
"During WWII evaluations at Wright Field
included allied aircraft like the Russian
Yak-9
and the
British Spitfire and
Mosquito,
and enemy aircraft including the German
JU-88,
ME-109,
FW-190,
ME-262, and
the Japanese Zero.
The end of the war brought large numbers of
captured aircraft for evaluation. As with
other test flight activities, much of the
foreign aircraft evaluation moved to Muroc Air
Base (later Edwards AFB) after the war, but even
then the occasional foreign aircraft came to the
Miami Valley for testing, as a MiG-15 (courtesy
of a North Korean defector) at Patterson Field
attests." (Source:
Against the Wind)
Specifications
Type -
Interceptor fighter/fighter bomber
Powerplant
- Type: One Nakajima Sakae 31 radial piston
engine
Horsepower: 1,130
Performance - Max. Speed: 557 km/h (346 mph)
at 6000m (19,685 ft.)
Armament -
Two 20-mm cannon (in wings) Three 13.2-mm
(0.52-in) machine guns -Two in wings and one in
fuselage
Plus Launch rails for eight 10-kg (22-lb)
or Two 60-kg (132-lb) air-to-air rockets
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