Military Propellor Planes
Consolidated PBY Catalina
ICAO: CAT
Overview
Conceived as a backup to the mighty B-29 Superfortress, the Consolidated B-32 Dominator entered World War II too late to make a name for itself. With powerful engines, heavy armament, and sleek lines, it promised much — but history would remember it as the last American bomber to see combat in the Second World War.
Specifications
Units
- Engine
- 4 × Wright R-3350-23A Duplex-Cyclone 18-cylinder
- Engine type
- Piston
- Power
- 4 × 8,800 hp · 6,562 kW
- Avionics
- —
- Wing tips
- No winglets
- Seats
- 10
- Crew
- —
- Cabin width
- —
- Cabin height
- —
- Cabin length
- —
- Exterior length
- 82 ft 1 in · 25.02 m
- Tail height
- 32 ft 2 in · 9.80 m
- Fuselage diameter
- —
- Wing span
- 135 ft 0 in · 41.15 m
- Baggage volume
- —
- Gross weight
- —
- Empty weight
- —
- Max takeoff weight
- 123,000 lb · 56,000 kg
- Max landing weight
- —
- Max payload
- —
- Fuel capacity
- Max cruise speed
- 2,200 kt · 2,532 mph · 4,074 km/h
- Maximum speed
- —
- Cruise speed
- —
- Approach speed
- —
- Range
- 3,300 nm · 3,800 mi · 6,110 km
- Fuel burn
- —
- Ceiling
- 30,700 ft · 9,400 m
- Rate of climb
- 1,050 ft/min · 5 m/s
- Takeoff distance
- —
- Landing distance
- —
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Operational Context
Consolidated B-32 Dominator — The Forgotten Successor to the Liberator
The Consolidated B-32 Dominator was the U.S. Army Air Forces’ lesser-known heavy bomber of World War II. Designed in parallel with the Boeing B-29, it was intended as an insurance policy in case the Superfortress failed. Work began in 1939, when Consolidated Aircraft set out to create a faster, higher-flying successor to its successful B-24 Liberator.
The Dominator featured a distinctive shoulder-mounted wing with high-aspect Davis airfoils, twin vertical tails (later replaced by a single large fin for stability), and a pressurized cockpit in early prototypes. It was powered by four Wright R-3350 Duplex-Cyclone engines, each rated at approximately 2,200 horsepower for takeoff. The same engine type was used in the B-29, and the B-32 Dominator could reach speeds of around 357 mph (575 km/h) with a range of about 3,000 miles (4,800 km). Its defensive armament included up to ten .50 caliber machine guns, and it could carry 20,000 pounds (9,000 kg) of bombs — matching the payload of the B-29.
However, the B-32’s development was plagued by delays, technical issues, and shifting priorities as the B-29 proved successful. The Dominator finally reached operational units in mid-1945, with the 386th and 312th Bomb Groups flying limited missions from the Philippines. It conducted a handful of raids over Japan and Formosa (Taiwan) in the final weeks of the war, even engaging in air combat with Japanese fighters after the official surrender — making it the last U.S. bomber to fight in WWII.
Only 118 B-32s were built before production ended in September 1945. Overshadowed by the Superfortress, the Dominator faded quickly into obscurity — remembered today as a capable but ill-fated giant that arrived just as the era of propeller-driven bombers came to a close.
Sources and references used for research and fact-checking.