烈風
The [b]Mitsubishi A7M Reppuu[/b] (烈風, "Strong Gale") was a carrier-based fighter intended to be the successor to the legendary [[A6M Zero]]. Like its predecessor, it was designed by [[Horikoshi Jirou]]. While superior in every aspect to the Zero, a combination of the design team being diverted to other projects, earthquake damage and bombing raids on the Mitsubishi factory prevented it from ever going into mass production; ultimately only 9 examples were made and none saw combat. It's Allied reporting name was [b]"Sam"[/b].

Ace pilot [[Sakai Saburou]], who was a test pilot for the Reppuu, said that it could literally fly circles around a [[P-51 Mustang]] or [[F6F Hellcat]], even while climbing.

h4. See also

* [[List of airplanes]]

h4. External links

* Wikipedia: "Mitsubishi A7M Reppuu":http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mitsubishi_A7M
a7m reppuu