Mitsubishi G6M

what is it?

The Mitsubishi G6M was a Japanese heavy fighter developed during World War II for use as an escort fighter or escort gunship (similar to the American YB-40) by the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service. It was a derivative of the Mitsubishi G4M, a medium bomber, with added forward-firing offensive cannon armament, additional armour, and an increased crew size of ten. Despite its intended role and largely due to poor performance, the G6M1 never saw combat as an escort fighter; instead, the produced units served as training and transport aircraft.

base stats

• built 30made in total

Bars compare against all aircraft: 3,500 km/h, 20,000 km, 850 seats; size and number built on a log scale up to 640 t (An-225) and 45,000 built (Cessna 172).

fun facts

• 🎂First flew 86 years ago, in 1940.

piston: A car-like piston engine turning a propeller: simple and cheap, the classic small plane.

spec sheet

first flight

1940

number built

30

role

heavy fighter

origin

🇯🇵 Japan

makers

Mitsubishi

engines

2× Mitsubishi Kasei

top speed

—

range

—

Specs are for the version in the Wikipedia article's specification section. Blank means the sources don't say.