F8F Bearcat and Mitsubishi Zero (World Fighter Aircraft Collection)

The Camarillo wing of the Commemorative Air Force fly their F8F Bearcat and Mitsubishi Zero at the 2007 Riverside airshow in metropolitan Los Angeles.

Although the Bearcat was specifically designed to counter Japanese fighters like the Zero, the two never met in combat because the Bearcat entered service slightly too late to fight in the war.

This is not only a nice formation of the Bearcat and Zero, but it also shows the Zero carrying a bomb.   Although it wasn't much of a fighter-bomber, Zeroes could carry up to two 132 pound bombs under normal conditions.   When used for kamikaze operations two 550 pound bombs were fixed to the aircraft with no release mechanism.