Aichi asked Ernst Heinkel's firm to design what became the D1A rather than buying an aircraft already in production. The specialist dive bomber entered service in 1934, taking over bombing duties previously shared by torpedo bombers and reconnaissance aircraft, and nearly 600 were built. Nominal retirement dates need care: older Japanese airframes continued to fly, supply spare parts and meet wartime demand after newer types appeared. The D1A's Nakajima Hikari radial came from another form of industrial learning, partnership with Wright on engine research before further Japanese development. That process extended licensed manufacture into commissioned design work and the acquisition of research skills.
Chapter · 20:44-25:24
The D1A and Hikari move beyond straightforward licensing
Aichi commissions a German-derived dive bomber while Nakajima partners on the Hikari engine, moving Japanese industry from licensed manufacture toward indigenous development.