The Aichi D3A "Val" was a World War II dive bomber produced by the Aichi company in Japan. It was the primary carrier-borne dive bomber in the Imperial Japanese Navy in the early stages of the war, and participated in almost all actions, including Pearl Harbor. Designed to meet an Imperial Japanase Navy requirement for a carrier-based dive bomber, the D3A was first flown in January, 1938. The Val was a fixed-gear dive bomber, but it had better maneuverability than similar aircraft. It was stable but lightly armored—a short burst from heavy machine guns could easily destroy it. Armed with two forward-firing 7.7 mm machine guns, one flexible 7.7 mm machine gun in the rear cockpit, one 550 lb bomb under the fuselage and two 130 lb bombs on wing racks, the Val is perhaps best known for the part it played in the bombing of Pearl Harbor.