Douglas SBD-5 Dauntless


Plane: Douglas SBD-5 Dauntless

Weight (Empty/Loaded/Max): 6,533 lb/ 10,700 lb /

Wing Area: 325 sq ft

Wing Loading: 20.1 lb/sq ft / 32.9 lb/sq ft /

Length: 32'

Span: 41'

Wing Aspect Ratio: 5.2

Engine: 1,200hp Wright R-1820-60 Radial

Flaps: 2 settings

Visibility:

Control Feel:

Stall Speed 1k (No Flaps/Full Flaps) 75mph / 70mph

Guns:

  type/ammo ROF Duration WB Punch Muzzle Velocity Ammo/Gun
Primary: 2x.50cal MG 12/s 35.1s 3x.50cal/ping 2,810ft/s 420
Otto: 2x.30cal MG 15/s 66.5s 3.75x.30cal/ping 2,600ft/s 1000

Ordnance:
0: 1x500lb
1: 1x1,000lb
2: 1x500lb + 2x100lb
3: 1x1000lb + 2x100lb

Fuel Time/Percent: 58 seconds/percent

Power/weight (Empty/Loaded/Max): 5.4 lb/hp / 8.9 lb/hp /

Corner Velocity: 250mph

Durability:

WEP time:


Accleleration:

  1,000ft 5,000ft 10,000ft 15,000ft
Stall-200mph 40.4s 53.8s 79.4s 190mph max
150mph-200mph 28.7s 35.2s 56.0s -
200mph-250mph - - - -
250mph-300mph - - - -

Climb:
1k-5k: 99s
5k-10k: 149s
10k-15k: 163s

Zoom Climb:
1k 400mph:
1k 300mph: +2,300ft

Dive:

  Max Speed After 30s After 60s
15,000ft to 10,000ft 340mph 250mph 220mph
15,000ft to 5,000ft 440mph 265mph 240mph
10,000ft to 5,000ft 350mph 255mph 235mph
10,000ft to 1,000ft 440mph 275mph 245mph
5,000ft to 1,000ft 340mph 260mph 240mph

Max Speed

  1,000ft 5,000ft
Climbing before levelling 230mph 215mph
Diving before levelling 235mph 220mph

Turn Performance

300mph 1,000ft 5,000ft 10,000ft 15,000ft
One 360 12.7s 14.0s 14.8s -
Two 360s 31.7s 34.6s 38.0s -
250mph
One 360 13.8s 14.6s 15.9s 18.3s
Two 360s 33.7s 35.2s 40.9s 48.0s
Sustained
No Flaps 20.1s 22.9s 24.4s 29.6s
Full Flaps 20.0s 22.0s 26.3s 30.7s
Best Flap full full none none
Speed/best 90mph 90mph 105mph 100mph

Corner Speed and Radii (1,000ft):

Speed: 250mph
Radius: 455ft
Sustained Turn Speed: 105mph
Sustained Turn Radius: 491ft
Full Flaps Speed: 95mph
Full Flaps Radius: 443ft

Corner Times 1,000ft 5,000ft 10,000ft 15,000ft
180 degrees 5.8s 6.1s 6.4s 7.4s
360 degrees 13.3s 14.2s 15.6s 17.8s

Roll Rate:
150mph: 6.8s
200mph: 5.1s
250mph: 5.0s
300mph: 5.4s
350mph: 8.1s
400mph: 15.9s

Minimum Full-Flaps Full-Power Split-S altitude:
150mph: 900ft
200mph: 1,100ft
250mph: 1,400ft
300mph: 1,900ft


Hoof's Tips and Opinions:

The SBD was the primary US dive bomber of the early years of the war. This plane was considered obsolete even before the Pacific War started, and was supposed to be retired before Pearl Harbor occured. Needless to say this did not happen. The SBD went on to be one of the most famous dive bombers in existance (next to the Stuka), and this was mostly due to extreme luck during the Battle of Midway. Various events that a historian would be better at telling resulted in a situation with a group of SBDs high above three of the Japanese best carriers with the Zero CAP on the deck finishing up a group of Avenger Torpedo bombers that just happened to be there at the same time, and the carriers in the middle of a complete re-armament operation, with fuel-laden planes and much ordnance on the decks. The SBD's dove upon these very vulnerable carriers and sunk all three. With those carriers (and a fourth later that day) died the cream of Japan's carrier forces and her naval aviation, and is considered by many the main turning point for the Pacific War, a war that was rapidly evolving into an air, not surface war as both Japan and the US were to realize during the fighting.

In Warbirds, the SBD is completely outclassed by most of the opposition it faces. The only place it shines, ironically enough, is in Pacific War scenarios. The SBD is slow, a poor performer, does not turn well compared to the Japanese planes, and has relatively inferiour escorts to the Japanese. But due to a nasty combination of rolling ability, better high speed handling, durability, and Otto, the SBD is almost untouchable in a Warbirds Scenario. Let me explain.

In order to destroy an SBD, one must shoot it down. This involves getting close to it and shooting. Now the Japanese fighters most commonly found in early Pacific War scenarios are the Ki43, and the A6M2/A6M3 Zero. The Ki43 has only two machine guns, therefore needs 3-5 seconds of fire to hit an SBD to destroy it. The Zero has a pair of cannon, but these are a low velocity type and thus require being close to the SBD to guarantee hits. Now as most people know, Otto will hit planes out to range 14 if they fly at a constant speed in the same direction for more than a second or so. Well, closer than range 5, otto starts to get a 50% or higher accuracy, due to net lag, the "smoothing" code Otto's FE uses to reduce mini-warps, and due to it's perfect lead shooting. Now as everybody knows, Zeros and Ki43s only take a few pings, and I estimate a 1/2 second of twin .30cal fire (such as the SBD) is enough to kill either of these planes.

Now to add to this, the SBD has a good roll rate (better than the Ki43 and A6M2 Zero, and better than the A6M3 at speeds >225mph). Thus the SBD can easily make himself a hard target to hit by doing barrel rolls. Alternatively, the SBD can dive, and use superior high-speed handling to evade fire while Otto shoots away at the Ki43s and Zeros that now have locked-up controls and are flying in the Otto-optimum straight line. Note that Otto is unaffected by whatever the firing platform is doing unless subjected to more than 1.6g's. Thus these evasive manoevers work wonderfully as Otto is given time to pick apart the Zero/Ki43. And Zero/Ki43 that is foolish enough to try coming up from below will find the SBD rolling upside down, and .30cal fire headed their way for a pilot kill.

Note, the A6M5 does not have most of the problems the A6M3/A6M2/Ki43 have, as it's guns are of the higher-velocity type, it has plenty of ammunition, and is considerably tougher. If you are flying Japanese Plane, and are not in a Ki84, I advise using an A6M5 against an SBD, or for that matter, any US bomber.

Let's compare the Val to the SBD. Looking at the performance figures, the Val has the SBD cold except for roll and high speed handling. But the Val has 1/3rd the Otto firepower that the SBD has, and can take about 1/5th the damage before destruction (thus the term the Porcelain Bomber). And the American Wildcats and P40s can take quite a bit of punishment before taking critical damage. Therefore the SBD is at an extreme advantage over it's Val counterpart, and to top it all off, the SBD can carry almost twice the bombload, thus only half the SBD's have to drop on a carrier to sink it.

Do not let the SBD's advantages over the Val make you complacent, however, a Ki43 or a Zero will most likely take you out if the pilot is any good. Only through effective defensive manoevers, and effective use of Otto's abilities will an SBD fighter survive for another day if his Fighter Escort is away or unable to help.

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