Beriev Be-200

Be-200 Altair
Be-200ChS
General information
TypeMultirole amphibious aircraft
National originRussia
ManufacturerTaganrog Beriev plant
Designer
StatusIn service, In production[1]
Primary userEMERCOM
Number built19[2][3]
History
Introduction date31 July 2003
(21 years ago) (2003-07-31)
First flight24 September 1998
Developed fromBeriev A-40
Beriev Be-200 filling water tanks in the Mediterranean Sea while in operation in Mount Carmel forest fire in Israel

The Beriev Be-200 Altair (Russian: Бериев Бе-200 «Альтаир») is a jet-powered amphibious flying boat of utility type designed and built by the Beriev Aircraft Company. Marketed as being designed for fire fighting, search and rescue, maritime patrol, cargo, and passenger transportation, it has a capacity of 12,000 litres (3,200 US gal) of water, or up to 72 passengers.[4]

The name Altair was chosen after a competition amongst Beriev and Irkut staff in 2002—2003, as a reference to the name of the alpha star in the Eagle constellation and because: "Al" is the first part of the name of the Beriev A-40 Albatross amphibious aircraft, whose layout was the development basis for the creation of the Be-200; "ta" stands for Taganrog; and "ir" stands for Irkutsk.[5]

  1. ^ ТАНТК передал МЧС России первый серийный самолет Бе-200ЧС [TANTK handed over the first serial Be-200ES aircraft to the Russian Emergencies Ministry]. armstrade.org (in Russian). Центр анализа мировой торговли оружием. 12 January 2017. Archived from the original on 13 January 2017. Retrieved 4 October 2020.
  2. ^ Бериев Бе-200 [Beriev Be-200]. russianplanes.net (in Russian). Archived from the original on 1 September 2011. Retrieved 12 August 2019.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference Algeria was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ "The Be-200 Multipurpose Amphibious Aircraft". irkut.com. Irkut Corporation. Archived from the original on 25 September 2008. Retrieved 4 August 2008.
  5. ^ "PRESS RELEASE No.58 dt. 12th February 2003. Results of the competition for the best personal names for the Be-103 and the Be-200 amphibious aircraft" (Press release). Taganrog, Russia: Beriev Aircraft Company. 12 February 2003. Archived from the original on 12 October 2003. Retrieved 4 October 2020.