Zero Fighter Type 54 / Type 64 (A6M8)
The Zero Fighter Type 54 / Type 64 was a type in which the engine of the Zero Fighter Type 52 Hei was replaced with a Mitsubishi-made Kinsei(Venus) 62 type engine (take off power 1,560hp) with a water methanol injection device.
The Zero Fighter 54 type was the prototype model, and the Zero Fighter 64 type was the model number attached to the mass production aircraft.
The 13.2mm machine gun at the nose removed to install the Kinsei(Venus) engine, which had a larger diameter than the Sakae engine.
The Type 64, like the Type 62 / Type 63, was premised on the operation as a fighter bomber (special attack aircraft), but there was a strong demand as a pure fighter.
This model of Zero Fighter regained its original movement performance by this engine replacement, but the prototype was completed in April 1945 (Showa 20), just before the end of the war. In addition, the production line of the Venus 62 type engine was destroyed by the air raid by the US military, so the two completed Zero Fighter 54 type prototypes reached the end of the war during the test flight.
The Zero Fighter Type 64, which was ordered to be produced from July 1945, reached the end of the war during production. It should be noted that, for a long time, no material for the Zero Fighter 54 type has been confirmed, and the shape of the nose remains a mystery, but in recent years photographs and drawings have been discovered.
According to this photo, the spinner and propeller are equipped with the same type of Suisei bomber type 33 with the same type engine. This model became the final model of Zero Fighter.