1 Dollar - Elizabeth II Mitsubishi A6M Zero

Issued as part of Perth Mint's long-running Australia at War series, this piece commemorates the Mitsubishi A6M Zero, the carrier-based fighter that opened the Pacific War at Pearl Harbor and Darwin in late 1941 and early 1942. The Zero's early dominance was partly a product of a deliberate Japanese design trade-off: armor and self-sealing fuel tanks were stripped out to achieve the aircraft's exceptional range and maneuverability, a decision that made it lethal in 1941 and catastrophically vulnerable by 1943 once Allied pilots learned to avoid turning engagements.