Professor Emeritus of Aeronautical Engineering Otto C. In 1939, a student brought 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. 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 Truman Committee investigated Helldiver production and turned in a scathing report, which eventually led to the beginning of the end for Curtiss. 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. Neither pilots nor aircraft carrier captains seemed to like it.ĭelays 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. 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).
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