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1943 SBD5N – Dauntless
First Flight
1944
Location
Main Display Hangar
Dimensions & Capacity
Crew: 2
Length: 33 ft 1.25 in (10.0902 m)
Wingspan: 41 ft 6.375 in (12.65873 m)
Height: 13 ft 7 in (4.14 m)
Empty Weight: 6,404 lb (2,905 kg)
Max Take Off Weight: 10,700 lb (4,853 kg)
Performance
Speed: 255 mph (410 km/h, 222 kn) at 14,000 ft (4,300 m)
Service Ceiling: 25,530 ft (7,780 m)
Range: 1,115 mi (1,794 km, 969 nmi)
Airworthiness
Static Aircraft
Armament
Guns: 2 × 0.50 in (12.7 mm) forward-firing synchronized Browning M2 machine guns in engine cowling
Rear Guns: 2 × 0.30 in (7.62 mm) flexible-mounted Browning M1919 machine guns in the rear
Bombs: 2,250 lb (1,020 kg) of bombs
Loan Status
This aircraft is on loan from the National Naval Aviation Museum on behalf of the Navy History and Heritage Command
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. The SBD (“Scout Bomber Douglas”) was the United States Navy’s main carrier-based scout/dive bomber from mid-1940 through mid-1944. The SBD was also flown by the United States Marine Corps, both from land air bases and aircraft carriers. 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 type earned its nickname “Slow But Deadly” (from its SBD initials) during this period.
During its combat service, the SBD proved to be an excellent naval scout plane and dive bomber. It possessed long range, good handling characteristics, maneuverability, potent bomb load, great diving characteristics from the perforated dive brakes, good defensive armament, and ruggedness. One land-based variant of the SBD – omitting the arrestor hook — was purpose-built for the U.S. Army Air Forces, as the A-24 Banshee.