View source for Curtiss SB2C Helldiver

{{Aircraft infobox
| name = Curtiss SB2C Helldiver
| image = Curtiss SB2C col.jpg
| caption = Curtiss SB2C Helldiver. Photo: Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain, via [[commons:File:Curtiss SB2C col.jpg|Wikimedia Commons]]
| make = Curtiss
| type = Dive bomber
| origin = United States
| first_flight = 18 December 1940
| produced = 1943–1945
| number_built = 7,140
| faa_registered = 3 (FAA register, October 30, 2026)
| seats = 2
| engine = Wright R-2600-20 Twin Cyclone, 1,900 hp
| cruise = 158 mph (SB2C-4 Helldiver)
| ceiling = 29,100 ft (SB2C-4 Helldiver)
| gross_weight = 16,616 lb (SB2C-4 Helldiver)
| category = Military aircraft
}}

The '''Curtiss SB2C Helldiver''' is an American carrier dive bomber of World War II, built to replace the [[Douglas SBD Dauntless]]. Curtiss built 7,140.<ref name="wp"/> Its crews were not fond of it, and its nicknames included "the Beast" and a rude one based on its initials.<ref name="wp"/> In the U.S. there are 3 with a valid registration.<ref name="faa"/>

== History ==
The Navy asked for a Dauntless replacement in 1938. The Helldiver had to be much bigger and carry more, yet stay short enough that two fit on a carrier elevator.<ref name="wp"/> The prototype first flew on December 18, 1940, and handled poorly. Late changes caused long delays, the Truman Committee investigated and wrote a scathing report, and it only entered service in December 1942.<ref name="wp"/> The bad publicity helped bring about the decline of Curtiss as a company.<ref name="wp"/>

The Helldiver was faster than the Dauntless, and by the end of the war it had become the Navy's main dive bomber.<ref name="wp"/> A land-based Army version, the A-25 Shrike, mostly went to the Marine Corps, and Italy flew the last Helldivers until 1959.<ref name="wp"/>

== Registered in the United States ==
The FAA register lists '''3''' of these airplanes with a valid U.S. registration. Here they are by the model name the FAA uses.<ref name="faa"/>
<div class="aw-wide">
{| class="wikitable sortable"
! FAA model name !! Registered
|-
| SB2C5 || 2
|-
| SB2C HELLDIVER || 1
|}
</div>

== Specifications (SB2C-4 Helldiver) ==
<div class="aw-wide">
{| class="wikitable"
! Item !! SB2C-4 Helldiver
|-
| Crew || 2
|-
| Length || 36 ft 8 in
|-
| Wingspan || 49 ft 9 in
|-
| Height || 13 ft 2 in
|-
| Wing area || 422 sq ft
|-
| Empty weight || 10,547 lb
|-
| Maximum takeoff weight || 16,616 lb
|-
| Engine || Wright R-2600-20 Twin Cyclone, 1,900 hp (14-cylinder air-cooled radial piston engine)
|-
| Propeller || constant-speed propeller
|-
| Maximum speed || 295 mph
|-
| Cruise speed || 158 mph
|-
| Service ceiling || 29,100 ft
|-
| Rate of climb || 1,800 ft/min
|}
</div>
Figures as given in the Wikipedia article and its sources.<ref name="wp"/>

{{Owner notes}}

== Photos ==
<gallery mode="packed" heights="170">
File:Curtiss SB2C-5 Helldiver at the Athens War Museum on 30 July 1992.jpg|A Curtiss SB2C-5 Helldiver (U.S. Photo: Cobatfor, CC BY-SA 3.0
File:XSB2C-1 18Dec1940.jpg|This photo shows the prototype Curtiss XSB2C-1 Helldiver on its maiden flight on 18 December 1940. Photo: The original uploader was Felix c at English Wikipedia., Public domain
File:Arromanches (R95) flight deck 1951.jpg|Curtiss SB2C Helldiver. Photo: U.S. Navy, Public domain
File:A-25A Shrike RAAF in flight c1943.jpeg|A Royal Australian Air Force Curtiss A-25A Shrike in flight over the United States, circa in 1943. Photo: U.S. Navy, Public domain
File:SB2Cs from USS Yorktown (CV-10) off Iwo Jima.jpg|Curtiss SB2C Helldiver. Photo: see the file page on Commons, Public domain
File:SB2Cs on USS Yorktown (CV-10) 1943.jpg|Curtiss SB2C Helldiver. Photo: see the file page on Commons, Public domain
File:USAF Curtis A-25A-5-CS Shrike in flight, Serial Number 41-187187.jpg|Curtiss A-25A-5-CS Shrike (Serial Number: 41-18787). Photo: USAAF, Public domain
File:B.J3-4-94 (4) (14568831439).jpg|Curtiss SB2C-5 Helldiver at the Royal Thai Air Force Museum,Don Mueang,Bangkok,24/07/14. Photo: Alec Wilson from Khon Kaen, Thailand, CC BY-SA 2.0
</gallery>
All photos are from [[commons:Main Page|Wikimedia Commons]]; click a photo for its full credit and license.

== Buying a Curtiss SB2C Helldiver ==
{{For sale soon}}

== Sources ==
<references>
<ref name="wp">Wikipedia, "[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curtiss_SB2C_Helldiver Curtiss SB2C Helldiver]", read November 1, 2026. Airplane Wiki's text is written in its own words; facts are checked against this article and its sources.</ref>
<ref name="faa">Federal Aviation Administration, [https://www.faa.gov/licenses_certificates/aircraft_certification/aircraft_registry/releasable_aircraft_download Releasable Aircraft Database], file dated October 30, 2026. Valid registrations of fixed-wing airplanes whose FAA maker and model names belong to this family. Airplane Wiki uses only counts from this file, never owner names or addresses.</ref>
</references>