The final version, the SBD-6, had more improvements, but its production ended during the summer of 1944.
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Some SBDs were also flown by the Free French Air Force against the German Heer and Luftwaffe. 25 Squadron of the Royal New Zealand Air Force-but the RNZAF soon replaced them with the larger, faster, heavier and land-based Vought F4U Corsairs. In addition to American service, the SBD saw combat against the Japanese Army and Navy with No. A few of them were shipped to the Royal Navy for evaluation. This version was equipped with a 1,200 hp (890 kW) engine and an increased ammunition supply. The next (and most produced) version, the SBD-5, was produced mostly in the Douglas plant in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The SBD-4 provided a 12-volt (up from 6-volt) electrical system, and a few were converted into SBD-4P reconnaissance aircraft. It had increased armor, self-sealing fuel tanks, and four machine guns. The next version was the SBD-3, which began manufacture in early 1941. Unusual for carrier aircraft, folding wings were not chosen for the design, opting instead for structural strength.
Distinctive perforated split flaps or "dive-brakes" had been incorporated into the BT-1 to eliminate tail buffeting during diving maneuvers. The SBD-1 went to the Marine Corps in late 1940, and the SBD-2 to the Navy in early 1941, replacing the SBU Corsair and Curtiss SBC Helldiver squadrons on US carriers. Navy and Marine Corps had placed orders for the new dive bomber, designated the SBD-1 and SBD-2 (the latter had increased fuel capacity and different armament). The plane was developed at the Douglas El Segundo, California, plant, and that facility, along with the company's Oklahoma City plant, built almost all the SBDs produced. Ed Heinemann led a team of designers who considered a development with a 1,000 hp (750 kW) Wright Cyclone engine. The Northrop BT-2 was developed from the BT-1 by modifications ordered in November 1937, and provided the basis of the SBD, which first entered service in mid-1939. In 1937, the Northrop Corporation was taken over by Douglas, and the active Northrop projects continued under Douglas Aircraft Corporation. Army Air Forces, as the A-24 Banshee.ĭesign work on the Northrop BT-1 began in 1935.
One land-based variant of the SBD – omitting the arrestor hook - was purpose-built for the U.S. It possessed long range, good handling characteristics, maneuverability, potent bomb load, great diving characteristics from the perforated dive brakes, good defensive armament, and ruggedness.
The type earned its nickname "Slow But Deadly" (from its SBD initials) during this period, along with a rarely-used accompanying nickname of "Furious D."ĭuring its combat service, the SBD proved to be an excellent naval scout plane and dive bomber. The SBD is best remembered as the bomber that delivered the fatal blows to the Japanese carriers at the Battle of Midway in June 1942. The SBD was also flown by the United States Marine Corps, both from land air bases and aircraft carriers. The SBD ("Scout Bomber Douglas") was the United States Navy's main carrier-based scout/dive bomber from mid-1940 through mid-1944. The Douglas SBD Dauntless is a World War II American naval scout plane and dive bomber that was manufactured by Douglas Aircraft from 1940 through 1944.
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