Performance and mechanical data are combined here for a faster, more compact read. Values describe the represented model or nearest clearly identified source variant.
Performance and mechanical specifications for Douglas SBD-5 Dauntless
Primary role
Carrier dive bomber
Crew
2
Configuration
Carrier dive bomber
Powerplant
1 × Wright R-1820-60 radial
Top speed
255 mph
Ceiling
25,530 ft
Published range
1,115 mi
Length
33 ft 1 in
Wingspan / rotor
41 ft 6 in
Weight
≈10,700 lb loaded
02 · SERVICE CHRONOLOGY
FROM ORIGIN TO LEGACY.
A dated sequence follows the airframe from development through operational use and later evolution. The number of milestones follows the story rather than a fixed template, and each note explains why the event mattered—not only what happened.
ORIGIN
The SBD entered Navy and Marine Corps service. [1]
DEVELOPMENT
Dauntless crews struck four Japanese carriers at Midway. [1]
SERVICE HISTORY
The more powerful SBD-5 became the most-produced variant. [1]
SERVICE HISTORY
Faster successors displaced it from carriers while Marine use continued. [1]
CONTEXT & LEGACY
Survivors embody a reputation built on accuracy, handling, and resilience. [1]
03 · ARCHIVAL IMAGE
THE AIRFRAME IN CONTEXT.
A documented photograph or archival reference connects the interactive model to a real airframe, operation, or preserved example.
A short, rights-screened motion record adds sound, movement, and operational scale without autoplaying or delaying the interactive model.
SBD Dauntless and the Battle of Midway04:56
An official Naval Air Station Pensacola history feature centered on a preserved SBD Dauntless that participated in the Battle of Midway; the exact production sub-variant is not established by the source page.
VARIANT NOTE Related-family footage is identified here and is not presented as the exact modeled variant.
REUSE NOTE Embedded without modification. Commercial editorial reuse remains subject to the source record, non-endorsement, trademark, privacy/publicity, and third-party-rights limitations.
The appearance of U.S. Department of War (DoW) visual information does not imply or constitute DoW endorsement.
Focused facts connect the airframe's systems to the way it was built, flown, or used.
01
Dive-brake signature
Perforated split flaps controlled speed and buffeting in steep dives.
02
Crew teamwork
The rear crew member handled radio and flexible defensive guns.
03
Midway context
Scouting, timing, doctrine, and crew skill mattered as much as the airframe.
04
Variant focus
The SBD-5's stronger engine distinguishes it from the Midway-era SBD-3.
06 · HISTORICAL FIELD NOTE
WHY IT MATTERS.
The Dauntless paired precise dive bombing with docile carrier handling and unusual resilience. Perforated dive brakes stabilized steep attacks, and the type's decisive work at Midway fixed its place in naval history even as faster successors were already approaching service. [1]
Reference figures vary by variant, payload, configuration, altitude, test method, and source. Values here are an editorial orientation—not operational or flight-planning data.
Each numbered citation links to an operator, national museum, manufacturer, or established research institution. The scope note tells you exactly what that source supports, and each entry includes its retrieval date.
Where the represented model and source variant differ, the scope is labelled rather than silently treated as an exact match. Read the editorial policy, report a correction through the legal notice, or review 3D-model provenance in the attribution directory.
