T
he Vought SB2U Vindicator was
an American carrier-based dive
bomber developed for the Navy in
the 1930s, and the irst monoplane
in this role. Obsolete at the outbreak
of World War II, Vindicators still remained in
service at the time of the Battle of Midway, but
by 1943, all had been withdrawn to training
units. In 1934, the United States Navy issued
a requirement for a new Scout Bomber for
carrier use and received proposals from six
manufacturers. The speciication was issued in
two-parts, one for a monoplane, and one for
a biplane. Vought submitted designs in both
categories, which would become the XSB2U-
1and XSB3U-1 respectively. The biplane was
considered alongside the monoplane design
as a hedge against the US Navy’s reluctance to
pursue the modern coniguration.
The XSB2U-1 was of conventional low-wingmonoplane coniguration with a retractable
conventional tailwheel landing gear, the pilot
and tail gunner being seated in tandem under
a long greenhouse-style canopy. The fuselage
was of steel tube construction, covered with
aluminum panels from the nose to the rear
cockpit with a fabric-covered rear fuselage,
while the folding cantilever wing was of all-
metal construction. A Pratt & Whitney R-
Twin-Wasp Junior radial engine drove a two-blade constant-speed propeller, which was
intended to act as a dive brake during a dive-
bombing attack. A single 1,000lb bomb could
be carried on a swinging trapeze to allow it to
clear the propeller in a steep dive, while further
bombs could be carried under the wings to give
a maximum bombload of 1,500lb.
The SB2U was evaluated against the Brewster
XSBA-1, Curtiss XSBC-3, Great Lakes XB2G-1,
Grumman XSBF-1 and Northrop XBT-1. All but
the Great Lakes and Grumman submissions
were ordered into production. Designated
XSB2U-1, one prototype was ordered on 15
October 1934 and was delivered on 15 April- Accepted for operational evaluation
on 2 July 1936, the prototype XSB2U-1, BuNo
The Vought SB2U
Vindicator
VINDICATORS SERVED ON THE CARRIERS LEXINGTON,
SARATOGA, RANGER, AND WASP FROM DECEMBER
1937-SEPTEMBER 1942COMB
AT^ ZONE
FIGHTING COLOURS(^10) COMBAT ZONE – SB2U VINDICATOR COMBFIGHTING AT ZONECOLOURS WWW.MODELAIRCRAFTMAG.COM