The Curtiss SB2C Helldiver was an American low-wing dive bomber from the Second World War. The flight of the prototype took place in 1940, and serial production was carried out in the period 1943-1945. The drive - in the SB2C-4 version - was provided by a single 1900 HP Wright R-2600-20 engine. The length of the aircraft was 11.18 meters with a wingspan of 15.17 meters. The maximum speed was up to 475 km / h. The deck armament consisted of two 20mm AN / M2 cannons and two 7.62mm Browning machine guns. The machine could also carry a bomb load of up to 1,400 kilograms or a Mark 13-2 torpedo.
The Curtiss SB2C Helldiver was developed and put on the line as the successor to the successful Douglas SBD Dauntless aircraft. The machine, compared to its predecessor, was clearly larger, heavier, but also had a shorter range and was much more demanding than the pilot. However, it was compensated by a very high - for this class of machines - maximum speed and climb. Over time, the Curtiss SB2C Helldiver gained a very good reputation among the crews flying it. Several versions of this aircraft were developed in the course of production, including: SB2C-1 (first production version armed with 4 12.7 mm MGs and one 7.62 mm MG), SB2C-3 (version with new engine and propeller), SB2C-4 (version with higher capacity) or SB2C-5 (version with increased capacity of fuel tanks). Machines of this type were used very intensively during the Pacific War of 1943-1945. They took part, for example, during the Battle of the Philippine Sea (1944) or during the Battle of Leyte Bay (1944), but also during the struggles on Iwo-Jima and Okinawa (1945). After the end of World War II, many aircraft of this type were handed over to, for example, Greece, France or Italy.