Aichi D1A2 Type 96 ("Susie")
The Aichi D1A or Navy Type 94/96 Carrier Bomber (Allied code name "Susie") was a Japanese carrier-based dive bomber of built in 1934/5). A single-engine, two-seat biplane based on the Heinkel He 50, it was produced by Aichi for the Imperial Japanese Navy, remaining in service as trainers at the time of the attack on Pearl Harbor. The D1A was produced in two variants, the D1A1 (Navy Type 94 Carrier Bomber), and the D1A2 (Navy Type 96 Carrier Bomber, sometimes referred to as the D2A.). The D1A was primarily used in the Second Sino-Japanese War and up to the time Japan entered World War II in 1941. At the beginning of the Pacific War, all of the remaining D1A1s were decommissioned and most of the D1A2s were retired from the front lines and served primarily in training units. The exception was 68 of the D1A2 model that operated as a second-line support until being retired in 1942.
Aichi D1A2 Type 96
Type: Carrier Bomber
Service: Japanese Navy Air Force (JNAF)
Crew: two
Armament: one fixed forward-firing 7.7mm machine gun
one flexible rear-firing 7.7mm machine gun
two 66 lb (30 kg) bombs
Reference: Francillon: 268
Specifications:
Length: 30' 10" (9.4 m)
Height: 11' 2.7" (3.45 m)
Wingspan: 37' 3.6" (11.37 m)
Wing area: 366.51 sq. ft (34.05 sq. m)
Empty Weight: 3086 lbs (1400 kg)
Loaded Weight: 5291 lbs (2400 kg)
Propulsion:
No. of Engines: 1
Powerplant: Nakajima Hikari 1 9-cylinder radial
Horsepower: 730 hp
Performance:
Range: 570 nautical miles (558 st miles)
Cruise Speed: n/a
Max Speed: 174 mph (151.5 km/hr) at 6725 ft (2050 m)
Climb to/in: 9845 ft (3000 m) in 9 min 30 sec
Ceiling: 22965 ft (7000 m)
Production: approximately 590 D1As
Additional information on this aircraft can be
found at Wikipedia
HERE.
For a very nice scale color drawing of this aircraft, see
here.
Additional color schemes for this aircraft can be found here.
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