Aichi D3A Val

Open the military map

九九式艦上爆撃機

Aircraft Type
Aichi D3A "Val" carrier dive bomber of the Imperial Japanese Navy
Aichi D3A "Val" carrier dive bomber of the Imperial Japanese Navy — U.S. Navy / National Archives (Public Domain)

The Aichi D3A Val was the primary carrier-based dive bomber of the Imperial Japanese Navy in the early Pacific War. It took part in the Pearl Harbor attack and sank more Allied warships than any other Axis aircraft. 1,495 built.

Class / type
愛知航空機
Complement
2
Launched
1 January 1938
Commissioned / formed
1 January 1940
Armament
7.7mm機銃×2（固定前方）、7.7mm機銃×1（後方旋回）、250kg爆弾×1＋60kg爆弾×2

History

The Aichi D3A (九九式艦上爆撃機), codenamed "Val" by the Allies, first flew in January 1938 and entered service in 1940. It was the backbone of Japanese carrier dive-bombing operations during the war's first two years.

Armed with two forward-firing 7.7mm machine guns and one rear-mounted 7.7mm gun for defense, it carried a 250 kg bomb under the fuselage and two 60 kg bombs under the wings. Maximum speed was 430 km/h. Despite its fixed undercarriage, the D3A proved devastatingly effective.

During the Pearl Harbor attack on December 7, 1941, 129 D3A1s participated, causing massive damage. The Val sank more Allied warships than any other Axis aircraft, including HMS Hermes, HMS Dorsetshire, and HMS Cornwall during the Indian Ocean raid (April 1942). Total production reached 1,495 aircraft (479 D3A1 and 1,016 D3A2).

Related sites (2)

  • Deployed21.363, -157.975

    Pearl Harbor, Hawaii – 129 D3A1 dive bombers participated in the attack on December 7, 1941.

  • Factory35.100, 136.880

    Aichi Aircraft works, Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture (愛知航空機) – primary D3A production site.

Sources

  1. 愛知航空機 - WikipediaWebsite
  2. Aichi D3A - WikipediaWebsite
  3. 九九式艦上爆撃機 - WikipediaWebsite