IRKUSTSK, Southern Siberia, August 13 (AVN) - The Irkutsk aircraft production association (IAPO) will assemble the prototype of the BE-200ChS amphibian in the near future, the enterprise's director general Alexei Fedorov told the Military News Agency on Monday.
The amphibian was developed by the Taganrog-based Beriyev aircraft research and technical enterprise at the order from the Emergencies Ministry. The amphibian's analogue which completed a series of flight and certification tests will be demonstrated at the MAKS 2001 aerospace show.
At present the IAPO bought 93 percent of component parts including those from foreign countries. The company received cockpits and and cargo cabins produced in Great Britain and two engines from the Motor-Sych company of Ukraine. "We plant to hand this flying prototype to the Emergencies Ministry for further tests in December this year," Fedorov said.
The ministry will receive seven multifunctional amphibians from the association to 2005 in accordance with the contract. They will be supplied to naval rescue centres which are to be supervised by the ministry soon.