November 1, 2024:
In 2023 an American company has begun production of a 21st century version of the World War II PBY Catalina patrol aircraft. The new Catalina weighs 14.5-tons and is powered by two turboprop engines. The new Catalina can carry up to 34 passengers or 5.5 tons of cargo and has a smaller crew. This version also has modern avionics and is built to land and take off in rougher seas than the original aircraft. Deliveries of the new Catalina are expected to begin in 2029. Most of the new Catalinas will be used for civilian applications, like transport to areas lacking airfields or performing rescue work at sea. Like the World War II version, the new Catalina will also be able to carry passengers and cargo. Maximum range is 2,700 kilometers. The peace time crew is only four personnel and, for long-range flights, only half a dozen passengers, plus some cargo, can be carried.
A military version of the new Catalina will weigh 18 tons and be used for patrols in combat zones as well as delivering and retrieving personnel in remote areas. U.S. SOCOM (Special Operations Command) is interested in procuring some new Catalinas to support activities in remote areas. Catalina can land on rough airfields as well as lakes and rivers. The Catalina can fly low, slow and quietly to destinations in remote areas while avoiding localities where someone might fire on them.
The original Catalina was a 16-ton amphibious aircraft that was 19.5 meters long with a 32 meter wingspan. The wartime crew of eight consisted of a pilot, co-pilot, bow turret gunner, flight mechanic, radioman, navigator and two waist gunners. The aircraft was powered by two radial piston engines and had a cruise speed of 201 kilometers an hour and a range of 4,000 kilometers. The Catalina could stay in the air for about 19 hours at a time. This depended on the cargo or bomb load of two tons. Between 1936 and 1945 3,308 Catalinas were built, 27 of them in the Soviet Union.
During World War II Catalina were used for maritime patrol as well as search and rescue. Hundreds of downed military pilots were rescued by Catalina, which could land at sea and take the air force or navy aircrew on board. Sometimes Catalinas carried supplies or personnel to remote areas in the Pacific. The aircraft could return with sick or injured personnel. The maritime patrols searched for German submarines in the Atlantic. Catalinas could carry depth charges and bombs to use against targets, as well as flares to light up ships at sea during hours of darkness. After World War II, some Catalinas were used for very long distance flights, some of them taking two days to complete. The aircraft could stop along the way to take on or discharge passengers and cargo.
Currently there are no more World War II Catalinas in flying condition, but some are still able to taxi in the water and give people a close up look at a World War II aviation legend. The new Catalina will be produced in smaller quantities but will perform many of the same missions as the original Catalina. There are still at sea rescue missions to be carried out as well as maritime patrol work. For Coast Guards and Border Patrol agencies, the new Catalina offers needed surveillance and transport services.