Val, Japanese Hellbird

On December 7,1941, the Japanese Imperial Navy launched 353 aircraft from six carriers,¹ in a surprise attack, against United States military installations on the island of Oahu, Hawaii. The aircraft included Mitsubishi A6M2s (Zero), Nakajima B5Ns (Kate) and Aichi D3As. The Aichi D3A led the first wave of attacks and was the first Japanese aircraft to drop bombs on American targets.² 129 Aichi D3A aircraft were used as part of the Japanese task force that attacked Pearl Harbor.³ Despite its obsolescence, the D3A took part in all major Japanese carrier operations in the first ten months of the war after the attack on Pearl harbor. Before the attack on Pearl Harbor, they saw only limited action from land bases in China and Indo-China. During the campaign in the Indian Ocean, D3As placed more than 82 per cent of their bombs on target during attacks on the cruisers, HMS Cornwall and HMS Dorsetshire and the carrier HMS Hermes in April 1942.⁴

Inspired by the Heinkel He 70, the D3A was designed to supersede the D1A2, Navy Type 96 Carrier Bomber. The Navy ordered two prototypes with the first prototype being completed in December, 1937. The first prototype was the Nakajima D3N1, powered by the 730-hp Nakajima Hakari 1 radial engine but showed many shortcomings during initial flight-testing. It was found to be under-powered and had a tendency to snap roll in tight turns. The dive brakes were ineffective and vibrated violently when diving at 90 degrees. However, the aircraft did show promise because it had a strong airframe and the overall handling characteristics were good, with the exception to snap roll in tight turns. The second prototype was the Aichi D3A1, configured with a fixed landing gear to eliminate extra weight and maintenance problems of a retractable landing gear system. The Aichi prototype was extensively modified to overcome the shortcomings of the Nakajima design. Engine power was increased to 840 hp with a Mitsubishi Kinsei 3 fourteen-cylinder radial engine, and a redesigned cowling was installed. The wing span was increased, the vertical stabilizer was enlarged, and improved dive brakes were installed. The better performing Aichi D3A1 was selected to go into production under the designation Navy Type 99 Carrier
Bomber Model 11.
(aviation-history.com)