Vought SBU Corsair

Vought · United States · first flew 1933 · bomber

The Vought SBU-1 Corsair was a two-seat, all-metal biplane dive bomber built by Vought for the US Navy.

Recognition (WEFT)

W — WingsMid-mounted, straight
E — Engines1 × piston, nose-mounted
F — Fuselage8.49 m fuselage
T — TailConventional

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A two-seat biplane dive bomber with fixed undercarriage and a closed cockpit.

Specifications

Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.

History

Its design was based on the F3U-1 two-seat fighter, which was abandoned when the Navy decided not to obtain any more two-seat fighters. It first flew in May 1933 and completed flight tests in 1934.

Variants

Versions were the XSBU-1 prototype, the SBU-1 (84 built) and the SBU-2 (40 built), plus the Model V.142A export version for Argentina.

Where you'll see it

It went into production under a contract awarded in January 1935 and was the first scout bomber to fly faster than 200 mph. The US Navy and Argentine Navy were operators, and the last SBU Corsairs were retired from active service in 1941 and reassigned as trainers.

Related aircraft

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