![]() The Curtiss-Electric propeller and the complex hydraulic system had frequent maintenance problems. Īmong its major faults, the Helldiver was underpowered, had a shorter range than the SBD, was equipped with an unreliable electrical system, and was often poorly manufactured. In the Battle of the Philippine Sea, 45 Helldivers, most of which had been launched from extreme range, were lost when they ran out of fuel while returning to their carriers. SB2C-1s in tricolor scheme (front) on the flight deck of Yorktown in 1943. A total of 7,140 SB2Cs were produced in World War II. ![]() (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. Nevertheless, production tempo accelerated with production at Columbus, Ohio and two Canadian factories: Fairchild Aircraft Ltd. 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. The SB2C-1 was built with larger fuel tanks, improving its range considerably. ![]() ![]() Fin and rudder area were increased, fuel capacity was increased, self-sealing fuel tanks were added, and the fixed armament was doubled to four 0.50 in (12.7 mm) machine guns in the wings, compared with the prototype's two cowling guns. Large-scale production had already been ordered on 29 November 1940, but a large number of modifications were specified for the production model. The revised prototype flew again on 20 October 1941, but was destroyed when its wing failed during diving tests on 21 December 1941. The fuselage was lengthened and a larger tail was fitted, while an autopilot was fitted to help the poor stability. It crashed on 8 February 1941 when its engine failed on approach, but Curtiss was asked to rebuild it. The first prototype made its maiden flight on 18 December 1940. He was referring to controllability issues with the small vertical tail. Koppen was quoted as saying, "if they build more than one of these, they are crazy". Professor of Aeronautical Engineering Otto C. In 1939, a student took a model of the new Curtiss XSB2C-1 to the MIT wind tunnel. 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. Marines and United States Army Air Forces, the manufacturer incorporated features of a "multi-role" aircraft into the design. Saddled with demanding requirements set forth by both the U.S. It featured an internal bomb bay that reduced drag when carrying heavy ordnance. It was a much larger aircraft, able to operate from the latest aircraft carriers and carry a considerable array of armament. The Helldiver was developed to replace the Douglas SBD Dauntless. Design and development Ĭurtiss XSB2C Helldiver prototype on its maiden flight Nicknames for the aircraft included "Big-Tailed Beast" or just "Beast", "Two-Cee", and "Son-of-a-Bitch 2nd Class" the latter nickname was derived from the name SB2C and the aircraft's reputation for having difficult handling characteristics. The British Royal Navy and the Royal Australian Air Force also cancelled substantial orders, retaining only a few aircraft for research purposes. A majority of A-25s delivered to the US Army Air Forces were transferred to the US Marine Corps, which used the type only in one side campaign and non-combat roles. īy the time a land-based variant, known as the A-25 Shrike, became available in late 1943, the Western Allied air forces had abandoned dedicated dive-bombers. Nevertheless, the type was faster than the Dauntless, and by the end of the Pacific War, the Helldiver had become the main dive bomber and attack aircraft on USN carriers. Neither pilots nor aircraft carrier skippers seemed to like it. This contributed to the decline of Curtiss as a company. Initially poor handling characteristics and late modifications caused lengthy delays to production and deployment, to the extent that it was investigated by the Truman Committee, which turned in a scathing report. As a carrier-based bomber with the United States Navy (USN), in Pacific theaters, it supplemented and replaced the Douglas SBD Dauntless. The Curtiss SB2C Helldiver is a dive bomber developed by Curtiss-Wright during World War II.
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