PBY Catalina making a comback?
The Consolidated PBY-5 Catalina first flew in 1935 and, in a short decade, over 3,300 were built at four factories in the U.S., Canada, and the Soviet Union.
Onto the Ramp PBY seaplane Catalina Joseph Hirsch. Lot 3124-3: Paintings of Naval Aviation during World War II: Abbott Collection. #47.
The big flying boat was a classic of naval air power and provided the backbone of maritime search and rescue, reconnaissance, commando/stay behind support, and anti-shipping/ASW missions for the Allies in WWII, with the type only fully retired in military service (by the Brazilians) in 1982.
Not a bad run.
Well, a Florida-based Catalina Aircraft has been supporting civil PBY-5 fleets for the past two decades and just unveiled a new Next Generation Amphibious Catalina II variant of the classic flying boat at the AirVenture Oshkosh air show in Wisconsin this week.
They plan both a civilian variant with a maximum take-off weight (MTOW) of 32,000 pounds and a capacity for 34 passengers or six tons of cargo. The military version will have an expanded MTOW of 40,000 pounds. Deliveries are planned to begin in 2029.
The Japanese have amphib planes. And so do the Chinese. Though I suspect the latter is more a product of them displaying capacity than answering a real need; look what we can do!
And down the years I have read a good few articles on the US re-gaining the capability. Never mind wondering about UK built amphibious MPA’s in trotts on a loch in Scotland. 🙂
For me though the real gap in amphibious fixed wing aircraft is the near absence of amphibious drones. Modern naval helicopters are very large. And it does take long to see that a rather large ampib with folding wings could be accommodated aboard even a modest Western escort. Not as a replacement for helicopters but as an addition to a task group.