A new version of the legendary Albatross will be manufactured in Darwin, Australia, with digital avionics and Pratt & Whitney turboprop engines.
The information was shared by the manufacturer Amphibian Aerospace Industries (AAI), who said that the new generation of the G-111 (civilian version of the HU-16 Albatross), called the G-111T, is an “amazing aircraft of practical utility for humanity” due to its enormous range of applications, such as search and rescue, cargo transport and coastal surveillance.
Albatross seaplanes were originally manufactured between 1947 and 1961 and were used at the time by the U.S. military in the Korean and Vietnam wars. AAI plans to obtain Australian certification for the project within 1.5 years, with production beginning in 2025.
According to our media partner Aeroin, the announcement of the project’s progress, including the engine selection, was made in early December after years of coordination between the company and the Northern Territory government to support the creation of a manufacturing sector in Darwin.
AAI president Khoa Hoang complimented the Australian Territory government for its progress in bringing aircraft manufacturing capacity back to the country:
“It had been a long time since sovereign aircraft manufacturing on this scale was considered viable in Australia, but the G-111T Albatross has one of the largest business cases in aircraft manufacturing, which makes it ideal to be manufactured locally and perfect to do right here in the Northern Territory.”
“Minister Michael Gunner shared our view that the G-111T Albatross is an incredible aircraft of great practical utility to mankind, regardless of whether it is for passenger transport, humanitarian aid, search and rescue, cargo transport, coastal surveillance, fight against drugs, or a range of other roles.”
“Today’s announcement is just the very beginning, as we are already working on next-generation technologies to produce new variations, such as the Albatross with a zero-emission hybrid engine and even a stretched 44-seat variant.”
AAI achieved type certification for the Albatross several years ago and during that time consolidated a team to support the development of manufacturing capability.
The engine selected from Pratt & Whitney Canada was the PT6A-67F turboprop as part of the supplemental type certificate (STC) upgrade. The original G-111 aircraft was powered by radial piston engines.
“We are very excited to be involved in the modernization of the G-111T aircraft, which has such an illustrious history,” said Nicholas Kanellias, Pratt & Whitney Canada’s VP of General Aviation.
“The PT6A-67F engines, each producing 1,700 mechanical horsepower (SHP), will provide the G-111T with superior performance, longer range, and the benchmark reliability characteristics common to PT6A-powered aircraft” completed Nicholas.
“The PT6A-67F engines have been chosen within the PT6A family for application on the G-111T aircraft. We have worked with Amphibian Aerospace for the past five years on this program and have developed an effective and productive relationship that promises success for the program,” said Anthony Rossi, Pratt & Whitney Canada’s VP of Business Development.
