Mitsubishi A5M – A Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing

More than any other fighter in its tier, the Mitsubishi A5M exudes confidence that will quickly carry over into your play style. Although it's only the predecessor to the iconic A6M Zero, this little-known, small and fragile-looking aircraft can overpower rivals of any other class or tier that it gets matched up against.

As the first monoplane in its tech tree, the A5M is the first aircraft to perfectly exemplify the nature of the Japanese planes in the game. Very lightweight, adequately fast, incredibly manoeuvrable and surprisingly efficient in terms of firepower – these are the attributes that come to mind when asked to describe the A5M’s performance. Dive into our in-depth gameplay analysis of this fearless Japanese fighter or skip ahead to the end of the text for a look at its real life history.

The Mitsubishi A5M in the game

Technological Progression

You can find the Mitsubishi A5M in Tier III of the Japanese fighter branch. Just as it was in real life, it is its nation’s first monoplane and the first of five Mitsubishi aircraft that you can discover in the game. Thanks to a very modest price of only 36,000 credits and a low XP requirement of only 1,458 points, you can unlock the A5M after only 3-5 games on its Nakajima biplane predecessor.

Profile and Tactics

The Mitsubishi A5M feels and plays like a fighter in the true sense of the word. Instead of staying back, sniping from afar or concentrating on strategic targets, the A5M is better suited to a more straightforward approach that rush-minded pilots will appreciate. When playing this brawler, you can attack pretty much anything on sight! It excels in close combat and can hold its own in the densest of dogfights against multiple enemies, with seemingly no regard for its own fate.

This fearlessness comes from being the quickest, most manoeuvrable and also most elusive aircraft in most battles. With a manoeuvrability score of 422 points, only the Soviet I-16 (e.) can out-turn the A5M, making it a supreme turn-and-burn fighter. Although on paper the F3F is right on its heels with a starting manoeuvrability of 421, it is no match for the A5M due to its biplane limitations. When upgraded to its top configuration, the A5M can reach speeds of up to 450km/h, which, combined with its sleek profile, makes for the quickness that sets this plane apart.

Another factor that contributes to the plane’s outstanding performance on offence is its surprisingly strong firepower. The two 13.2mm guns it can carry are much more efficient than their top score of only 49 points suggests. Once you take aim, you’ll see how easily you’ll be able to make short work of anything from fighters to ground attack aircraft. If you go for the Armour-Piercing Incendiary ammunition, setting enemies on fire will become so common that you’ll be surprised when it doesn’t happen.

Of course, even with these strong characteristics everywhere else, you mustn’t forget that you’re in a Japanese aircraft. Japanese fighters are notoriously weak-armoured, which shows in the A5M’s small amount of HP. Don’t attack anything straight on! A single salvo from even the lightest of planes can be enough to cause you some serious problems. Even though you won’t usually go down from a few hits alone, some well-targeted shots can penetrate your hull easily, leaving you with module damage that will cut deeply into your plane’s performance. Watch out for stray bullets, use your superior manoeuvrability to angle yourself perfectly before attacking, and keep out-turning your foes throughout the fight.

Being a light fighter, you shouldn’t bother climbing too high at any point in the game. Never go beyond 1,100m of altitude to avoid losing your manoeuvrability and quickness advantage! When battling, don’t forget that the Immelmann or Split-S are great alternatives for a quick change of direction – they work exceptionally well in this nimble aircraft. Adjust your tactics depending on the type and number of planes that you face. Don’t forget that good defence can create the offensive chance you’re looking for, when shaking a bogey off your six or when outnumbered. Remember your role and leave the ground target achievements to other team members, keeping yourself free to fully use the A5M’s incredible potential.

Upgrades

Following its real life counterpart, in the game the Mitsubishi A5M comes with interesting upgrade options that change not only the performance but also the look of the plane. Level up your fighter with upgrades to the engine, airframe or guns and decide for yourself if you want to strap on additional bombs. Let’s look at it all in detail!

Engine

Upgrading the engine is an essential part of maximising the A5M’s performance. Since its stock Nakajima engine has relatively low horse power, you can’t expect a great rate of climb (only 11.3m/s). Although you don’t need to soar as much as a heavy fighter would, it is still practical to boost this value in order to be more reactive on the battlefield when dicey situations arise. 750 XP and 6,580 credits will get you the Kotobuki 3 model, with a little more speed and a slightly improved rate of climb (+1.6m/s). If you save up then you can skip that step and go directly to the Kotobuki 41 for only 880 XP and 14,300 credits more. This more than doubles the boost to speed (45km/h) and rate of climb (3.3m/s). Despite being heavier, you shouldn’t worry about becoming too sluggish as it adds a barely noticeable 0.2 seconds to your average time to turn. 

Airframe

Making the step from the initial Ka-14 to the A5M frame is an easy one to take. Not only is the upgraded frame very affordable at 650 XP and 9,850 credits, but it also doesn’t cost you a single percentage point in any of the other stat categories. Instead, it makes your plane more durable (+10 very necessary HP), faster (+20km/h diving speed) and even more manoeuvrable (-1 second from average time to turn). Even if you’ve already upgraded to the heaviest Kotobuki 41 engine, you will still complete a full circle in an incredible 9.2 seconds, which almost no other airplane can match.

The only drawback, if you can call it that, is that you lose the iconic gullwing appearance of the Ka-14 version and exchange it for the more conventional A5M frame. The stronger frame looks less exotic but is equally iconic in the end because it more closely resembles the A6M Zero that follows it in the tech tree.

Weapons

If you find your initial 7.7mm guns lack punch, you can upgrade to the stronger 13.2mm Type 2 (S). Both models feature an above average rate of fire, which makes for an impressive 42 or 74 damage per second respectively. While the stock version can shoot for up to 18 seconds before overheating from a maximum distance of 650m, the upgraded 13.2mm guns allow only 11 seconds of continuous fire. On the flipside, they extend the range to a maximum of 750m even though you’ll be very inaccurate at this distance (especially without help from the ‘Improved Optical Sight’). Try getting to within at least 500m before you pull the trigger to make full use of your firepower. At 1,250 XP and 16,900 credits, upgrading your guns is the most costly modification that you can apply to your plane. However, it’s well worth it when you start lighting up your enemies much more easily with the improved setup.

Like many other Japanese fighters, the A5M comes with a slot for two optional bombs. Because of the profile of your plane though, we don’t recommend strapping on the additional payload. Although each bomb only weighs 30kg, together the extra baggage does drag your plane down quite a bit, ruining its otherwise excellent lightweight acrobatic capabilities.

More so than just the loss of manoeuvrability, the additional weight will end up having an impact on your play style, resulting in a greater exposure to enemy fire due to your shift in priorities. An A5M pilot should never concentrate on ground targets, be it to avoid getting hit by AA fire (remember how vulnerable you are) or to avoid wasting its great 1-on-1 potential. If the A5M had rockets like the I-16 does, then you could consider the option. Since it does not, you should keep your plane as light as possible for maximum success.

Equipment and Consumables

On a plane as small as the Mitsubishi A5M there isn’t much room for extra equipment. All you’re being offered is the ‘Improved Optical Sight’ and the ‘Reinforced Covering I’. Both items are worth getting if you want to push your plane to the limit. The ‘Improved Optical Sight’ will allow you to open fire a little earlier (because your shots will actually hit something even at longer distances). The ‘Reinforced Covering I’ on the other hand is going to protect your wings, fuselage and tail, which always comes in handy on a plane that’s as fragile as the A5M. Spending the extra cash will prove absolutely worth it in the long run.

Where you can save money is with the consumables – well, actually not with but without. If you play your plane well, you won’t have much need for either of the available options. Since your plane’s hull can be penetrated easily, the only real thing that you might need occasionally is the ‘Pneumatic Restarter’. Having your engine die on you from a couple of scratches in the middle of an otherwise balanced fight can be quite cumbersome. The restarter would allow you to quickly overcome this issue and get back to pawning whoever was responsible for the damage.

Aside from that, only the ‘First Aid Dressing Package’ should be considered. Due to the same fragility of the A5M’s hull, your pilot is susceptible to damage, even when the plane itself is actually still holding together. Lastly, don’t bother with a fire extinguisher! Should your plane really catch fire, the A5M is one of the quickest aircraft at putting it out in an instant. One sharp turn in either direction (which is the easiest thing in the world to do on this nimble fighter) and whatever sparks may have troubled you are history.

History

The Mitsubishi A5M was the first monoplane fighter to enter service with the Imperial Japanese Navy. It was designed and constructed in an attempt to replace the old and increasingly outdated biplane fighters that were still being used in the early 1930s.

The plane came about as a result of demanding specifications received in 1934. The new plane was to be capable of 220 miles per hour (354 km/hour) and to have an exceptional climb rate. This was a very advanced specification for the time, although unusually it didn’t include a requirement for the fighter to be carrier-based.  The first prototype was produced in February 1935 and test flights began soon after.

The plane featured several distinctive features, even for an early monoplane. The most notable of these features were the wings, which featured an inverted gull wing shape. The plane also had a fixed non-retractable undercarriage and an open cockpit (as closed cockpits were very unpopular with Japanese pilots at the time).

Not only did the plane meet the requirements of the tough specifications, but it outperformed them, demonstrating a top speed of 280 mph (450 km/hour). However, it could sometimes prove unstable in flight and when landing. These problems were rectified in later models.

The A5M was code-named ‘Claude’ by the Allies, although it mainly saw action against the Chinese in the late 1930s. During this conflict the A5M dominated against the Chinese, who were mainly flying Curtiss Hawk IIIs.

However, by the start of World War II, the A5M was already starting to look outdated. Mitsubishi worked hard on it though, and eventually, using the A5M as a base, they developed the A6M ‘Zero’ which went on to become one of the most iconic planes of the war. Some of the old A5Ms were converted into training aircraft, and towards the end of the war most of the remaining A5Ms were used for kamikaze attacks.

Try this formidable Japanese plane, pilots! We guarantee it will not be your last…