Dejan Corovic
As above, so bellow
They must be $3 millions each.
I can't believe somebody didn't start making full scale flyable replicas for pilots. I think they would sell like hot cakes, even without real machineguns ;-).
Unofficial Aviation Buff Thread
- Thread starter Dejan Corovic
- Start date
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They must be $3 millions each.
I can't believe somebody didn't start making full scale flyable replicas for pilots. I think they would sell like hot cakes, even without real machineguns ;-).
Dejan Corovic
As above, so bellow
Just an awesome photo.
View: https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=961156498243508&set=a.109725256719974
View: https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=961156498243508&set=a.109725256719974
Dejan Corovic
As above, so bellow
I always wandered why the oil cooler under the P-51's belly was sticking so far out. It really spoiled the elegant outline. Finally I found why:
"NASA Ames 16-foot High Speed Tunnel. From Google image search, "By testing a North American XP-51B Mustang with cropped wings in the 16-foot High-Speed Tunnel, Ames researchers traced the source of a serious rumble to the location of the plane’s radiator cooling scoop below the fuselage. The problem scoop is barely visible below the wing. Lowering it slightly moved it outside the turbulent boundary layer and eliminated the rumble. Note the turntables in the walls for pitch adjustment. NASA image"
Anyway, photo is quite unique, that's real reason for posting
View: https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=252481087292741&set=a.187788823761968
"NASA Ames 16-foot High Speed Tunnel. From Google image search, "By testing a North American XP-51B Mustang with cropped wings in the 16-foot High-Speed Tunnel, Ames researchers traced the source of a serious rumble to the location of the plane’s radiator cooling scoop below the fuselage. The problem scoop is barely visible below the wing. Lowering it slightly moved it outside the turbulent boundary layer and eliminated the rumble. Note the turntables in the walls for pitch adjustment. NASA image"
Anyway, photo is quite unique, that's real reason for posting
View: https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=252481087292741&set=a.187788823761968
Last edited:
nivek
As Above So Below
Britain salutes the Dambusters: How to see a WW2 Lancaster bomber in the skies over England TONIGHT - as it tours the country in tribute on 80th anniversary of 617 Squadron's legendary raid on dam
A Lancaster bomber will mark the 80th anniversary of the Dambusters raids tonight with a special flypast of Lincolnshire's wartime Royal Air Force airfields.The Battle of Britain Memorial Flight will commemorate the Operation Chastise attack on the Nazi Germany reservoirs which took place on the night of May 16, 1943.
The 617 Squadron carried out the raid which involved 133 aircrew and 19 Lancaster Bomber aircraft unleashing bouncing bombs to deal a major blow to Adolf Hitler.
Tonight's flypast involves one of the last two airworthy Lancaster bombers flying over the RAF Museum located on the former Hendon Aerodrome in Colindale, north London, then all 28 former Bomber Command bases in Lincolnshire.
Subject to the weather and there being no low cloud, the plane will begin with a flight over the RAF Museum at 6.01pm.
(More on the link)
.
Rick Hunter
Celestial
I would guess, spilled pee bottles during the Arc Light years of Vietnam. B-52's would fly thousands of miles each way, and these missions went on nearly uninterrupted for 8 years.
nivek
As Above So Below
On Nov. 3, 2022, a B-52H Stratofortress strategic bomber collided with a flock of birds on its way, after which it returned to Minot Air Force Base, North Dakota, prompting an investigation into how badly the plane — including its eight jet engines was affected.
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SnJpJRcnpJc
.
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SnJpJRcnpJc
.
Dejan Corovic
As above, so bellow
Look, no seat belt.
I wouldn't do it. What if there was an air pocket . . . he would be flapping with his hands while falling to the ground.
But, a good photo.
View: https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=283464204068448&set=a.194867982928071
I wouldn't do it. What if there was an air pocket . . . he would be flapping with his hands while falling to the ground.
But, a good photo.
View: https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=283464204068448&set=a.194867982928071
AD1184
Celestial
He is wearing a harness, and you can see the tether draped over the back of the chair and leading down to the floor.
Dejan Corovic
As above, so bellow
Dejan Corovic
As above, so bellow
Dejan Corovic
As above, so bellow
This is an aviation incident that is very important for aviation history, at least military aviation. But incident is clearly explained and with lots of great animation.
View: https://youtu.be/B3bSCDYveBM
View: https://youtu.be/B3bSCDYveBM
pigfarmer
tall, thin, irritable
I rarely have much patience for videos, but that was a good one. Thanks !
Dejan Corovic
As above, so bellow
Yeah, my heart sinks each time I watch that incident. Its pity Valkyre was lost, because it was so unique and no such aircraft was built again. Even if it does nothing but sits in some museum, Valkyre is still queen of aviation, the biggest, the fastest and with ingenious fold down wing-tips to save on fuel.
Dejan Corovic
As above, so bellow
This is how in real life pilots get fired from their job. Unfortunately, nothing like in Top Gun:
View: https://youtu.be/KOlatfc5OyE
View: https://youtu.be/KOlatfc5OyE
pigfarmer
tall, thin, irritable
PBYs again. Love the idea but the $$ says probably not.
Reviving The PBY Catalina For Modern Warfare Is This Company's Goal
BYHOWARD ALTMAN|PUBLISHED JUL 25, 2023 2:32 PM EDT
THE WAR ZONE
Bettmann via Getty
SHARE
HOWARD ALTMANView Howard Altman's Articles
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.
Catalinas during WWII. (DOD left, Pearl Harbor Air Museum Right)
“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.
A low-resolution rendering of the reborn PBY that appears to be equipped as a gunship. (Catalina Aircraft)
U.S. Air Force Special Operations Command is currently testing what it's calling the MC-130J Amphibious Capability, or MAC. That’s an MC-130J special operations tanker/transport aircraft converted into a floatplane. However, as we reported in May, an initial demonstration of that concept is now at least two to three years away, according to U.S. Air Force Col. Ken Kuebler, U.S. Special Operations Command's (SOCOM) program executive officer for Fixed Wing (PEO-FW).
During the SOF Week conference in Tampa, Kuebler said that "we're doing hydro testing, subscale testing... we're moving towards a critical design review." He also stressed that the project encompassed "more than just the development of the aircraft." In addition, Kuebler said studies were being conducted now into how different sea states might impact such an aircraft and into its maintenance and logistics requirements.
A rendering of one possible MAC configuration. AFSOC
A big floatplane will also have limitations where a flying boat would excel, which can include operating in rougher waters. The penalty of flying with giant floats is also not realized on a flying boat. Still, a modern Catalina would be able to complement MAC and vice versa, not really replace one or the other across the board.
Beyond the MAC, the U.S. military is increasingly interested in a variety of novel aviation capabilities that make operations from austere locations more feasible.
In a media release issued Tuesday, Catalina Aircraft said it is pursuing two variants of the NGAA Catalina II, one for commercial customers and one for the military.
Catalina Aircraft's PBY-5 N427CV painted in pre-World War II U.S. Navy livery. (Catalina Aircraft photo)
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.
Sea State 3, under the Beaufort Scale, means a “gentle breeze” of up to 10 knots and maximum wave heights of three feet.
According to the company, the NGAA Catalina II is a “Large, Transport Category amphibious flying boat capable of operation from runways, grass, dirt, sand, lakes, rivers, bays, and blue water.”
It has a fuel capacity of up to 2,710 gallons, giving it “over 19 hours of operational capability available for missions. Other green energy power options can also be considered at the customer's request.”
The company also says that the special use variant - equipped with more powerful engines and a Very Low Stall (VLS) wing design - “can offer a high-speed cruise of up to 200 Knots, as well as low-speed entries as slow as 62 Knots.”
With its lift capacity and enlarged forward and aft cabins, the company says its aircraft can support several configurations, including transporting 30 fully-geared troops, up to 16,000 pounds of internal cargo and equipment, Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition, Reconnaissance suites and/or weaponization and two 2,500-pound external wing stores.
Catalina Aircraft's concept for how the military could use its NGAA Catalina II aircraft. (Catalina Aircraft chart)
The company also took an apparent broadside at AFSOC’s plans for the MAC, without specifically naming it.
“Unlike float converted land planes, the ‘hulled’ fuselage of the NGAA Catalina II is designed specifically for operations in ever-changing maritime conditions.”
Clearly looking at the capabilities being pursued by the U.S. and other militaries, the company claims that the NGAA Catalina II “offers a single asset solution capable of replacing several existing platform types, thus reducing overall Acquisition, Operational and Sustainment costs.”
The company, however, said it was yet to announce the cost of the aircraft.
It is unclear from the release the depth of discussion, if any, the company has had with the U.S. or any other military about this aircraft, which Catalina said it expects to deliver by 2029.
We’ve reached out to the company for additional details - including when it expects to build and demonstrate an NGAA Catalina II. We also reached out to AFSOC to learn what, if anything, they know about this aircraft and what, if any interest, the command might have in making this a procurement priority.
We will update this story with any information provided.
While AFSOC is looking to convert a C-130 into a floatplane, Kuebler in May noted that the command is also exploring other options.
"We're also looking at other amphibious capabilities," he told reporters, including from The War Zone, at the time. "We are looking across the globe really at amphibious capabilities. We've had conversations with the Japanese on looking at how we would train – looking at how we would use the [ShinMaywa] US-2, to develop CONOPS [concepts of operations], etcetera."
Japan's ShinMaywa US-2 sea plane. (U.S. Air Force/Senior Airman Joseph P. LeVeille)
As we previously noted, U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM) appears to remain financially committed to the MAC program despite the delays.
The command is asking for $15 million to continue working on MAC in its budget request for the 2024 Fiscal Year, almost $5 million more than it received for this project in the current fiscal cycle.
Given that Catalina Aircraft has yet to reveal a price point, it’s hard to know how the NGAA Catalina II would measure up against SOCOM’s existing lines of effort. Moreover, the U.S. has yet to show any real interest in procuring the thoroughly modern, highly capable US-2 - a remarkable aircraft that The War Zone has examined in depth in the past. So it is unclear what, if any interest, there would be in a reboot, no matter how modernized, of the Catalina.
But then again, this could be changing outside of SOCOM. Air Mobility Command's chief has discussed procuring a cheaper, slower, but still long-range aircraft capable of operating out of austere locales in the Pacific. Even unmanned or optionally manned options are on the table. These would be used for smaller cargo operations and potentially other roles. You can read all about this effort to refresh America's airlift capability for a future peer fight here, but a modern PBY could actually fit that bill and then some.
But with the tremendous interest in flying boats and the growing importance of runway-independent aircraft, its future is something we will watch closely.
Update 8:37 p.m. Eastern
A U.S. defense official responded to our query.
“AFSOC had informational meetings with Catalina Aircraft Systems previously," the official told us. "At the time of the meeting AFSOC conveyed that our strategy is to modify a MC-130J versus acquiring a platform and that strategy remains."
"Efforts around the MC-130 Amphibious aircraft are ongoing. Small scale model testing has been ongoing for about six months and will continue for the foreseeable future. The first aircraft that will be used for full scale testing is expected to arrive by end of calendar year 2023 but no specific testing is scheduled at this time.”
Contact the author: howard@thewarzone.com
Sign Up For Our Newsletters
The chronicle of car culture, delivered to your inbox.
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© 2023 Recurrent Ventures. All Rights Reserved.
Articles may contain affiliate links which enable us to share in the revenue of any purchases made.
Reviving The PBY Catalina For Modern Warfare Is This Company's Goal
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.BYHOWARD ALTMAN|PUBLISHED JUL 25, 2023 2:32 PM EDT
THE WAR ZONE
Bettmann via Getty
SHARE
HOWARD ALTMANView Howard Altman's Articles
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.
Catalinas during WWII. (DOD left, Pearl Harbor Air Museum Right)
“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.
A low-resolution rendering of the reborn PBY that appears to be equipped as a gunship. (Catalina Aircraft)
U.S. Air Force Special Operations Command is currently testing what it's calling the MC-130J Amphibious Capability, or MAC. That’s an MC-130J special operations tanker/transport aircraft converted into a floatplane. However, as we reported in May, an initial demonstration of that concept is now at least two to three years away, according to U.S. Air Force Col. Ken Kuebler, U.S. Special Operations Command's (SOCOM) program executive officer for Fixed Wing (PEO-FW).
During the SOF Week conference in Tampa, Kuebler said that "we're doing hydro testing, subscale testing... we're moving towards a critical design review." He also stressed that the project encompassed "more than just the development of the aircraft." In addition, Kuebler said studies were being conducted now into how different sea states might impact such an aircraft and into its maintenance and logistics requirements.
A rendering of one possible MAC configuration. AFSOC
A big floatplane will also have limitations where a flying boat would excel, which can include operating in rougher waters. The penalty of flying with giant floats is also not realized on a flying boat. Still, a modern Catalina would be able to complement MAC and vice versa, not really replace one or the other across the board.
Beyond the MAC, the U.S. military is increasingly interested in a variety of novel aviation capabilities that make operations from austere locations more feasible.
In a media release issued Tuesday, Catalina Aircraft said it is pursuing two variants of the NGAA Catalina II, one for commercial customers and one for the military.
Catalina Aircraft's PBY-5 N427CV painted in pre-World War II U.S. Navy livery. (Catalina Aircraft photo)
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.
Sea State 3, under the Beaufort Scale, means a “gentle breeze” of up to 10 knots and maximum wave heights of three feet.
According to the company, the NGAA Catalina II is a “Large, Transport Category amphibious flying boat capable of operation from runways, grass, dirt, sand, lakes, rivers, bays, and blue water.”
It has a fuel capacity of up to 2,710 gallons, giving it “over 19 hours of operational capability available for missions. Other green energy power options can also be considered at the customer's request.”
The company also says that the special use variant - equipped with more powerful engines and a Very Low Stall (VLS) wing design - “can offer a high-speed cruise of up to 200 Knots, as well as low-speed entries as slow as 62 Knots.”
With its lift capacity and enlarged forward and aft cabins, the company says its aircraft can support several configurations, including transporting 30 fully-geared troops, up to 16,000 pounds of internal cargo and equipment, Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition, Reconnaissance suites and/or weaponization and two 2,500-pound external wing stores.
Catalina Aircraft's concept for how the military could use its NGAA Catalina II aircraft. (Catalina Aircraft chart)
The company also took an apparent broadside at AFSOC’s plans for the MAC, without specifically naming it.
“Unlike float converted land planes, the ‘hulled’ fuselage of the NGAA Catalina II is designed specifically for operations in ever-changing maritime conditions.”
Clearly looking at the capabilities being pursued by the U.S. and other militaries, the company claims that the NGAA Catalina II “offers a single asset solution capable of replacing several existing platform types, thus reducing overall Acquisition, Operational and Sustainment costs.”
The company, however, said it was yet to announce the cost of the aircraft.
It is unclear from the release the depth of discussion, if any, the company has had with the U.S. or any other military about this aircraft, which Catalina said it expects to deliver by 2029.
We’ve reached out to the company for additional details - including when it expects to build and demonstrate an NGAA Catalina II. We also reached out to AFSOC to learn what, if anything, they know about this aircraft and what, if any interest, the command might have in making this a procurement priority.
We will update this story with any information provided.
While AFSOC is looking to convert a C-130 into a floatplane, Kuebler in May noted that the command is also exploring other options.
"We're also looking at other amphibious capabilities," he told reporters, including from The War Zone, at the time. "We are looking across the globe really at amphibious capabilities. We've had conversations with the Japanese on looking at how we would train – looking at how we would use the [ShinMaywa] US-2, to develop CONOPS [concepts of operations], etcetera."
Japan's ShinMaywa US-2 sea plane. (U.S. Air Force/Senior Airman Joseph P. LeVeille)
As we previously noted, U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM) appears to remain financially committed to the MAC program despite the delays.
The command is asking for $15 million to continue working on MAC in its budget request for the 2024 Fiscal Year, almost $5 million more than it received for this project in the current fiscal cycle.
Given that Catalina Aircraft has yet to reveal a price point, it’s hard to know how the NGAA Catalina II would measure up against SOCOM’s existing lines of effort. Moreover, the U.S. has yet to show any real interest in procuring the thoroughly modern, highly capable US-2 - a remarkable aircraft that The War Zone has examined in depth in the past. So it is unclear what, if any interest, there would be in a reboot, no matter how modernized, of the Catalina.
But then again, this could be changing outside of SOCOM. Air Mobility Command's chief has discussed procuring a cheaper, slower, but still long-range aircraft capable of operating out of austere locales in the Pacific. Even unmanned or optionally manned options are on the table. These would be used for smaller cargo operations and potentially other roles. You can read all about this effort to refresh America's airlift capability for a future peer fight here, but a modern PBY could actually fit that bill and then some.
But with the tremendous interest in flying boats and the growing importance of runway-independent aircraft, its future is something we will watch closely.
Update 8:37 p.m. Eastern
A U.S. defense official responded to our query.
“AFSOC had informational meetings with Catalina Aircraft Systems previously," the official told us. "At the time of the meeting AFSOC conveyed that our strategy is to modify a MC-130J versus acquiring a platform and that strategy remains."
"Efforts around the MC-130 Amphibious aircraft are ongoing. Small scale model testing has been ongoing for about six months and will continue for the foreseeable future. The first aircraft that will be used for full scale testing is expected to arrive by end of calendar year 2023 but no specific testing is scheduled at this time.”
Contact the author: howard@thewarzone.com
Sign Up For Our Newsletters
The chronicle of car culture, delivered to your inbox.
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© 2023 Recurrent Ventures. All Rights Reserved.
Articles may contain affiliate links which enable us to share in the revenue of any purchases made.
Dejan Corovic
As above, so bellow
PBYs again. Love the idea but the $$ says probably not.
Reviving The PBY Catalina For Modern Warfare Is This Company's Goal
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.
BYHOWARD ALTMAN|PUBLISHED JUL 25, 2023 2:32 PM EDT
THE WAR ZONE
Bettmann via Getty
SHARE
HOWARD ALTMANView Howard Altman's Articles
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.
Catalinas during WWII. (DOD left, Pearl Harbor Air Museum Right)
“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.
A low-resolution rendering of the reborn PBY that appears to be equipped as a gunship. (Catalina Aircraft)
U.S. Air Force Special Operations Command is currently testing what it's calling the MC-130J Amphibious Capability, or MAC. That’s an MC-130J special operations tanker/transport aircraft converted into a floatplane. However, as we reported in May, an initial demonstration of that concept is now at least two to three years away, according to U.S. Air Force Col. Ken Kuebler, U.S. Special Operations Command's (SOCOM) program executive officer for Fixed Wing (PEO-FW).
During the SOF Week conference in Tampa, Kuebler said that "we're doing hydro testing, subscale testing... we're moving towards a critical design review." He also stressed that the project encompassed "more than just the development of the aircraft." In addition, Kuebler said studies were being conducted now into how different sea states might impact such an aircraft and into its maintenance and logistics requirements.
A rendering of one possible MAC configuration. AFSOC
A big floatplane will also have limitations where a flying boat would excel, which can include operating in rougher waters. The penalty of flying with giant floats is also not realized on a flying boat. Still, a modern Catalina would be able to complement MAC and vice versa, not really replace one or the other across the board.
Beyond the MAC, the U.S. military is increasingly interested in a variety of novel aviation capabilities that make operations from austere locations more feasible.
In a media release issued Tuesday, Catalina Aircraft said it is pursuing two variants of the NGAA Catalina II, one for commercial customers and one for the military.
Catalina Aircraft's PBY-5 N427CV painted in pre-World War II U.S. Navy livery. (Catalina Aircraft photo)
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.
Sea State 3, under the Beaufort Scale, means a “gentle breeze” of up to 10 knots and maximum wave heights of three feet.
According to the company, the NGAA Catalina II is a “Large, Transport Category amphibious flying boat capable of operation from runways, grass, dirt, sand, lakes, rivers, bays, and blue water.”
It has a fuel capacity of up to 2,710 gallons, giving it “over 19 hours of operational capability available for missions. Other green energy power options can also be considered at the customer's request.”
The company also says that the special use variant - equipped with more powerful engines and a Very Low Stall (VLS) wing design - “can offer a high-speed cruise of up to 200 Knots, as well as low-speed entries as slow as 62 Knots.”
With its lift capacity and enlarged forward and aft cabins, the company says its aircraft can support several configurations, including transporting 30 fully-geared troops, up to 16,000 pounds of internal cargo and equipment, Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition, Reconnaissance suites and/or weaponization and two 2,500-pound external wing stores.
Catalina Aircraft's concept for how the military could use its NGAA Catalina II aircraft. (Catalina Aircraft chart)
The company also took an apparent broadside at AFSOC’s plans for the MAC, without specifically naming it.
“Unlike float converted land planes, the ‘hulled’ fuselage of the NGAA Catalina II is designed specifically for operations in ever-changing maritime conditions.”
Clearly looking at the capabilities being pursued by the U.S. and other militaries, the company claims that the NGAA Catalina II “offers a single asset solution capable of replacing several existing platform types, thus reducing overall Acquisition, Operational and Sustainment costs.”
The company, however, said it was yet to announce the cost of the aircraft.
It is unclear from the release the depth of discussion, if any, the company has had with the U.S. or any other military about this aircraft, which Catalina said it expects to deliver by 2029.
We’ve reached out to the company for additional details - including when it expects to build and demonstrate an NGAA Catalina II. We also reached out to AFSOC to learn what, if anything, they know about this aircraft and what, if any interest, the command might have in making this a procurement priority.
We will update this story with any information provided.
While AFSOC is looking to convert a C-130 into a floatplane, Kuebler in May noted that the command is also exploring other options.
"We're also looking at other amphibious capabilities," he told reporters, including from The War Zone, at the time. "We are looking across the globe really at amphibious capabilities. We've had conversations with the Japanese on looking at how we would train – looking at how we would use the [ShinMaywa] US-2, to develop CONOPS [concepts of operations], etcetera."
Japan's ShinMaywa US-2 sea plane. (U.S. Air Force/Senior Airman Joseph P. LeVeille)
As we previously noted, U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM) appears to remain financially committed to the MAC program despite the delays.
The command is asking for $15 million to continue working on MAC in its budget request for the 2024 Fiscal Year, almost $5 million more than it received for this project in the current fiscal cycle.
Given that Catalina Aircraft has yet to reveal a price point, it’s hard to know how the NGAA Catalina II would measure up against SOCOM’s existing lines of effort. Moreover, the U.S. has yet to show any real interest in procuring the thoroughly modern, highly capable US-2 - a remarkable aircraft that The War Zone has examined in depth in the past. So it is unclear what, if any interest, there would be in a reboot, no matter how modernized, of the Catalina.
But then again, this could be changing outside of SOCOM. Air Mobility Command's chief has discussed procuring a cheaper, slower, but still long-range aircraft capable of operating out of austere locales in the Pacific. Even unmanned or optionally manned options are on the table. These would be used for smaller cargo operations and potentially other roles. You can read all about this effort to refresh America's airlift capability for a future peer fight here, but a modern PBY could actually fit that bill and then some.
But with the tremendous interest in flying boats and the growing importance of runway-independent aircraft, its future is something we will watch closely.
Update 8:37 p.m. Eastern
A U.S. defense official responded to our query.
“AFSOC had informational meetings with Catalina Aircraft Systems previously," the official told us. "At the time of the meeting AFSOC conveyed that our strategy is to modify a MC-130J versus acquiring a platform and that strategy remains."
"Efforts around the MC-130 Amphibious aircraft are ongoing. Small scale model testing has been ongoing for about six months and will continue for the foreseeable future. The first aircraft that will be used for full scale testing is expected to arrive by end of calendar year 2023 but no specific testing is scheduled at this time.”
Contact the author: howard@thewarzone.com
Sign Up For Our Newsletters
The chronicle of car culture, delivered to your inbox.
SIGN UP
© 2023 Recurrent Ventures. All Rights Reserved.
Articles may contain affiliate links which enable us to share in the revenue of any purchases made.
I love Catalina. When I was a kid I made pure white Catalina 1:72 scale model by Revell.
pigfarmer
tall, thin, irritable
One of my favorite military/sci-fi series is Taylor Anderson's Destroyermen and a PBY figures in that prominently. The author went back later and wrote a short piece that gives it a great origin story. @Dejan Corovic I bet you'd like them, at least the first couple of books anyway before things get really far fetched. Lots of very realistic tech geek and real history in there. This is the first one in the series:
Dejan Corovic
As above, so bellow
This is how it looks when you and your best mate eject jet fighter:
View: https://www.facebook.com/watch?v=979456413322548
View: https://www.facebook.com/watch?v=979456413322548
Dejan Corovic
As above, so bellow
This week is very lucky in terms of finding great aviation stories.
AI dog-fighting is maturing very fast and AI had been trained on 6 different aircraft, including F-16 fighter 100% flown by AI. One thing about AI dog-fighting is unimaginable precision of moves. While human first over-steers then under-steers and so on until he gets caret onto bull's eye, AI does it in one move, without a quiver. So, there is no missed opportunities with AI. And yes, AI can be pulling 9 g maneuvers till wings fall off, because there is no pilot to get fain or get exhausted.
Sad in a way that such a great job is going to go to robots.
View: https://youtu.be/ZV5DJTnj_iE
AI dog-fighting is maturing very fast and AI had been trained on 6 different aircraft, including F-16 fighter 100% flown by AI. One thing about AI dog-fighting is unimaginable precision of moves. While human first over-steers then under-steers and so on until he gets caret onto bull's eye, AI does it in one move, without a quiver. So, there is no missed opportunities with AI. And yes, AI can be pulling 9 g maneuvers till wings fall off, because there is no pilot to get fain or get exhausted.
Sad in a way that such a great job is going to go to robots.
View: https://youtu.be/ZV5DJTnj_iE
