Alright, i am back at it again with more vehicle fan designs for Avatar. I will start with some background knowledge, then go into a lore dump about it.

For this design, the main inspiration was the Consolidated PBY-5a naval plane, which contributed the main fuselage shape, deployable/retractable floats acting as wingtips, and gear assembly which allows the PSR to land on the water and on land.

The other big inspiration was the Antonov AN-22, the biggest propeller driven cargo aircraft. I borrowed the tail assembly with the split tail put on the vertical stabilizers. I also borrowed it's absolutely beastly Kuznetsov NK-12MA engines, each producing 15 001 horsepower and driving a pair of contra-rotating 6.2m (20ft) diameter propellers, which I then sized up to 6.4m (21ft) diameter. This is why the Whale is so insanely loud while in operation, as the propeller tips can break the sound barrier when going at max speed.

The front of the fuselage (from the back of the cockpit and forward) is fully pressurized so the crew can live there and do science without needing Exopacks and freezing from the cold air outside. However, they are still recommended to bring a spare, and the Whale is equipped with scrubbers and replenish stations to make sure that exopacks can be cleaned and refilled on the fly. The back is kept unpressurized (but still sound insulated) as the PSR rarely go to high altitude, and it enables easier transport of Pandoran specimens.

For the coloration, I went with a color scheme inspired by the Blue Whale (Ironic given whales are extinct in Avatar), and I kept it simple without crazy motifs. The RDA only spared a Prussian blue strip along the wides point of the body, where the waterline roughly is when it puts down on water.

It also comes equipped with a wide array of sensors and monitor equipment for the scientists on board that are more sophisticated than what a Kestrel and Seawasp would be flying with, so it is a pricy plane put up in the sky considering it can't effectively defend itself. Thankfully, as of now, it hasn't needed to.


Now for the Lore aspect:

Often considered an eyesore at the Bridgehead Airport, and standing out for being fixed wing rather than rotor wing, the PSR-15 "Whale" seems like a relic from a bygone era sized up to a ridiculous size. Originally conceptualized back during the time of Hell's Gate for more maritime missions on the behalf of SciOps, and to free up the Valkyrie SSTOs more, the untimely deportation of the RDA put the plans on hold.

By the time of the RDA's return, the PSR had gone through 14 interactions, with the 15th now being developed and proposed for a trial run, however, the more hostile nature of Pandora made the RDA leadership very hesitant. Through some political and corporate manipulations, the clearance was granted for 2 prototypes to be built to conduct trials. Though only one have been produced and it is kept locked up in a Hangar until the flight command can't deny its existence anymore.

The PSR-15 has earned its nickname for several reasons: It's a huge machine, with a wingspan wider than the Dragon Assault Ship, lumbering and sluggish in manoeuvres, and completely unarmed. SecOps refer to it as the "Flying Coffin", as its gigantic contra-rotating propellers can be heard for miles due the free propeller tips. So it is both unarmed, unarmored, and loud.
The noise pollution aside, the Whale is just what SciOps wanted: A large hauler with room for science equipment, endurance for long flights, and a large cargo hold in the back. The noise pollution is regrettable, but at least the Whale is shielded so the crew doesn't go deaf.

Nowadays, the Whale is mainly brought out to do maritime patrols under the direction of CetOps, it's ability to cruise in the air for days on end, let's it shadow Tulkuns pods and relay their travel patterns. Normally just for SciOps, CetOps, regrettably uses the knowledge for a more nefarious purpose.