IJN A7M2 Reppu (Type 17 Sam)

The final masterpiece of Jiro Horikoshi, Reppu Type 2. Equipped with the Mitsubishi MK9A engine the plane was able to fulfill the requirements of imperial Japanese Navy 17-Shi specification (even though it was designed 2 years before the specification was issued). On October 13th, 1944 Reppu was ready to undergo the Navy tests again, this time it was capable of achieving 628 km/h in level flight at 6600m and climb to 6000m in 6 minutes and 7 seconds, maximum altitude was at 10 890m. At that moment Reppu was ready to replace A6M5. Saburo Sakai who in June 1945 tested the plane in Nagoya claimed that it was the fastest fighter he had ever seen and that it was able to surpass anything in the air, Japanese or American.