The Douglas Dauntless SBD, also known as the Army A-24, was a dive bomber which carried a crew of two. It entered service in 1940 and saw extensive service as a carrier launched patrol craft. It could fly at around 250 mph and weighed about 10,000 pounds. Although nearly 6,000 were built, few exist today.

The red panels on the wings were dive brakes, deployed to slow the aircraft down when in a steep dive towards the target.