Be-200: a unique amphibious aircraft from Russia

It just so happened that today we are forced to be proud and use the technical heritage of the USSR, without placing special hopes on the phrase "Made in Russia". But there is at least one striking exception to this unpleasant rule - this is the Be-200 multi-purpose amphibious aircraft designed and built in the Russian Federation. This is not just an unusual, but in some respects a unique device that has no analogues in the world. Why is the plane so interesting and why is it popular outside of Russia?

History of creation

During the development of the Be-200, the engineers of the TANTK named after G. M. Beriev were inspired by their main brainchild in the face of the world's largest amphibious jet aircraft A-40 Albatross. The design bureau and the plant, located in Taganrog right on the shore of the Taganrog Bay, have long been famous for their ability to organically combine the elements of the air with the elements of the sea. Apparatus A-40 had 90 tons of weight and was aimed rather at military tasks. The government of the Russian Federation ordered to do something similar, but with a civilian bias. So in 1993, the design of the Be-200 began.

It was not possible to make a civilian modification of the Albatross. It was too big and expensive. The Be-200, also called the Altair, has become noticeably smaller both in size and weight, due to which it is distinguished by greater rate of climb and maneuverability.


The first flight copy was assembled, oddly enough, in Irkutsk, where the new aircraft was produced until 2008. After that, he returned to his native harbor and is still being produced at the TANTK plant named after G. M. Beriev. By the way, the “grandfather” Be-200 originates from here - it is an anti-submarine military aircraft, which set 46 world records over a long period of its operation.

Important: it was the Be-200 that was built in a single copy. This is the first aircraft in the series, which first took to the air in the already distant 1998. All other instances are modifications for certain tasks, which we will discuss below. Most of them are for the Be-200ChS version, which is still mass-produced to order for the EMERCOM of Russia and some states.

Features

Let's briefly go through the most interesting characteristics of an aircraft and a floating vehicle:

✅ flight range - up to 3100 km
✅ range with full load - 1400 km
✅ maximum flight altitude - 8000 m
✅ cruising speed - 650 km / h
✅ rate of climb - up to 8 m / s

In the standard version, the aircraft is flown by a crew of four. On board there is a cockpit, a household compartment with a toilet and a wardrobe, a technical unit with equipment and navigation. In the aft fuselage, there are batteries and mechanisms for controlling the water rudder. You understood everything correctly - an amphibian can be controlled like a boat when moving through water.

Principle of operation

The Be-200 aircraft can take on board up to 12 tons of water or a special extinguishing liquid. For refueling from a reservoir, the device takes a course over the surface of a river, lake or sea, then descends, and, touching the water surface with its fuselage, enters the gliding mode. At this point, the doors of the water tanks are already open, through which water is drawn up to the full set of the required volume.


For water intake, two groups of tanks with a volume of 13 m3 are used. Interestingly, when refueling from a reservoir, you can fill tanks with only 12 m3. They can be completely "filled" only if they are filled at the airfield. For this, a car based on the AC-157 is used. Of course, the process takes much longer than taking water from a reservoir, but sometimes the latter is not possible.

Interestingly, when taking in water, the aircraft practically does not slow down and maintains a speed of 0,9-0,95 from takeoff. This was done on purpose to increase the fire extinguishing performance and increase the number of “walkers” on one tank. By the way, the takeoff weight from the reservoir is somewhat less than from land - 40 tons versus 42 tons. At the same time, an empty plane without water and a crew weighs 28 tons.

The Be-200 has a uniquely high rate of climb for aircraft of its class. Thanks to this advantage, the device feels great in a limited space. For example, in the process of extinguishing fires in mountainous areas or in the presence of obstacles to the intake and discharge of water.

What can the Be-200ES do?

Designed specifically for the supply of the Russian Emergencies Ministry, the model called the Be-200ChS has a slightly expanded range of tasks compared to the basic version. His list of abilities includes:

✅ directly extinguishing fires with water or special liquids
✅ prompt delivery of rescuers and cargo to distressed areas
✅ finding the coordinates of the location of fires and other emergencies
✅ search for ships and other vessels that are in distress at sea or ocean
✅ quick evacuation of injured people from places with an emergency

The Be-200ChS model additionally has two seats for crew members in addition to the standard four. On board there is an inflatable boat and a set of equipment designed to search for missing ships and rescue the crew.

Modifications

With minimal effort, a conventional Be-200 aircraft can be converted into one of four modifications: cargo, cargo-passenger, patrol and search and rescue. The uniqueness of the device is that in any of these options it retains all its fire extinguishing capabilities.


In the transport version, the amphibian can carry up to 7500 kg of cargo. In the passenger compartment - up to 3000 kg of payload and 19 more passengers on top. The Be-200PS search and rescue modification is capable of accommodating a team of 50 rescuers or up to 30 victims on stretchers. Patrol Be-200P received equipment for a long flight without landing and space for 9 crew members.

Application of the Be-200

Every year, since 2003, Be-200 planes have been fighting the fire element both in the Russian taiga and outside the country. Air vehicles were noted at events to extinguish forest and not only fires in such states as Greece, Italy, Bulgaria, Portugal and even Indonesia. In the past 2022, two aircraft under the numbers 31130, 31140 put out fires beyond the Urals. These machines regularly appear over the burning forests of Siberia, where they make a significant contribution.


In Russia, the main customer of the Be-200ChS aircraft was the Ministry of Emergency Situations of the Russian Federation. At the end of 2021, this structure includes 12 amphibians, but only 7 of them are in permanent operation. In total, since 2003, only 20 machines have been produced, of which 2 copies are in the possession of the TANTK named after G. M. Beriev as experimental ones. Previously, another aircraft belonged to the Russian Navy, but in 2020 this aircraft crashed as a result of a collision with a mountain in Turkey.

One of the series of aircraft has been operated in Azerbaijan since 2008. Indonesia, China, the United States and Chile placed orders for the supply of unique amphibians, showing interest in the features of the Be-200.

Conclusion

Despite a rather long development period in not the most positive times for Russia in the midst of the 90s, the Be-200 amphibious aircraft and its modifications turned out to be the way they are loved in the Ministry of Emergency Situations and abroad. This is a real example of how you can create a unique device from scratch and put it into series, and all this is already in our country, and not in the USSR with its planned economy.