Rufe: the Zero's costly floatplane conversion

The A6M2-N Rufe adapted the Zero for operations where conventional airfields were unavailable. Its first flight took place on 7 December 1941. Reusing an aircraft already in production avoided the work of developing a separate fighter, but the floats sacrificed the light weight, speed, and agility that made the Zero effective. The Rufe was intended to intercept bombers, fly reconnaissance, and support landings. Those missions could bring it into contact with faster, more manoeuvrable land-based fighters such as the P-38. A ferry range of about 963 nautical miles, an operating range near 620, and two 20 mm cannon could not offset the aerodynamic penalty. The conversion met an infrastructure need at the cost of the original airframe's main advantages.