The Curtiss SB2C Helldiver was built to replace the Douglas SBD Dauntless, a World War II dive bomber that had earned praise for its performance—particularly at the Battle of Midway, in which ...

The Helldiver did not make its combat debut until November 1943, in a raid on the Japanese stronghold at Rabaul. SB2C-1Cs from USS Yorktown circa 1944.

The first example of the new Helldiver design, XSB2C-1 Bureau Number 1758, made its maiden flight on December 18, 1940, with chief test pilot H. Lloyd Child at the controls. The aircraft, however ...

After 14 years of outdoor display at Pensacola, Curtiss SB2C-4 Helldiver BuNo 19866-recovered from California's Lower Otay Reservoir in 2010-has been transferred to the USS Midway Museum. Joining ...

The Helldiver returned from NNAM to the Garber Facility in October 2003. In 2010, the Helldiver arrived at the Mary Baker Engen Restoration Hangar at NASM’s Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center. NASM’s ...

A U.S. Navy Icon Takes to the Skies After a 17-Year Restoration. On their Facebook page, The Fagen Fighters WWII Museum, located in Granite Falls, Minnesota, announced they’d completed a test ...

The Curtiss SB2C-1a Helldiver, one of only three airworthy models left in the world, made its first public flight July 19 after undergoing an extensive restoration.

A WWII Curtiss SB2C-1a Helldiver took flight after restoration, thrilling crowds at the National Museum of World War II Aviation in Colorado Springs.