ATHENS. May 17 (Interfax-AVN) - The Russian BE-200 amphibian that is now being demonstrated in Europe is most likely to enter foreign markets, chief of the Emergency Ministry aviation Lieutenant General Rafail Zakirov told Interfax-Military News Agency on Friday after the aircraft had been demonstrated at the Elevsina base of the Greek Air Force in the suburbs of Athens.
Zakirov said that the Greek experts had every ground to believe that the Russian-made BE-200 amphibian excelled its foreign counterparts in its capabilities to handle the results of disasters, and natural ones, above all. Zakirov added that in addition to Greek experts, specialists of rescue agencies of Europe, including those from Germany and France, as well as of Australia and South Korea had got interested in the aircraft.
The EADS Corporation is to make the greatest contribution to promoting the BE-200 aircraft on foreign markets; a memorandum on joint research of the aircraft's possible market was signed in Berlin on May 8.
In the near future the amphibian can make up the basis of international aviation mobile rescue forces that could operate to manage various types of disasters at request of other nations.
Zakirov said that in 2002 the Russian Emergency Ministry intended to get two mass-produced aircraft; these are now being assembled at the Irkutsk-based Aircraft-building enterprise.
The first BE-200 amphibian is to be dispatched to the ministry in the third quarter of the current year, the general added.
The BE-200 multi-purpose amphibious jet aircraft was designed by the Beriyev Aircraft Research and Technical Association in the town of Taganrog. It can use Class V airfields, with the length of the strip mounting up to 1,800 meters; it can also land and take off from sea and river surfaces, their depth being at least 2.6 meters and wave height 1.2 meters.
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 (12 cubic meters within 14 seconds) without landing.
The flight service ceiling of the plane is 8,000 meters. Maximum speed is 700 kilometers per hour, economical speed is 530 kilometers per hour.