The NGAA Catalina II Wildfire Aerial Suppression Scooper Variant is an unpressurized, hulled, amphibious flying boat capable of maritime operations commercially certificated in up to Sea State 3 (higher Sea States are available for non-commercial operations). This Wildfire Aerial Suppression Scooper Variant targets the private contractor / government customer who desires a single asset solution that can not only operate as a wildfire suppression platform during fire season, but can also perform other duties outside of wildfire season as it is not a "Restricted Category" platform limited to "aerial work" being a Transport Category certificated platform and not operating solely in the "Restricted Category" as is the perceived competitor.
The Wildfire Aerial Suppression Scooper Variant is a Large, Transport Category amphibious flying boat capable of operation from runways, grass, dirt, sand, lakes, rivers, bays, and blue water.
With a maximum fuel capacity of up to 2050 gallons of fuel, the Wildfire Aerial Suppression Scooper Variant can easily handle 2-3 four hour suppression shifts a day as well as offer a standard fueled ferry range of 1600NM. Other green energy power options such as hybrid or Hydrogen power that can further extend range or endurance can also be considered at the customer's request.
Equipped with more powerful engines and a Very Low Stall (VLS) wing design, the Wildfire Aerial Suppression Scooper Variant can offer a high speed cruise of up to 200 Knots, as well as low speed entries as slow as 62 Knots providing the aerial firefighter with an unmatched mission Capability, Capacity and Readiness (CCR) versus existing fixed wing and rotorcraft platforms currently employed for wildfire suppression.
The Wildfire Aerial Suppression Scooper Variant has a Maximum Take Off Weight (MTOW) of 40,000 pounds. The center section of the fuselage under the wing, at CG, supports a removable walk though tank design. Other features include:
- Up to 2000 gallons of scoopable or terra loadable and droppable agent (being water or retardant)
- Up to 200 gallons of mixing foam
- Integrated drop system and drop computer
- "Very Low Stall" wing with flaps and slats
- Smoke jumper capability
A "straight" flying boat version of the Wildfire Aerial Suppression Scooper Variant is available for those customers who wish to further improve useful load or Time On Station (TOS) through the weight elimination of the retractable landing gear.
The Wildfire Aerial Suppression Scooper Variant is constructed using modern corrosion resistant materials, assembly practices and supportability initiatives to ensure the Material Availability and Operational Availability (Ao) remains at the highest rates possible. Many existing and proven in-service systems are employed to minimize logistics footprint growth and provide for commonality of components between the NGAA Catalina II and existing / emerging in-service aerial platforms. The Special Use Variant also offers an unmatched Battle Damage Assessment & Repair (BDAR) capability at the Organizational Level (O-Level) over any other in-service platform.
The Wildfire Aerial Suppression Scooper Variant is a new production amphibious flying boat based on the design fundamentals of the legendary Transport Category, Standard Airworthiness, 28-5ACF Catalina, which to date has ZERO airframe Airworthiness Directives (ADs). Truly a testament to the Catalinas robust design! Unlike "float converted" land planes, the "hulled" fuselage of the NGAA Catalina II is designed specifically for operations in ever changing maritime conditions. Some of our safety features include:
- Hulled fuselage amphibious flying boat with no "float conversion" struts to break
- Retractable wing tip floats that allow for up to 10 degrees of bank angle during a scoop
- Simplified digital "steam gauge" cockpit interface per Pilot request
- Landing gear / float selector interlocks to prevent inadvertent dual deployment
- Hydromechanical engine controls to support frequent power changes per Pilot request
- "Very Low Stall" wing for lower scooping and suppression drop speeds
It's no secret that Post-COVID supply chain and aircraft pricing are out of control. However, when it comes to offering a much needed Wildfire Aerial Suppression Scooping capability, we know the value of a life, and therefore we put our Wildfire Aerial Suppression Scoopers first within our production queue and with regards to customer expense as they are crucial to saving lives. Why pay a reported $50+M (for the perceived competitor) for a life saving capability when you don't have to?
We are pleased to announce a decision to formalize a production re-start program and we are now accepting pre-orders as well formal orders for the NGAA Catalina II Wildfire aerial Suppression Scooper Variant. Please email businessdevelopment@catalinaaircrafttrust.com to discuss your CONOPs needs and integration requests.