Curtiss SB2C Helldiver
| SB2C Helldiver A-25 Shrike |
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|---|---|
 |
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| Curtiss SB2C Helldiver in tricolor scheme and tail markings for Bombing Squadron 80 (VB-80) operating off USS Hancock, Feb 1945 | |
| 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 Curtiss SB2C Helldiver was 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 Emeritus 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.
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