The TBD could reach 179 knots at 8,000 feet and cruise at 111 knots, useful figures for the late 1930s. Range was about 435 miles with a Mark 13 torpedo and 716 miles with 1,000 pounds of bombs. Those figures describe a workable strike aircraft for the doctrine and carrier groups that received it. The Mark 13, however, imposed a dangerous low-and-slow release envelope and suffered severe reliability problems. At Midway the aircraft completed attack runs and released weapons, yet torpedoes could fail to run correctly or detonate. Treating every unsuccessful attack as proof of a bad airframe lets the weapon bureau and the procurement system escape scrutiny for the system they supplied.
Chapter · 25:55-29:33
Useful TBD performance was compromised by the Mark 13
The TBD offered respectable speed and range, but its principal anti-ship weapon imposed dangerous launch conditions and often failed after release.