Summary PBY Catalina served from the US to Brazil, with over 3,300 produced worldwide. SBD Dauntless earned its title as a main carrier-based dive bomber. Grumman Wildcat claimed 1,006 enemy aircraft and 58 aces, with nearly 8,000 produced.
There is a list of carrier-based aircraft that the US Navy and Marine Corps used during World War II . Of those, many are prominent due to their combat capabilities, ease of use, and popularity among pilots. This article explores some of the finest US carrier-based aircraft of the Second World War.
5 Consolidated PBY Catalina Number of aircraft built: 3,308 Maximum speed : 196 mph (315 km/h, 170 kn) Range : 2,520 mi (4,060 km, 2,190 NM) Powerplant : 2 × Pratt & Whitney R-1830-92 Twin Wasp 14-cylinder air-cooled radial piston engines Power per engine : 1,200 horsepower (890 kW) The PBY Catalina, a flying boat and amphibious aircraft was designed and manufactured by Consolidated Aircraft in the 1930s and 1940s. The aircraft performed its first flight in March 1935 and entered service with the US Navy in October 1936. Catalina has the distinction of serving every US military branch, including the Armed Forces and the Air Force.
The PBY Catalina became one of the most widely used seaplanes of the Second World War. The type saw its last military action in 1982 with the Brazilian Air Force. Between 1936 and 1945, over 3,308 examples of the PBY Catalina were produced in the US, Canada, and the Soviet Union.
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