Reviving The PBY Catalina For Modern Warfare Is This Company’s Goal
As the U.S. seeks runway-independent aircraft for a Pacific fight, Catalina Aircraft says its revamped flying boat can play a role.
A Florida company plans to turn an iconic World War II seaplane design into a modern aircraft it claims can perform airborne amphibious operations required by the U.S. military.
Dubbed the Next Generation Amphibious Aircraft (NGAA) Catalina II twin turboprop amphibious flying boat, the aircraft is based on the historic Consolidated PBY 5 Catalina that provided maritime patrol, light transport, and search and rescue, among other duties.
“The NGAA Catalina II is a modern amphibian with advanced engines and avionics and will offer capabilities no other amphibian can provide today," said Lawrence Reece, president of Catalina Aircraft. That’s a Longboat Key, Florida company holding the U.S. and Canadian type certificates for the PBY-5.
The company’s announcement comes as the U.S. seeks runway-independent aircraft that can operate in an environment where large airbases and runways are likely to be early targets in any future conflict with an adversary like China.
The military version, which the company is calling the “NGAA Catalina II Special Use Variant,” is a “new production 40,000-pound Maximum Take-Off Weight (MTOW) unpressurized, twin-turboprop, Sea State 3-capable, amphibious flying boat geared to support government and military-type Concepts of Operations (CONOPs),” the company claims in its media release.
Full article here:
https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/aviation-company-relaunching-pby-5-as-modern-military-aircraft
