Above: The third Be-200ES has been delivered to the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations. UAC photo.
(Originally published at 11:05 a.m. MT February 3, 2018)
The Beriev Aircraft Company continues to roll out their amphibious scooping Be-200ES firefighting air tankers at their Taganrog manufacturing facility in Southwest Russia. In December the company delivered the third of six that have been ordered by Russia’s Ministry of Emergency Situations.
The Russian Ministry of Defense has ordered one Be-200ES air tanker capable of fighting fires and another four of the Be-200PS version that would serve other purposes.
Beriev began manufacturing the Be-200 in 2003. It is one of the few purpose-built air tankers, designed primarily for fighting wildland fires. The aircraft can land or take off on water or land, and the firefighting version can scoop water to refill its 3,000-gallon tanks. It can be converted to haul passengers or serve as a search and rescue aircraft, landing on water to retrieve victims if necessary.
The Beriev Aircraft Company is a branch of the United Aircraft Corporation. It is primarily owned by the Russian government and produces special purpose and amphibious aircraft. According to Wikipedia they have manufactured 10 Be-200’s of various configurations since 2003. The company hopes to produce four annually for the next three to four years.
Thanks and a tip of the hat go out to Isaac.
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