Catalina Mk IIIa (Great Britain)

This page is about the British flying boat Catalina Mk IIIa (Great Britain). For other versions, see PBY-5 (Family).

▄Catalina Mk IIIa

▄Catalina Mk IIIa

Britain

I Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
1.7	1.7	2.0

Class:

PREMIUM

Bomber

Hydroplane

Torpedo bomber

Purchase:880

Show in game

Description

The ▄Catalina Mk IIIa is a premium rank I British bomber with a battle rating of 1.7 (AB/RB) and 2.0 (SB). It was initially introduced in Update 1.43 as the Catalina Mk IVa, however, it was changed to its current version in Update 1.57 "Battle March".

General info

Flight performance

Max speed

at 2 135 m282 km/h

Turn time30 s

Max altitude4 420 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	259	249	4420	31.3	31.9	2.6	2.6	364
Upgraded	309	282		29.1	30.0	8.7	5.1

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	+	-
0	450	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 plate in the pilot's seat.
• 4.7 mm and 6.35 mm Steel plates in the
• 6.35 mm Steel plate in the tail in front of ventral gunner.

Modifications and economy

Repair cost

AB212

RB1 570

SB1 551

Crew training1 400

Experts9 000

Aces80

Research Aces270 000

Reward for battleAB / RB / SB

2 × 30 / 110 / 110 %

2 × 106 / 106 / 106 %

Modifications

Flight performance	Survivability	Weaponry
Fuselage repair Radiator Compressor Wings repair Engine Engine injection	Airframe Cover	bmg30_turret_belt_pack LTC-5 bmg30_turret_new_gun MBC-5 Improved torpedo bmg50_turret_belt_pack Mk 13 Mod 0 bmg50_turret_new_gun LBC-5

Armaments

Suspended armament

The Catalina Mk IIIa (Great Britain) 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 1,927 lb Mk.13-1 torpedoes
• 2 x 1,927 lb Mk.13-1 Case torpedoes

Defensive armament

The Catalina Mk IIIa (Great Britain) 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

Describe the tactics of playing in the aircraft, the features of using aircraft in a team and advice on tactics. Refrain from creating a "guide" - do not impose a single point of view, but instead, give the reader food for thought. Examine the most dangerous enemies and give recommendations on fighting them. If necessary, note the specifics of the game in different modes (AB, RB, SB).

Manual Engine Control

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

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Good bomb load for its rank
• .50 cal side and rear sponsons
• Can land on both water and hard surfaces

Cons:

• Slow

History

In-game description

The Consolidated PBY Catalina was a twin engine, multi-role flying boat which was employed primarily as a maritime patrol aircraft. A development of Consolidated's P2Y flying boat, the aircraft adopted the same parasol wing but in a far more streamlined design with less struts and bracing wires and retractable stabilizing floats. The prototype XP3Y-1 first flew on March 28th 1935 before carrying out a highly successful series of service trials with the US Navy. Impressed by its long range, the US Navy requested that Consolidated Aircraft make further modifications to increase the aircraft's offensive capability. The original 825 hp engines were increased to 900 hp Pratt and Whitney R-1830-64 engines and the vertical fin was modified. The improved aircraft, now designated the X-PBY-1, broke records by carrying out the furthest nonstop distance flight of 3443 miles. The PBY entered service with the US Navy in October 1936.

By the time Britain's Royal Air Force had shown a serious interest in the aircraft, it had gone further improvements, not least of which was the installation of two 1000 hp Twin Wasp engines. The British Air Ministry purchased a single aircraft for evaluation purposes in 1939, and ordered 50 shortly afterwards under the designation of Catalina I – a name which would later be adopted by the US Navy also. British and Commonwealth Catalinas differed from their American counterparts mainly by the replacement of American weapons with British ones. The Catalina I entered service with Nos.209 and 240 Squadrons of RAF Coastal Command in 1941. A popular and capable aircraft, orders were also secured for Canada, Australia, South Africa and New Zealand. In the hands of Coastal Command crews, the Catalina proved to be an effective and much feared U-boat killer.

The Catalina Mk.IVa was the British designation for the PBY-5 variant; powered by two 1200 hp Twin Wasps, this aircraft was capable of reaching speeds of up to 179 mph at 7000 feet and had a range of over 2500 miles. Armed with defensive machine guns in four positions, the Catalina Mk.IV's main offensive capability lay with its 4000 lbs of bombs or depth charges. One of the most famous and effective maritime patrol aircraft of the entire war, the true testament to the Catalina lies in the fact that many are still in service with civilian agencies across the globe to this day.

Media

Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.

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

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• topic on the official game forum;
• encyclopedia page on the aircraft;
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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