History
Although the Zero had been used by the Japanese for 18 months prior to Pearl
Harbor, it came as a total surprise to the U.S. air forces. American fighters,
such as the P-40 Warhawk and P-39 Airacobra, were ponderous, under-powered,
outdated machines compared to the astonishingly maneuverable Zeke. America did
find an answer to the Zeke's dominance but not through making a more nimble
airplane. Instead they built faster, more durable, and heavier armed fighters,
and avoided turning with the Zeke altogether.
The Zeke in Air Warrior
The Zeke's deficiencies are many. It's the least durable piston engine plane in
Air Warrior, has the smallest ammo load, and is clearly the slowest of the
fighters. It climbs poorly, bleeds energy quickly, and has sharply limited
turning ability at high speeds. Nonetheless the Zero is one of the most popular
planes in the Pacific due to its phenomenal turning ability at low speeds. The
Zeke is perfect for the sort of fighting most common in the Pacific: low speed
dogfighting in tightly clustered, multiplane engagements - the so-called
furball. It can do an Immelman turn at under 120 knots and an alert Zeke pilot
can get out of the way of most Boom and Zoom (BZ) high speed attacks even if his
airspeed is very low. The Zeke is fun to fly, but if your idea of fun is
surviving and landing your missions, then you'd best choose another fighter.
The Zeke in Full Realism
Even under full realism, the Zero is the sweetest handling plane in the game.
You can still make those dramatic "bat turns" even at low speed. Its departure
characteristics are docile as well.
As with the actual Zero, the Air Warrior Zeke is so slow, it seems like it's
flying in half-time, particularly when it's facing American fighters. It's
also, as noted, the most fragile prop fighter, and its positively anemic ammo
load seems all the more paltry in realism. Further, the Zeke hates speed; its
controls nearly seize up at speeds over 300 knots, and its wings rip off at very
high speed. The Zeke also has distinct structural limitations that severely
limit the number of Gs you can pull at high speeds. In short, if you pull more
than 7Gs at speeds above 250 knots, your flight will end abruptly.
The Zeke in Scenarios
Its lack of horsepower really handicaps the Zero in scenario play, especially at
high altitudes. The Zeke's maneuvering advantage vanishes entirely above 25k.
Its strong suit in scenarios is range. Problem is being effective in any
meaningful combat role once you get there; every fighter you face can outrun you
at will, as can high altitude bomber formations.
Tips
Deflection or long range shots are a complete waste of time in a Zero. For this
fighter to be effective, it must use its maneuvering advantage to acquire short
range, "in the saddle" shots.
You can compensate to some extent for the Zeke's slow speed by employing bold
lead turns, but if you get too bold you will present your opponent with a shot
and, as noted, Zekes do not take damage well.
Munitions
Armament Ammo Load Payload
2-7.7mm Machine Guns 500 rounds 1-500 lb. bombs
2-20mm Cannons 250 shells -
Performance
| Armament | Ammo Load | Payload |
| 2-7.7mm Machine Guns | 500 rounds | 1-500 lb. bombs |
| 2-20mm Cannons | 250 shells | - |