PBY-1 Produced: September 1936 - June 1937 Notes: Original production model. Number Built: 60
PBY-1 Catalina, October 22, 1936.
[Source: Unknown]
PBY-2 Produced: May 1937 - February 1938 Notes: Minor alterations to tail structure, hull reinforcements. Number Built: 50
PBY-3 Produced: November 1936 - August 1938 Notes: Higher power engines. Number Built: 66
PBY-4 Produced: May 1938 - June 1939 Notes: Higher power engines, propeller spinners, acrylic glass blisters over waist guns (some later units). Number Built: 32
PBY-5 Produced: September 1940 - July 1943 Notes: Higher power engines (using higher octane fuel), discontinued use of propeller spinners, standardized waist gun blisters. Number Built: 684
PBY-5 Catalina (Source: U.S. Navy)
PBY-5A Produced: October 1941 - January 1945 Notes: Hydraulically-actuated, retractable tricycle landing gear for amphibious operation. Introduced tail gun position, replaced bow single gun position with bow "eyeball" turret equipped with twin .30 machine guns (some later units), improved armor, self-sealing fuel tanks. Number Built: 802
PBN-1 Nomad Produced: October 1941 - January 1945 Notes: The Naval Aircraft Factory made significant modifications to the PBY design, many of which would have significantly interrupted deliveries had they been incorporated on the Consolidated production lines. The new aircraft, officially known as the PBN-1 Nomad, had several differences from the basic PBY. The most visually apparent upgrades were to the bow, sharpened and extended two feet, and to the tail, which was enlarged and featured a new shape. Other improvements included larger fuel tanks, increasing range by 50%, and stronger wings permitting a 2,000 lb (908 kg) higher gross takeoff weight. An auxiliary power unit was installed, along with a modernized electrical system, and the weapons were upgraded with continuous-feed mechanisms.
The majority (138) of the 156 PBN-1s produced served with the Soviet Navy. The remaining 18 aircraft were assigned to training units at NAS Whidbey Island and NAF Newport. Later, improvements found in the PBN-1 – notably, the larger tail – were incorporated into the amphibious PBY-6A. Number Built: 156
PBY-6A Produced: January 1945 - May 1945 Notes: Incorporated changes from PBN-1, including a taller vertical tail, increased wing strength for greater carrying capacity, new electrical system, standardized "eyeball" turret, and a radome over cockpit for radar. Number Built: 175
