Aichi D3A The Aichi D3A , ( Allied reporting name " Val " ) was a World War II carrier - borne dive bomber of the Imperial Japanese Navy ( IJN ) . It was the primary dive bomber in the Imperial Japanese Navy , and participated in almost all actions , including the attack on Pearl Harbor . The Aichi D3A was the first Japanese aircraft to bomb American targets in World War II , commencing with Pearl Harbor and U . S . bases in the Philippines , such as Clark Air Force Base . During the course of the Second World War , the " Val " dive bomber sank more Allied warships than any other Axis aircraft . Design and development . In mid - 1936 , the Japanese Navy issued the 11 - Shi specification for a monoplane carrier - based dive bomber to replace the existing D1A biplane currently in service . Aichi , Nakajima and Mitsubishi all submitted designs , and Aichi and Nakajima were both asked for two prototypes each . The Aichi design started with low - mounted elliptical wings inspired by the Heinkel He 70 " Blitz " . It flew slowly enough that the drag from the landing gear was not a serious issue , so fixed gear were used for simplicity . The aircraft was to be powered by the 529 kW ( 710 hp ) Nakajima Hikari 1 nine - cylinder radial engine . The first prototype was completed in December 1937 , and flight trials began a month later . Initial tests were disappointing . The aircraft was underpowered and suffered from directional instability in wide turns , and in tighter turns , it tended to snap roll . The dive brake s vibrated heavily when extended at their design speed of 370 km / h ( 200 kn ) , and the Navy was already asking for a faster diving speed of 240 kn ( 440 km / h ) . The second aircraft was extensively modified prior to delivery to try to address the problems . Power was increased by replacing the Hikari with the 626 kW ( 840 hp ) Mitsubishi Kinsei 3 in a redesigned cowling , and the vertical tail was enlarged to help with the directional instability . The wings were slightly larger in span and the outer sections of the leading edges had wash - out to combat the snap rolls , and strengthened dive brakes were fitted . These changes cured all of the problems except the directional instability , and it was enough for the D3A1 to win over the Nakajima D3N1 . Operational history . In December 1939 , the Navy ordered the aircraft as the Navy Type 99 Carrier Bomber Model 11 ( " kanjō bakugekiki " , usually abbreviated to 艦爆 " kanbaku " . ) . The production models featured slightly smaller wings and increased power in the form of the 746 kW ( 1 , 000 hp ) Kinsei 43 or 798 kW ( 1 , 070 hp ) Kinsei 44 . The directional instability problem was finally cured with the fitting of a long dorsal fin , and the aircraft actually became highly maneuverable . Armament was two forward - firing 7 . 7 mm ( . 303 in ) Type 97 machine gun s , and one flexible 7 . 7 mm ( . 303 in ) Type 92 machine gun in the rear cockpit for defense . Normal bombload was a single 250 kg ( 550 lb ) bomb carried under the fuselage , which was swung out under the propeller on release by a trapeze . Two additional 60 kg ( 130 lb ) bombs could be carried on wing racks located under each wing outboard of the dive brakes . The D3A1 commenced carrier qualification trials aboard the " Akagi " and " Kaga " during 1940 , while a small number of aircraft made their combat debut from land bases over China . Starting with the attack on Pearl Harbor , the D3A1 took part in all major Japanese carrier operations in the first 10 months of the war . They achieved their first major success against the Royal Navy during their Indian Ocean raid in April 1942 . " Val " dive bombers scored over 80 % hits with their bombs during attacks on two heavy cruisers and an aircraft carrier during the operation . During the course of the war , " Val " dive bombers had to frequently combine their attacks upon enemy warships with the IJN " Kate " torpedo bomber ; consequently enemy vessels were often sunk by a combination strike of bombs and torpedoes . However , there were occasions when just the " Vals " would make the attacks , or at least score the sinking hits . Discounting the Pearl Harbor strike , which also used the Nakajima B5N used for level bombing and torpedo attacks , " Val " dive bombers were credited with sinking the following Allied warships : Allied warships sunk by " Aichi D3As " ; type , nation , date of loss , location . As the war progressed , there were instances when the dive bombers were pressed into duty as fighter s in the interceptor role , their maneuverability being enough to allow them to survive in this role . In June 1942 , an improved version of the D3A powered by a 969 kW ( 1 , 300 hp ) Kinsei 54 was tested as the Model 12 . The extra power reduced range , so the design was further modified with additional fuel tanks to bring the total tankage to , giving it the range needed to fight effectively over the Solomon Islands . Known to the Navy as the Model 22 , it began to replace the Model 11 in front - line units in autumn 1942 , and most Model 11s were then sent to training units . When the Yokosuka D4Y " Suisei " became available , the D3A2s ended up with land - based units or operating from the smaller carriers , which were too small to handle the fast - landing " Suisei " . When American forces recaptured the Philippines in 1944 , land - based D3A2s took part in the fighting , but were hopelessly outdated and losses were heavy . By then , many D3A1s and D3A2s were operated by training units in Japan , and several were modified with dual controls as Navy Type 99 Bomber Trainer Model 12s ( D3A2 - K ) . During the last year of the war , the D3A2s were pressed back into combat for " kamikaze " missions . Survivors . One D3A is currently under restoration at the Planes of Fame Museum in Chino , California . Another unrestored D3A2 is on display at the National Museum of the Pacific War in Fredericksburg , Texas