Curtiss SB2C Helldiver

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curtiss_SB2C_Helldiver

The Curtiss SB2C Helldiver is a carrier-based dive bomber aircraft produced for
the United States Navy during World War II. It replaced the Douglas SBD
Dauntless in US Navy service. The SB2C was much faster than the SBD it replaced.

Crew nicknames for the aircraft included the Big-Tailed Beast or just the
derogatory Beast, Two-Cee, and Son-of-a-Bitch 2nd Class (after its designation
and partly because of its reputation for having difficult handling
characteristics). Neither pilots nor aircraft carrier captains seemed to like
it.

Delays marred its production—by the time the A-25 Shrike variant for the USAAF
was deployed in late 1943, the Army Air Forces no longer had a need for a
thoroughbred dive bomber. Poor handling of the aircraft was another factor that
hampered its service introductions; both the British Royal Navy and the Royal
Australian Air Force cancelled substantial orders.

The Truman Committee investigated Helldiver production and turned in a scathing
report, which eventually led to the beginning of the end for Curtiss. Problems
with the Helldiver were eventually ironed out, and in spite of its early
problems, the aircraft was flown through the last two years of the Pacific War
with a fine combat record.

The Helldiver was developed to replace the Douglas SBD Dauntless. It was a much
larger aircraft, able to operate from the latest aircraft carriers and carry a
considerable array of armament. It featured an internal bomb bay that reduced
drag when carrying heavy ordnance. Saddled with demanding requirements set forth
by both the U.S. Marines and United States Army Air Forces, the manufacturer
incorporated features of a "multi-role" aircraft into the design.

The Model XSB2C-1 prototype initially suffered teething problems connected to
its Wright R-2600 Twin Cyclone engine and three-bladed propeller; further
concerns included structural weaknesses, poor handling, directional instability,
and bad stall characteristics. In 1939, a student brought a model of the new
Curtiss XSB2C-1 to the MIT wind tunnel. Professor of Aeronautical Engineering
Otto C. Koppen was quoted as saying, "if they build more than one of these, they
are crazy". He was referring to controllability issues with the small vertical
tail.

The program suffered so many delays that the Grumman TBF Avenger entered service
before the Helldiver, even though the Avenger had begun its development two
years later. Nevertheless, production tempo accelerated with production at
Columbus, Ohio and two Canadian factories: Fairchild Aircraft Ltd. (Canada),
which produced 300 (under the designations XSBF-l, SBF-l, SBF-3, and SBF-4E),
and Canadian Car and Foundry, which built 894 (designated SBW-l, SBW-3, SBW-4,
SBW-4E, and SBW-5), these models being respectively equivalent to their
Curtiss-built counterparts. A total of 7,140 SB2Cs were produced in World War
II.


Role
Dive bomber

National origin
United States

Manufacturer
Curtiss-Wright
Fairchild (Canada) (SBF)
Canadian Car & Foundry (SBW)

Designer
Don R. Berlin

First flight
18 December 1940

Introduction
December 1942

Retired
1959 (Italian Air Force)

Primary users
United States Navy
United States Army Air Forces
French Air Force
Royal Thai Air Force

Produced
1943–1945

Number built
7,140

Developed from
Curtiss SBC

Developed into
Curtiss XSB3C
Curtiss XBTC
Curtiss XBT2C

The U.S. Navy would not accept the SB2C until 880 modifications to the design
and the changes on the production line had been made, delaying the Curtiss
Helldiver's combat debut until 11 November 1943 with squadron VB-17 on Bunker
Hill, when they attacked the Japanese-held port of Rabaul on the island of New
Britain, north of Papua New Guinea. The first version of the SB2C-1 was kept
stateside for training, its various development problems leading to only 200
being built. The first deployment model was the SB2C-1C. The SB2C-1 could deploy
slats mechanically linked with landing gear actuators, that extended from the
outer third of the wing leading edge to aid lateral control at low speeds. The
early prognosis of the "Beast" was unfavourable; it was strongly disliked by
aircrews due to its size, weight, and reduced range compared to the SBD it
replaced.

In the Battle of the Philippine Sea, 45 Helldivers, most of which had been
deliberately launched from extreme range, were lost when they ran out of fuel
while returning to their carriers.

In operational experience, it was found that the U.S. Navy's Grumman F6F Hellcat
and Vought F4U Corsair fighters were able to carry an equally heavy bomb load
against ground targets and were vastly more capable of defending themselves
against enemy fighters. The Helldiver, however, could still deliver ordnance
with more precision against specific targets and its two-seat configuration
permitted a second set of eyes. A Helldiver also has a significant advantage in
range over a fighter while carrying a bombload, which is extremely important in
naval operations.

The advent of air-to-ground rockets ensured that the SB2C was the last
purpose-built dive bomber produced. Rockets allowed precision attack against
surface naval and land targets, while avoiding the stresses of near-vertical
dives and the demanding performance requirements that they placed on dive
bombers.

Specifications (SB2C-4 Helldiver)

General characteristics
Crew: Two, pilot and radio operator/gunner
Length: 36 ft 8 in (11.18 m)
Wingspan: 49 ft 9 in (15.17 m)
Height: 13 ft 2 in (4.01 m)
Wing area: 422 ft² (39.2 m²)
Empty weight: 10,547 lb (4,794 kg)
Max. takeoff weight: 16,616 lb (7,553 kg)
Powerplant: 1 × Wright R-2600-20 Twin Cyclone radial engine, 1,900 hp (1,417 kW)

Performance
Maximum speed: 295 mph (257 knots, 475 km/h) at 16,700 ft (5,090 m)
Cruise speed: 158 mph (137 knots, 254 km/h)
Range: 1,165 mi (1,013 nmi, 1,876 km) with 1,000 lb (450 kg) bombload
Service ceiling: 29,100 ft (8,870 m)
Rate of climb: 1,800 ft/min (9.1 m/s)

Armament

Guns: 2 × 20 mm (.79 in) AN/M2 cannon in the wings
2 × 0.30 in (7.62 mm) AN/M2 Browning machine guns in the rear cockpit

Rockets: 8 × 5 in (12.7 cm) high velocity aircraft rockets
Bombs: in internal bay: 2,000 lb (900 kg) of bombs or 1 × Mark 13-2 torpedo
on underwing hardpoints: 500 lb (225 kg) of bombs each





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