The aircraft mainly saw service in the United States Navy, United States Army Air Forces, French Air Force, and Royal Thai Air Force. Many of the crews of the SB2C Helldiver nicked named this aircraft "Big-Tailed Beast", "Two-Cee", and Son of a Bitch Second Class due to the horrible turning capabilities of the aircraft. It was meant to replace the Douglas SBD Dauntless as a much faster alternative to the SBD Dauntless though it sacrificed mobility. The aircraft had been produced from 1943-1945. The SB2C Helldiver was a carrier-based dive bomber made by the Curtiss company. Defensive armament is ineffective against armoured foes.Torpedo is carried externally, resulting in a noticeable performance drop.Smaller payload, ineffective against bases.Wing-mounted cannons tend to be inaccurate.Elevator tend to wildly sway after a manoeuvre.Poor power output from the engine, drops further above 4,000 m.Internal payload, next to no performance penalty when carrying bombs.Armed with a powerful pair of 20 mm AN/M2 cannons. Has the ability to dive bomb and level bomb.In naval battles, this plane is one of few to receive a torpedo for use against ships. If the bombs have been used up, then it is possible to use the 2 x 20 mm cannons against lightly armoured ground targets as well, although more heavily-armoured tanks and pillboxes will be difficult to crack. Keep in mind that this vehicle does not carry much ordnance, so it is important to make each drop count. For attacking ground targets, it is recommended to use a diving attack (the vehicle is equipped with an airbrake for just this purpose) and drop ordnance when directly over the enemy. This can be done in Ground, Air, or Naval battles, since the Helldiver is able to carry both bombs and torpedoes. As such, it would be unwise to rely on them in every sticky situation.Īnother possible way to use this vehicle is in a ground-attack role. There is a rear gunner, but they are only armed with 2 x 7.62 mm machine guns, and are not very well protected from enemy fire. Since the Helldiver is heavy and sluggish, it can be hard to shake a tail. If there is an enemy on your tail, luring them towards friendlies may be the best option. Therefore, it struggles against experienced enemy fighters, and the best way to fly this plane in an anti-air role is by supporting teammates and working with a group. However, the SB2C is certainly not the perfect fighter aircraft: it has a poor climb rate, poor acceleration, and is quite heavy. Often, the enemy will be caught off guard by the Helldiver's dogfighting ability and enter into an engagement that they cannot win, allowing the pilot to secure the kill. The SB2C has a surprisingly good turn rate, especially at around 300 km/h, and can turn with such planes as the La-5 and Fw 190 series of fighters. Another way to deal with enemy fighters is in a dogfighting role. If stealth belts are loaded, the enemy may not even realise that they are being shot at, since they may not expect a bomber to have offensive capabilities. When this happens, the Helldiver is very effective in a head-on role, with 2 powerful 20 mm cannons. In Air Realistic battles, the SB2C receives an air start, which means that it is usually able to intercept enemy fighters in their climb path.
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