MOSCOW. Aug 22 (Interfax-AVN) - Russia and France may soon sign a contract on the delivery of Beriyev Be-200 amphibious aircraft.
"We think that two to four planes will be delivered at first. At best, we can count on selling 12 to 15 planes," Taganrog Beriyev Aircraft Plant General Director Viktor Kobzev told Interfax-AVN.
There are good prerequisites for selling the planes to France. "They have made several official statements to that effect," he said.
A Be-200ChS jet visited the air base of the French Securite Civile in Merignac after being displayed at the Le Bourget air show. The jet was tested for joining local firefighting units. It also helped put out real fires.
Although the show presented the firefighting modification of Be-200, it was considered as a multi-role plane. A working group was formed, and its members took part in Be-200 flights to estimate its capacity as a transport, barraging and search jet.
The Beriyev plant designed Be-200. Its basic modification was built for putting out forest fires. The plane can also carry passengers and cargo, engage in search and rescue operations, do environmental monitoring and patrol maritime economic zones and borders.