AichiD3A 'Val'
The Aichi D3A - Allied reporting-name "Val"
- was the standard Japanese carrier-based dive-bomber during the opening
stages of the Pacific War, participating with great success in the Pearl
Harbor attack and in the great carrier battles of 1942, but also suffering
heavy losses in those battles.
Despite its importance the D3A was produced in only
relatively small numbers - 478 of the D3A1,and 816 of the more streamlined
D3A2.
The Yokosuka D4Y Suisei ("Comet") - Allied
reporting-name "Judy" - was the D3A's replacement, and by late 1944
relatively few Vals were left in service.
The D4Y had been designed to a demanding specification
of 1937, which called for a two-seat dive-bomber as fast as the A6M Zero-Sen
fighter. It was one of the few Japanese aircraft to go into production with
a liquid-cooled engine.
The supposedly lower drag of the in-line motor was
one means of meeting the demand for high speed, but the Daimler-Benz 601
had an unsuccessful history in Japanese service. In 1943 the main problems
with the Judy were eliminated by replacing the 601 with the reliable and
smooth-running Kinsei 62 radial. After the Battle for Leyte Gulf battle the
D4Y was extensively employed as a kamikaze aircraft carrying 800 kg (1,764
lb) of explosives.
Total production of the Judy was 2,038.
Data
Yokosuka D4Y Suisei - the "Judy"
Origin: Dai-Ichi Kaigun
Koku Gijitsusho, Yokosuka; Production
aircraft built by Aichi Kokuki KK and Dai-Juichi Kaigun Kokusho
Type: Two-seat carrier
dive-bomber (D4Y1-c and D4Y2-c reconnaisance / D4Y2-s night-fighter / D4Y4
single-seat kamikaze aircraft)
Dimensions: Span 37'
9" - Length 33' 6" - Height (D4Y1, D4Y2) 12' 1" (D4Y3, D4Y4) 12' 3"
Weight: (D4Y1) 5,650
lb empty - 9,615 lb loaded.
Engine: (D4Y1) One
1,200 hp Aichi Atsuta-21 in-line inverted-V12 , liquid-cooled (Daimler-Benz
601).
(D4Y2) One 1,400 hp Atsuta-32 in-line.
(D4Y3, D4Y4) One 1,560 hp Mitsubishi Kinsei 62
14-cylinder two-row radial.
Maximum Speed: (D4Y1)
339 mph - (D4Y2) 360 mph - (D4Y3) 356 mph.
Initial Climb: (D4Y1)
1,970 feet per minute (Other Versions) 2,700 feet per minute.
Service Ceiling
(typical): 34,500 feet
Range: (D4Y2) 749 miles,
(D4Y3) 945 miles.
Normal Armament: 2
x 7.7 mm fixed forward-firing machine-guns above engine 1 x 7.7 mm manually-aimed
7.7 mm machine-gun in rear cockpit 1 x 250
kg (551 lb) bomb in internal fuselage bay,
2 x 30 kg bombs - one under each wing
Aichi D3A - the "Val"
Origin: Aichi Tokei
Denki KK
Type: Two-seat shipborne
dive-bomber
Dimensions: Span (D3A1)
47' 2" (D3A2) 47' 8" - Length 33' 6" to 33' 7" - Height 11' 0."
Weight: (D3A1) 5,309
lb empty, 8,047 lb loaded - (D3A2) 5,772 lb empty, 8,378 lb loaded.
Engine: (D3A1) One
1,075 hp Mitsubishi Kinsei 44 14-cylinder radial (D3A2) One 1,200 hp Kinsei
54.
Performance: Maximum
speed (D3A1): 242 mph - (D3A2) 281 mph Service ceiling (D3A1): 31,170 feet
- (D3A2) 35,700 feet Range Loaded (D3A1): 1,131 miles - (D3A2) 969 miles
Armament: Two fixed
forward-firing 7.7 mm machine-guns in wings One 7.7 mm manually-aimed machine-gun
in rear cockpit One 250 kg bomb under fuselage plus (D3A1) two 30 kg bombs
or (D3A2) two 60 kg bombs under wings.
