BE-200 - Russian-made amphibious aircraft, developed in the TANTK them. Berieva. The first flight of the car took place in 1998. According to a number of characteristics, it has no analogues all over the world. Let's take a closer look at this unusual device!
general characteristics
Initially, the BE-200 aircraft was produced at the facilities of the Irkutsk aircraft plant, but in 2008 the production was moved to Taganrog. The first production model came off the assembly line in 2000.
BE-200 can take off and land both on the ground and on the water. Due to its wide range of capabilities, it is considered a multi-purpose machine. The aircraft is used to transport passengers and goods, guard and patrol the water area, rescue missions and extinguish fires. There is every reason to believe that in the future the BE-200 will become the main machine for the Russian Ministry of Emergencies.
The development of the aircraft began in the mid-90s, but then the designers actively used technical solutions implemented in the Albatros seaplane. Later, the approach was changed in favor of finding new solutions that would allow to create a machine of a higher level.
Today, in addition to passenger and cargo, there are fire, patrol and rescue aircraft modifications. The model is actively operated by the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations. In addition, export of amphibious aircraft is gradually being established.
Prerequisites for creating
Forest fires are a terrible natural disaster that causes many casualties each year and causes billions of dollars of damage worldwide. Given the huge area the forest occupies in Russia, this problem is especially acute for our country. Each year, the element destroys huge tracts of taiga. To combat fire, thousands of emceesniks, hundreds of pieces of equipment and a huge amount of money are involved.
One of the most effective means of dealing with forest fires is aviation. Tons of water discharged from the sky can extinguish any source of ignition. In world practice, dozens of different aircraft and helicopters are used to solve these problems. As a rule, ordinary serial analogues will be converted for fire aircraft. The model we are considering was originally created with an emphasis on application in rescue operations. Due to its unique characteristics, the BE-200 aircraft became especially effective in the fight against the fire element.
Production
The development of the BE-200 amphibious aircraft began in the mid-90s. However, seriously engaged in this machine only in 1992. When creating the aircraft, Western standards were taken into account, which facilitated the further certification of the device in America and Europe.
The first prototype was assembled at the facilities of the Irkutsk Aircraft Building Plant. In 1998, he made his first flight to Taganrog for further tests. A year later, serial production of the aircraft was launched in Irkutsk. Since then, the model formally became known as BE-200ES. In 2003, the Russian Emergencies Ministry ordered seven BE-200 aircraft. In the same year, the order was completed.
In 2008, seaplane production was moved to Taganrog. Two years later, the BE-200 was certified in Europe. In 2011, taking into account the experience of the first years of operation of the machine, its modernization was carried out. The changes affected primarily the equipment of the cockpit. The aircraft was equipped with the ARIA-200 navigation and flight complex, which allows two pilots not only to control the aircraft, but also to take water and extinguish the fire.
Since 2003, an amphibious aircraft has been actively used to combat forest fires not only in Russia but also abroad. This machine has always had a lot of work. In 2015, she was involved in the search for the wreckage of an Airbus A320-216 passenger plane crashed in the Java Sea. In the same year, the BE-200 participated in the search and rescue operations of the Ministry of Emergency Situations in the Sea of Okhotsk, at the site of the death of the fishing vessel “Far East”.
Design
The BE-200 multipurpose amphibious aircraft is designed according to the normal aerodynamic design. It is a high wing with an arrow-shaped wing (with a leading edge angle of 23 °) and a T-shaped tail unit. The body uses titanium and aluminum alloys, which have increased resistance to corrosion. In addition, the design contains parts made of composite materials. The sealed fuselage of the aircraft is a boat of large elongation. Water tanks are located in the underground cargo compartment. Through the waterproof partitions, the fuselage is divided into several compartments.
In the center section area, fairings are installed on the fuselage, which smoothly pass into the engine pylons. In the fairings are the pneumatic and hydraulic systems of the aircraft. In them, in a special compartment, a three-post chassis is removed, each rack of which is equipped with a pair of wheels. Only the front pillar can be controlled.
Power point
The power plant of the BE-200 aircraft includes a pair of double-circuit turbojet engines of the 1D-43.6TP model. Each of them develops 7,500 kgf of thrust. Due to the favorable arrangement of engines and air intakes, water does not get into them during takeoff and landing.
Water intake and discharge system
The BE-200 fire-fighting aircraft has 8 water tanks located underground in the cargo compartment. Each of them is divided into two sections by means of a longitudinal partition. Each section is equipped with a separate sash for discharging water and a drain pipe that is discharged into the air.
In the inter-tank space, a system is installed for water intake during planing. The plane takes on board up to 12 tons of water. On its fence in tanks when gliding takes about 12-14 seconds. When the ignition site is located at a distance of 10 km from the reservoir, the BE-200 at one gas station can dump 300 tons of water onto it. Foreign counterparts that could boast of similar work productivity simply do not exist. The photo of the BE-200 aircraft, presented below, shows how it discharges water painted in the colors of the flag of the Russian Federation at the MAKS-2009 aviation salon.
Water discharge can be carried out both in one gulp, and separately from each tank, which greatly increases the efficiency of the aircraft. The ARIA-200 complex is able to bring the machine to the point of the previous water discharge automatically, which is extremely important for working in smoke conditions.
Marine equipment
The seaplane is also equipped with marine equipment. It has a water steering wheel, equipment for mooring and reloading, as well as devices for towing on water. Aircraft can take on board floating containers and boats. In addition, it can be equipped with roller tracks and a hoist for loading.
BE-200 aircraft: technical specifications
Note the main parameters of the machine:
- Wingspan - 32.7 m.
- The wing area is 117.44 m.
- Length - 32.05 m.
- Height - 8.9 m.
- Crew - 2 people.
- Passenger capacity - 65 people.
- Motor - 2 * D-43.6TP.
- Empty weight is 28 tons.
- Payload - 6 t.
- Cruising speed - up to 710 km / h.
- Flight range - 3600 km.
- Operational ceiling - 8 km.
Modifications
In addition to the basic version, the aircraft will receive a number of modifications.
BE-200P
The patrol version of the aircraft, which is equipped with equipment for prolonged stay in the air and surveillance. The crew of the car has been increased to 9 people, two of which are pilots.
A patrol aircraft is designed to perform such tasks:
- Search for violating vessels and determining their coordinates.
- Classification of detected targets by visual and electronic means.
- Determination of affiliation of an offending vessel to a particular state or fleet.
- Transfer of data on detected targets to the coast guard.
- The arrest of the offender.
- Aim patrol vessels on the ship-intruder.
- Documentation of the place and time of violation of the state border or illegal fishing in the coastal zone.
- Transportation of personnel and cargo.
- Participation in rescue campaigns.
The aircraft can perform all of these tasks at any time of the day and under any weather conditions. The maximum patrol time at a distance of 500 km from the base airfield is almost 6 hours.
BE-200PS
It is a search and rescue aircraft, which is an upgrade of the BE-200P version. The crew consists of 7 people, two of whom are pilots. The aircraft is designed to search, rescue and evacuate victims of natural disasters and catastrophes.
He is able to carry out:
- Delivery of rescuers (up to 50 people) and rescue equipment to the disaster site.
- Delivery of essential goods to the disaster area.
- Evacuation of victims (no more than 60 people).
- Search for ships in distress and determine their coordinates.
- Classification of goals visually and electronically.
BE-200T
Transport modification, which can be used both in passenger (for 19 people) and in cargo execution. The cargo compartment is equipped with a loading hoist and roller tracks. Thanks to this, loading and unloading can be carried out without the use of additional airfield equipment. The BE-200 transport aircraft is adapted for the transport of pallets or containers of all basic sizes.
BE-210
This is the passenger version, which, with a step of seats of 0.75 m, accommodates 72 passengers. There is a comfortable administrative version of the layout of the cabin, in which the number of passengers is reduced. The interior of the passenger aircraft was designed and implemented by the British company AIM Aviation. At the request of the customer, other aircraft versions are also possible, optimized for specific tasks. For example, a machine can be equipped with a foreign-made power plant. So, the prospect of creating a BE-200RP aircraft with engines of the BR-715 model from Rolls-Royce Deutschland is already being explored.
Conclusion
The BE-200 amphibious aircraft, the characteristics of which we examined, is certainly a unique machine. The fact that he has no analogues in the whole world confirms this very well. The versatility and productivity of the aircraft made it an indispensable assistant for the Ministry of Emergencies.