Consolidated PBY Catalina

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PBY Catalina
A restored OA-10 Catalina in US Army Air Corps colors
General information
Type	Maritime patrol bomber, search and rescue seaplane
National origin	United States
Manufacturer	Consolidated Aircraft
Built by	Boeing Canada (PB2B) Canadian Vickers (PBV) Consolidated Vultee (PB4)[1] Naval Aircraft Factory (PBN) Soviet Gidrosamolet Transportnii factory at Taganrog (GST)
Primary users	United States Navy United States Army Air Forces Royal Air Force Royal Canadian Air Force
Number built	3,308 (2,661 U.S.-built,[2] 620 Canadian-built, 27 Soviet-built)[3]
History
Manufactured	1936–1945
Introduction date	October 1936, United States Navy
First flight	21 March 1935
Retired	January 1957 (United States Navy Reserve) 1962 (Royal Canadian Air Force) 1982 (Brazilian Air Force)
Variants	Bird Innovator

The Consolidated Model 28, more commonly known as the PBY Catalina (US Navy designation), is a flying boat and amphibious aircraft designed by Consolidated Aircraft in the 1930s and 1940s. In US Army service it was designated the OA-10, in Canadian service as the Canso and it later received the NATO reporting name Mop.^[4] It was one of the most widely used seaplanes of World War II. Catalinas served with every branch of the United States Armed Forces and in the air forces and navies of many other nations. The last military PBYs served until the 1980s. As of 2021, 86 years after its first flight, the aircraft continues to fly as a waterbomber (or airtanker) in aerial firefighting operations in some parts of the world.