History of Curtiss SB2C Helldiver

The Curtiss SB2C Helldiver was a rather unremarkable dive bomber/reconnaissance aircraft that entered service during World War II in 1943. Originally developed as a replacement for the aging SBC biplane series, the SB2C competed with Brewster's XSB2A Buccaneer, with the SB2C emerging as the eventual winner. The SB2C replaces the aging Douglas SBD Dauntless serving in the U.S.

Navy.

The Helldiver was envisioned as a metallic low-wing monoplane designed to deploy two crew members sitting side by side in a long cockpit - a pilot in the front and a tail gunner in the rear. Incidentally, the SB2C became the third of many aircraft to be nicknamed the "Hell Diver" and set a respectable combat record during the war.

The aircraft was equipped with a Wright-powered engine at the very forward end of the fuselage, driving a three-bladed propeller. The fuselage features straight wings with tapered trailing edges and rounded tips.

The torpedo-shaped hull became the hallmark of the series and a clearly recognizable design feature. A large-area rear unit has been specially developed for the design to improve handling.

USN Helldiver with reinforced and retractable landing gear and brake hooks for carrier operation. The system will eventually move to using high-explosive unguided missiles under the wings as well as its traditional arsenal to load bombs. Ordnance can be placed in the internal bomb bay (including a torpedo) as well as in the two underwing hardpoints.

Standard armament consists of a pair of fixed forward-firing 20mm cannons on the wings (4 x 12.7mm machine guns in early production models) and a pair of 7.62mm M1919 Browning air-cooled machine guns in the rear cockpit.

The only XB2C-1 prototype crashed shortly after its maiden flight in November 1940, the accident occurred in February 1941. The system has been revised with a larger tail surface, increased offensive armament and self-sealing, and increased fuel tank capacity. The new design has entered production with the U.S.

Navy and U.S. Army (the latter known as the A25-A "Brock"), but has been affected by production delays. On November 11, 1943, Helldiver officially saw the battle against Japanese targets at Rabaul for the first time from the deck of USS Bunker Hill. In action, the early SB2C-1 Helldiver left a lot to be desired.

Only with the arrival of the SB2C-4 did the system finally reach its peak.

The U.S. Army Air Force A-25A had limited service and was later transferred to some units of the U.S. Marine Corps as a traditional land-based dive bomber/reconnaissance aircraft. These hell divers would receive the designation SB2C-1A and were relegated to trainers, never in combat. As a series, the SB2C will see several variants that will improve on the earlier model with increased power output, fuel efficiency and armament.

By the end of the war, SB2C had become a legend in itself. Total production reached around 7,140 units.

Despite the nature of the new design - it proved to be bigger, but at the same time faster than the Dauntless it replaced - Helldiver displayed some tough handling characteristics that she couldn't match her crew. The plane has earned the derogatory nickname "Son of a Second-Class Dog" because of its "SB2C" designation.

Regardless, the Helldiver proved to be an extremely powerful mount, capable of carrying larger payloads than its predecessor.

Such operators include the United States, Australia, France, Greece, Italy, Portugal, Thailand and the United Kingdom. The SB2C Helldiver became the last dive bomber produced by the US Navy. The British Fleet Aviation received about 26 Helldivers and named their aircraft "Helldiver I". None of these aircraft were used in combat after evaluations showed poor flight characteristics.

Canadian companies Fairchild-Canada and Canadian Car & Foundry both assist Curtiss in producing the aircraft.

Curtiss SB2C Helldiver Specification

Basic

Year:
1943
Status:
Retired, out of service
Staff:
2

Production

[7,140 units]:
Curtis Aircraft - US/Canada Auto & Foundries; Fairchild Canada - Canada

Roles

- Ground Attack

- Anti-ship

- Naval/Navigation

- Reconnaissance (RECCE)

Dimensions

Length:

36.65 ft (11.17 m)

Width:

49.70 ft (15.15 m)

Height:

14.76 ft (4.5 m)

Weight

Curb Weight:

10,580 lb (4,799 kg)

MTOW:

7,388 kg

(difference: +5,708 pt)

Performance

1 x Wright R-2600-20 1,900 hp radial twin-cyclone air-cooled engine.

Performance

Maximum Speed:

260 mph (418 km/h; 226 knots)

Service Limit:

26,401 ft (8,047 m; 5 mi)

Maximum range:

1,165 miles (1,875 km; 1,012 nautical miles)

Armor

Default:

2 x 20mm automatic cannons on the wings (fixed, forward firing).

2 x .30 caliber Browning M1919 machine guns mounted on flexible mounts (trainable) in the rear cockpit.

Optional:

Internal bomb bay holds up to 2,000 lb guns, supports conventionally dropped bombs or 1 x Mark 13-2 Navy torpedo.

Can also carry guns up to 500 lb via two underwing hardpoints.

Changes

SB2C "Helldiver" - name of the base series

Type 84 - Designated for series development

X2B2C-1 - Prototype serial number; a single prototype was lost during testing.

SB2C-1 - Series designation; equipped with Wright R-2600-8 Cyclone 14 radial piston engine producing 1,700 hp.

A-25A - US Army series designation of base SB2C model line; limited service number eventually reassigned to USMC.

SB2C-1A - USMC land-based role of the former US Army A-25A model.

SB2C-1C - 2 x 20mm machine guns on the wings replaced the 4 x 12.7mm machine guns.

SB2C-3 - with 1,900 hp R-2600-20 engine.

SB2C-4 - Equipped with underwing missile rails and bomb delivery vehicles.

SB2C-4E - Helldiver with Radar

SB2C-5 - Increased fuel capacity; 2 x 20mm cannons and 2 x 7.62mm machine guns.

SBF - Helldiver model manufactured by Fairchild.

SBW - Helldiver model made by Canadian Car & Foundry.

Helldiver I - Royal Navy designation of Canadian-made SBW-1B model; 28 examples.

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