The A6M Zero was a lightweight fighter used by the Japanese Air Force and Navy during the Second World War. It was highly manoeuvrable and very successful early in the war but, due to it's lightweight construction and lack of pilot protection, suffered very high casualties later on as the Allies introduced more capable aircraft.

Powerplant:

1 × Nakajima Sakae 12 cylinder radial engine, 709 kW (950 hp)

Length:

9.06 m (29 ft 9 in)

Height:

3.05 m (10 ft 0 in)

Weight:

Empty - 1,680 kg (3,704 lb)      Loaded - 2,410 kg (5,313 lb)

Max speed:

533 km/h (287 knots) at 4,550m (331mph at 14,930 ft)

Ceiling:

10,000 m (33,000 ft)

Range:

550km at 5,500m (342 miles at 18,045 ft)

The A6M2-N Rufe was a float plane version of the A6M Zero.

The A6M2-N, codenamed Rufe by the Allies, was a seaplane fighter, a type highly uncommon due to the negative effect on performance caused by the addition of floats. The design was the result of an Imperial Navy requirement drawn up in September 1940 that called for an aircraft capable of providing air support for amphibious assault operations. The aircraft were expected to operate from sheltered lagoons and lakes providing cover until more conventional land based aircraft could operate from permanent airfields.
Nakajima was issued with a contract to modify existing Mitsubishi A6M2 Zero fighters and the first prototype flew on December 8, 1941 becoming operational by July the following year. The new design retained the armament of the Zero but replaced the undercarriage with a large central float, that doubled as a fuel tank, and two wing mounted outrigger floats. The new features bled around 40mph from the top speed of the Zero but didn't affect the manoeuvrability too adversely.