Zero (Civ3)/Civilopedia

The Mitsubishi Zero fighter was the most common, and probably most effective, Japanese fighter plane
during WWII. To the airmen of the U.S. Navy it was called the Zeke, but it was known as the Zero to the
American public. By either name, it was a potent warplane -- at least when the war opened. Its extreme
maneuverability and high rate of climb meant it could outperform most early Allied planes, such as the 
F4F Wildcat. The Zero was a single-seat monoplane armed with twin 7.7mm machineguns
mounted on the fuselage, and a 20mm cannon in each wing. By the end of the war the Zero was clearly showing its
age, however, and was out-classed by higher performance fighters fielded by the Allies. Nevertheless, it
remained a dangerous threat even at the end of war, as scores of the aged aircraft were turned into flying
bombs and used as kamikazes.