Aichi D3A2 “Val” – Specifications, Facts, Drawings, Blueprints

Aichi D3A2 “Val” History

The Aichi D3A (code name Val) somehow seemed to typify Japan’s entry into World War 2. Apart from the fact that this type of airplane predominated in the force that attacked Pearl Harbour, it was that most unpleasant of warplanes, a dive bomber; not, admittedly, so angularly awe-inspiring as the Ju 87, but no less lethal for that. The Val did, in fact, owe much to German design thought, and it was conceived by the Aichi company in 1936 after a prolonged study of the Heinkel He 66, 70, and 74.

Aichi was one of three companies to compete, in 1936, for the Imperial Japanese Navy’s 11-Shi requirement for a new carrier-borne dive bomber, and its design showed strongly the influence of current German products by Heinkel, with whom the Japanese Navy had a clandestine agreement. Aichi’s design was awarded a development contract and entered production in 1937 as the D3A1 Model 11, or Type 99 carrier-based dive bomber. The Model 11 remained in production until August 1942; it was a standard JNAF type at the time of the attack on Pearl Harbor (in which it took part), and in April 1942, the British carrier Hermes and the cruisers Cornwall and Dorsetshire were sunk in the Indian Ocean by D3A1’s. A single 250 kg bomb could be carried on a ventral cradle, which was swung forward and downward to clear the propeller during delivery, and a 60 kg bomb could be attached to each outer wing section. After delivering its bombs, the D3A1 was sufficiently well-armed and maneuverable to put up a creditable fight against the Allied fighters in service.

In 1942, it was replaced on the assembly lines by the more powerful D3A2, of which 816 had been built when production terminated in 1944. The Val, which had the distinction of being Japan’s first all-metal low-wing monoplane dive bomber, was extremely effective during the early years of the war in the hands of a skilled pilot; as the latter became more rare, however, and more modern replacement machines became available, its success began to wane. Although it was not an unduly light airplane and was strongly stressed to withstand steep diving, the D3A was highly maneuverable and capable of engaging opposing fighters after delivering its bombs.

Both the D3A1 and the D3A2 figured prominently in the major Pacific battles, including those of Santa Cruz, Midway, and the Solomon Islands; but increasing losses, both of aircraft and of experienced pilots, progressively reduced their contribution to the Japanese war effort, and during the second half of the Pacific War they were encountered much less often. Some were converted as single-seat suicide attack aircraft, and a number of D3A2’s were adapted for the training role with the designation D3A2-K.

Aichi D3A2 “Val” Specifications

Aichi D3A2 “Val” Technical Drawings & Scale Model Aircraft Plans

• Aichi D3A “Val” scale model plans
• Aichi D3A1 “Val” scale model plans
• Aichi D3A2 “Val” scale model plans

Further Reading

• International Warbirds: An Illustrated Guide to World Military Aircraft, 1914-2000
• Aircraft: The Definitive Visual History
• Encyclopedia of Military Aircraft
• Military Aircraft: Visual Encyclopedia
• Scale Aircraft Drawings: World War I, by Peter M. Bowers
• Scale Aircraft Drawings: World War 2, by Peter M. Bowers
• Scale Airplane Drawings, Vol. 1, by Paul Matt
• Scale Airplane Drawings, Vol. 2, by Paul Matt