Aichival

The Aichi D3A "Val" (Japanese: 愛知99式艦上爆撃機 Aichi-kyuu-kyuu-shiki-kanjou-bakugeki-ki) was a Japanese dive bomber designed in the late 1930s and introduced to the Imperial Japanese Navy in 1940. It was the primary dive bomber of the of the Japanese Navy during the course of World War II. It was inspired from the German He 70.

D3As participated in almost every major Pacific naval battle during the war, from the attack on Pearl Harbor to the Battle of Okinawa. They were responsible for the sinking of more Allied warships than any other Axis-operated aircraft during the war.

Battlefield 1942
In Battlefield 1942, the Aichival is the Imperial Japanese Navy's dive bomber. It spawns on the Shokaku along with an A6M Zero and on several airfields in Pacific theater maps. It has space for two players: one pilot who has control over the aircraft, dual frontal machine guns and two bombs, and one gunner who mans a rear mounted MG42. Another version of the Aichival, the AichiVal-T is a torpedo bomber, and launches a torpedo instead of bombs.

The Aichival, like all diver bombers, is less maneuverable, slower and bigger than fighters. However, it is more heavily armored and has much better armament for attacking ground targets and ships. With its ability to drop two bombs at once, it can destroy or heavily damage a medium tank with relative ease, while lighter targets will surely be destroyed. It is the most effective anti-ship aircraft at the disposal of the IJN, and as such can cause massive damage at weak points, especially with a torpedo. The Aichival is prone to damage from fighters, heavy machine guns and anti-aircraft guns. It can potentially hold its own against fighters, as its dual machine guns are nearly as effective as a fighter's machine guns, though it can be easily outmaneuvered. When used against ships, particularly those with anti-aircraft armament such as the Enterprise or the PrinceOW, players should either go at extreme heights and dive to drop bombs, or to fly low enough to be out of the reach of enemy guns and pull up at the last moment and to drop their bombs. Low flying is particularly effective with AichiVal-T, as it does not need to pull up in order to strike.

It is the Japanese equivalent to the American SBD.