The Vought SB2U Vindicator was the US Navy's first monoplane scout bomber/dive bomber, beating out a rival biplane design by Vought themselves which had been designed as an insurance policy in case the monoplane design failed. By the standards of the mid-1930s, the Vindicator was a very modern design, which aside from its monoplane configuration also featured retractable landing gear and a swinging crutch capable of delivering a 1,000-lb bomb (smaller bombs could be carried under the wings). It was also easily recognizable by its large greenhouse-style canopy. The Vindicator entered service with the USN in 1937 and like many aircraft of its time, it received orders by the French which had equipped two squadrons' worth of aircraft by the time of the German invasion. However, performance was lacking and one squadron was entirely destroyed on the very first day of battle, the rest relegated to fighting on the perimiter. The remaining contract orders taken over by the British which used them mostly for training. At their peak they equipped a number of Marine Corps units and seven USN squadrons onboard four carriers and even saw action during the Battle of Midway. However, they were soon retired and replaced by the considerably superior SBD Dauntless due to their vulnerability to Japanese fighters.

The monoplane prototype XS2BU-1 first flew on 4 January 1936 and proved its superiority to its biplane cousin. Deliveries of the SB2U-1 began in late 1937, they were followed by the SB2U-2 which had an increased maximum weight and finally, the SB2U-3 with greater fuel capacity, gun armament and armor protection as well as provision for external tanks. This was also the first version to be given the name 'Vindicator' and it was then adopted retroactively to earlier models. French aircraft were given the designation V-156F, while those provided to the Fleet Air Arm were known V-156B and later renamed Chesapeake Mk. I.