#1321
Consolidated PB4Y-2 Privateer
🇺🇸 United States ·first flew 1943· maritime patrol bomber
10 photos from Wikimedia Commons · credits & licences
- 1. PB4Y-2 Privateer VP-23 in flight: USN· Public domain
- 2. U.S. Coast Guard Consolidated P4Y-2G Privateer in flight, circa in the 1950s: United States Coast Guard· Public domain
- 3. Alaska circa 1944-PB4Y Privateer: George Handler· Public domain
- 4. Consolidated PB4Y-2 Privateer BuAer 3 side view: Bureau of Aeronautics, U.S. Navy· Public domain
- 5. Consolidated PB4Y-2 Privateer of VP-28 in flight c1950: U.S. Navy· Public domain
- 6. Model of ROCAF PB4Y-2 Privateer Display at Aviation Museum 20131231: 玄史生· CC0
- 7. PB4Y-2 Privateer at NAS Patuxent River in July 1944: U.S. Navy· Public domain
- 8. PB4Y-2 Privateer in flight 1945 front view: U.S. Navy· Public domain
- 9. PB4Y-2 Privateer in flight 1945 side view: U.S. Navy· Public domain
- 10. PB4Y-2 Privateer VP-HL-3 1946-47: USN· Public domain
what is it?
The Consolidated PB4Y-2 Privateer is an American World War II and Korean War era patrol bomber of the United States Navy derived from the Consolidated B-24 Liberator. The Navy had been using B-24s with only minor modifications as the PB4Y-1 Liberator, and along with maritime patrol Liberators used by RAF Coastal Command, this type of patrol plane was proven successful. A fully navalized design was desired, and Consolidated developed a dedicated long-range patrol bomber with tests begun in 1943, designated PB4Y-2 Privateer.
How to recognise it: 4 piston engines with propellers · retractable tricycle gear · 33.5 m wingspan
base stats
Bars compare against all aircraft: 3,500 km/h, 20,000 km, 850 seats; size and number built on a log scale up to 640 t (An-225) and 45,000 built (Cessna 172).
fun facts
- First flew 83 years ago, in 1943.
- Top speed is 3.1× a car on the Dutch motorway (130 km/h).
- Wingspan of 33.5 m: about 7 cars parked nose to tail.
- Fully loaded it can weigh as much as 5 African elephants (~6 t each).
piston: A car-like piston engine turning a propeller: simple and cheap, the classic small plane.
spec sheet
- first flight
- 1943-09-20
- introduced
- 1943
- retired
- 1954
- status
- retired
- number built
- 739
- role
- maritime patrol bomber
- origin
- 🇺🇸 United States
- makers
- Consolidated Aircraft
- engines
- 4× Pratt & Whitney R-1830-94
- crew
- 11
- length
- 22.7 m
- wingspan
- 33.5 m
- height
- 9.2 m
- max take-off weight
- 29.5 t
- top speed
- 397 km/h
- cruise speed
- 282 km/h
- range
- —
- ceiling
- 6,401 m
- landing gear
- retractable tricycle gear
Specs are for the version in the Wikipedia article's specification section. Blank means the sources don't say.
Sources: Wikidata Q1127585, Wikipedia: Consolidated PB4Y-2 Privateer (CC BY-SA 4.0).Updated 2026-10-24.