The Douglas SBD Dauntless was involved in the WWII Pacific theater from day one. In service for roughly six months prior to Pearl Harbor, the SBD Dauntless was the Navy's primary dive bomber in the early years of the war and has been credited with sinking one of the first enemy ships of WWII. The aircraft's greatest performance may have come during the pivotal Battle of Midway in June, 1942. SBD dive bombers helped sink four Japanese aircraft carriers and heavily damage two enemy cruisers.
| Type | Two-seat Carrier-based scout and dive-bomber |
|---|---|
| Bureau Number | 36173 |
| NMNA ID | 2005.075.001 |
| Manufacturer | Douglas |
| Powerplant | One 895-kW (1200-hp) Wright R-1820-60 Cyclone air-cooled radial piston engine |
| Maximum speed | 410 km/h (254 mph) at 3050 m (10,000 ft) |
| Initial climb rate | 518 m (1700 fpm) per minute |
| Range | 730 km (453 miles) on a bombing mission; 1244 km (771 miles) as a scout |
| Service ceiling | 7400 m (24,275 ft) |
| Armament | Two 12.7-mm (.50-cal) fixed machine guns in the nose and two 7.62-mm (.30- cal) manually aimed machine guns in the rear crewman’s position, plus up to 725 kg (1600 lb) of bombs under the fuselage and 295 kg (650 lb) of bombs under the wings |
| Dimensions | Span: 12.66 m (42 ft) Length: 10.09 m (33 ft) Height: 4.14 m (14 ft) Wing area: 30.19 m2 (325 sq ft) |
