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Let's say the air force wants a lightweight fighter, with 1st examples in service in 1940. The design is limited to a powerplant of weight under 1700 lbs complete (engine + prop + lubricating + cooling), under 900HP, to carry 200 - 300 lbs of armament, 200 - 300 lbs of ammo, fuel quantity between 80-100 US gals (or whatever it's SI or Imp equivalent, for all the measuring units) in protected tanks, at least some protection for pilot. Use just the bits pieces from one country per one design.
What would be you proposal?
The early Zero (A6M2 model 21) had an empty weight of 3700lbs, loaded weight of 5313lbs and a max gross of 6164lbs. I am not sure that an empty weight of 86% of the Spitfire's really moves it into another category.The world leaders in lightweight fighters have to be the japanese. These certainly were not cannon fodder in 1940. I dont know if they fit all the criteria, but at 4000 lbs gross weight, versus roughly 6000 lbs for a spit, the zero has to be close to specification.
At the weights being quoted here NONE of the fighters had protection except the 109. The weights for the Spitfire are before protection was fitted.What cant be achieved is a lightweight fighter that provides everything that a heavier fighter does. Something has to give. in the case of the zero it was protection.
Moreover, the concept of the lightweight fighter has never quite been eliminated by tyechnology. At the end of the war the US had developed a lightweight fighter (I forget the designation) was very effective.
In the 50s, ed Heinemann chief advocate of this design concept (and certainly not deserving to be thrown out of an aeroplane 50 miles out to sea....despite what you air force boys would like done with him) designed aircraft like the A-4 that very much fitted into this concept. This philosophy was further extended into aircraft like the f5(e) freedom fighter , the MiG-21 and the F-16, Sepecat Jaguar all quite successful in their own ways.