SINGAPORE. Feb 26 (Interfax-AVN) - The Irkutsk aircraft production association (IAPO) is demonstrating the BE-200 amphibian developed by the Taganrog-based Beriyev aircraft research and technical enterprise at the Asian Aerospace 2002 show in Singapore.
The Russian section of the show features the mock-up of the amphibian, for a real aircraft has been demonstrated at air shows in Malaysia and South Korea, and specialists from southeastern Asia are familiar with the aircraft.
IAPO experts consider the Asia-Pacific region to be the most prospective for the amphibian that has already been ordered by the Russian Emergencies Ministry. Singapore, Indonesia, the Philippines and Thailand might become large importers of the amphibian and have expressed their intention to purchase it.
The Philippines are interested in purchasing the patrol modification of the BE-200, and officials of the country have already received the needed documents, a spokesman for the Beriyev enterprise told Interfax-Military News Agency. The amphibian will be fitted with light guns and machine-guns. The country is planning to purchase up to six BE-200 patrol aircraft, while South Korea has opted for 10 amphibians of that kind. The cargo and passenger variant of the aircraft attracted a lot of interest in the United States and Japan.
The BE-200 multi-purpose amphibious jet aircraft is not inferior to the land-based aircraft of the similar type, yet excels them in the capability to land and take off from both ground and sea surfaces. The BE-200 aircraft can use Class V airfields, with the length of the strip mounting up to 1800 meters; it can also land and take off from sea and river surfaces, with their depth being at least 2.6 meters and wave height 1.2 meters (three points).
The crew of the aircraft consists of two pilots. The design provides for quick modification to perform different tasks, these being fire-extinguishing, rescuers' airlift and others. The aircraft is capable of tanking water at the airfield or from natural water resources within 14 seconds without landing. The maximum take-off from the ground mounts up to 37,200kg, the flight service being 8,000 meters. Maximum speed is 700 kilometers per hour, economical speed is 530 kilometers per hour. The maximum range is 3,850 kilometers, weight of water in one fuelling is up to 270 tons. The aircraft can carry 72 people; the volume of the tanks is 12 cubic meters.