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 Curtiss 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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