PBY-5 Catalina

This page is about the American bomber PBY-5 Catalina. For other versions, see PBY-5 (Family).

PBY-5 Catalina

B-18A

PBY-5A Catalina

PBY-5 Catalina

B-18A

PBY-5A Catalina

USA

I Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
1.3	1.3	2.0

Class:

Bomber

Hydroplane

Torpedo bomber

Research:4 000

Purchase:2 100

Show in game

Description

The PBY-5 Catalina is a rank I American bomber with a battle rating of 1.3 (AB/RB) and 2.0 (SB). It has been in the game since the start of the Open Beta Test prior to Update 1.27.

The plane is overall good but, when using it in air arcade or custom, it was easy to get shot down even with the AI gunners on the side protecting you. When bombing with it, you will get 16 100 lb (pounds) bombs. The first module unlock is the 100 lb bombs. Beyond that, you can research torpedoes weighing 2216 lbs and are very effective against long boats and ships in general. One torpedo is often enough to sink pretty much anything in the game save AI carriers which require two. Also there are two more unlockable bomb loadouts. In order to get the 1000 lb bomb, you need to get the improved torpedo, and once your done with that you can research it, with the 1000 lb bomb you can destroy 3 tanks at once, possibly even more if it lands in the center of a cluster of enemy tanks. You can also attach 500 lb bombs but they are only limited to four bombs, same with the 1000 lb bombs. The PBY-5 is easy to get shot down or burnt down because it is slow, and most fighter planes could take it down easily, so just stay at high altitude. Overall, it is hard to bomb without getting shot from AAA's or other planes but a fairly decent starter bomber.

General info

Flight performance

Max speed

at 2 135 m288 km/h

Turn time28 s

Max altitude4 480 m

Engine2 х Pratt & Whitney R1830-92

TypeRadial

Cooling systemAir

Take-off weight16 t

Characteristics	Max Speed (km/h at 2,135 m)		Max altitude (metres)	Turn time (seconds)		Rate of climb (metres/second)		Take-off run (metres)
	AB	RB		AB	RB	AB	RB
Stock	260	252	4480	29.0	29.8	2.3	2.3	535
Upgraded	320	288		27.1	28.0	9.2	4.8

Details

Features
Combat flaps	Take-off flaps	Landing flaps	Air brakes	Arrestor gear
X	X	X	X	X

Limits
Wings (km/h)	Gear (km/h)	Flaps (km/h)			Max Static G
		Combat	Take-off	Landing	+	-
403	403	N/A	N/A	N/A	~3	~3

Optimal velocities (km/h)
Ailerons	Rudder	Elevators	Radiator
< 220	< 220	< 230	> 312

Survivability and armour

Crew6 people

Speed of destruction

Structural0 km/h

Gear450 km/h

• 9.5 mm steel pilot seats
• 6.35 mm steel behind tail gunner
• 6.35 mm and 4.7 mm steel plates inside the structural pylon
• Critical components located at front of aircraft (fuel, pilot, engine, controls)
• 2 self-sealing fuel tanks in the wings

Modifications and economy

Repair costBasic → Reference

AB225 → 284

RB317 → 401

SB559 → 707

Total cost of modifications4 440

2 700

Talisman cost300

Crew training600

Experts2 100

Aces45

Research Aces110 000

Reward for battleAB / RB / SB

20 / 40 / 80 %

100 / 100 / 100 %

Modifications

Flight performance	Survivability	Weaponry
Fuselage repair Research: 220 Cost: 135 55 Radiator Research: 220 Cost: 135 55 Compressor Research: 200 Cost: 120 50 Wings repair Research: 280 Cost: 170 70 Engine Research: 280 Cost: 170 70 Engine injection Research: 360 Cost: 220 95	Airframe Research: 200 Cost: 120 50 Cover Research: 360 Cost: 220 95	bmg30_turret_belt_pack Research: 220 Cost: 135 55 LTC-5 Research: 220 Cost: 135 55 bmg30_turret_new_gun Research: 200 Cost: 120 50 MBC-5 Research: 200 Cost: 120 50 Improved torpedo Research: 200 Cost: 120 50 bmg50_turret_belt_pack Research: 280 Cost: 170 70 Mk 13 Mod 0 Research: 280 Cost: 170 70 bmg50_turret_new_gun Research: 360 Cost: 220 95 LBC-5 Research: 360 Cost: 220 95

Armaments

Suspended armament

The PBY-5 Catalina can be outfitted with the following ordnance:

• 16 x 100 lb AN-M30A1 bombs (1,600 lb total)
• 4 x 500 lb AN-M64A1 bombs (2,000 lb total)
• 4 x 1,000 lb AN-M65A1 bombs (4,000 lb total)
• 4 x Type A Mark I mines
• 2 x 2,216 lb Mk.13-6 torpedoes
• 2 x 2,216 lb Mk.13-6 Case torpedoes

Defensive armament

The PBY-5 Catalina is defended by:

• 1 x 12.7 mm M2 Browning machine gun, 2 x beam turrets (478 rpg)
• 1 x 7.62 mm Browning machine gun, nose turret (1,000 rpg)
• 1 x 7.62 mm Browning machine gun, ventral turret (500 rpg)

Usage in battles

Although technically a medium bomber, the PBY-5's strategies are much like that of heavy bombers in higher tiers such as the B-17. It is best to fly high, as flying low will make you an easy target for fighters and AA. The best tactic for fending off enemy fighters is to use the rudders to direct one of the side gunners towards the attacking plane. It is also smart to use the guns manually in this situation, as the AI is often very inaccurate and will refuse to fire beyond a certain distance. In the worst case scenarios, a dive can be used to greatly increase the plane's speed to get to attack a ground target before a pursuing enemy fighter shoots it down.

The plane is quite unmanageable, and its wings are very weak, being able to snap just by turning just a little too tight at higher speeds in a Realistic Battle. It's also a huge target. Its lack of landing gear means that extra caution should be taken when landing, as it must land on its belly to rearm in a Realistic Battle.

Although the PBY-5 Catalina is slow and clunky, it offers a heavy payload that is sure to be a game changer if used properly. One of the bomber's biggest cons is its lack of landing gear, although it can still belly land onto airstrips. It also has a very good defensive armament for its tier, which can occasionally be a saviour against an enemy fighter.

The armament on the PBY-5 Catalina is what makes up for its clunky movement. The plane is capable of carrying a heavy payload of bombs or torpedoes and has defensive gunners on all sides. The two side gunners have .50 cal machine guns, making it more than capable of destroying enemy aircraft that stay within their range.

Manual Engine Control

MEC elements
Mixer	Pitch	Radiator			Supercharger	Turbocharger
		Oil	Water	Type
Not controllable	Controllable Auto control available	Controllable Not auto controlled	Controllable Not auto controlled	Separate	Not controllable 1 gear	Not controllable

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Good payload
• Good rear defensive armament with a high coverage angle
• Durable
• Can capture points (in Naval)

Cons:

• Very bad at climbing
• Slow top speed
• No wheels for landing on hard surfaces (hydroplane only)

History

Produced from the 1930's to the 1940's by Consolidated Aircraft, the PBY-5 was one of the most widely produced (a total of 3,282 were built) and used seaplanes of World War II. During its service lifetime, it was found and operated in every branch of the United States Armed Forces.

Before the start of the war many aviation critics and engineers considered the flying boat obsolete due to its slow speed, its max being 189, but despite this its two big selling points were its amazing range about 2,990 miles (4811.939 kilometres) and durability. Earlier versions of the Catalina were true flying boats and could only land on water. Pilots needing to ground their plane in emergencies could land on water and beach the aircraft. To prevent this unnecessary damage, Consolidated designed and first flew the PBY-5a in 1939 with a retractable landing gear mounted directly between the 2 support beams underneath the wings. With this new ability to land on land it allowed the Catalina to become ERS or Emergency Rescue Squadrons with the role of airlifting stranded bomber crews such as those from a downed B-29-A-BN.

After the war, peacetime Catalina's were converted to civilian use whether it be casual flying or emergency duties such as firefighting. It lives on in game the same as it did in battle, being very slow but carrying a great number of armaments which represents its many roles it played in World War II and at its Battle Rating able to take a great number of hits before finally getting shot down.

Archive of the in-game description

There were two firms competing for the naval patrol bomber supply contract: Consolidated and Douglas. Although both prototypes met the U. S. Navy demands, on June 29, 1935 the contract was awarded to Consolidated due to lower production costs (the firm projected the cost of one aircraft to be $90,000, while their colleagues from Douglas quoted $110,000). Manufacturing orders for PBY-2 and PBY-3 were concluded before the delivery of the first production aircraft from the previous series (accordingly, PBY-1 and PBY-2). However, when the order for PBY-4 was signed toward the end of 1937, which consisted of just 33 boat planes (this was the smallest of the PBY series), by the time production began the model was already considered outdated and likely to be the last of the series (when PBY-5 was commissioned, development of the next series of hydroplanes set to replace PBY was already underway). That's exactly what would have happened if the Germans hadn't attacked Poland on September 1, 1939, thus greatly increasing the demand for patrol aircraft. Great Britain immediately ordered 106 units of PBY-5 (dubbed Catalina I), while the USA ordered 200 units of PBY-5 (which were later officially named Catalina as well). Other countries to place orders for PBY-5 included Australia, Canada, Holland and France. The main difference between the PBY-5 and its predecessors included a higher-powered Pratt & Whitney R-1830-82 engine (operating at 1200 hp), a redesigned tail unit, and waist gun blisters instead of flat windows. The PBY was used as a bomber and torpedo carrier, and was often utilized in night operations, as well as on patrol, rescue and transportation missions. PBY Catalina was the most massive of the hydroplanes. Out of 3300 planes spanning all modifications, more than 100 are operational to this day, redesigned for civil purposes.

Media

Skins

• Skins and camouflages for the PBY-5 Catalina from live.warthunder.com.

Images

• 

  "The Wandering Witch" camouflage by Aotea

Videos

The Shooting Range #52 - Pages of History section at 04:38 discusses the PBY-5 Catalina.

See also

Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:

• reference to the series of the aircraft;
• links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.

External links

• [Wikipedia] Consolidated PBY Catalina
• [Naval History and Heritage Command National Museum of the U.S. Navy] PBY-5 and PBY-5A "Catalina"
• [Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum] Consolidated PBY-5 Catalina

Consolidated Aircraft Corporation
Bombers	PBY-5 Catalina · PBY-5A Catalina
	PB4Y-2
	B-24D-25-CO
Export	▄Catalina Mk IIIa · ▂PBY-5A Catalina · ▄PBY-5A Late · ␗PB4Y-2 · ▄PB4Y-2