Be-200: A DREAM COME TRUE

Igor Bondarev,
Project Coordinator
 

Another very difficult stage has been completed in the development of the Beriev Be-200 multi-task amphibious aircraft.

The designers, engineers and workers of two large enterprises — the Irkutsk Aircraft Production Association (IAPO) and the Taganrog Aviation Research and Engineering Complex (TANTK) — have put their souls and so much energy into this great project! It is only due to their persistent and selfless efforts that this flight took place.

On October 17, 1998, the official presentation of the aircraft was held on the IAPO airfield. The ceremony was attended by representatives of the government, various departments, Russian and foreign mass media, and foreign guests alike. The perfect design and graceful flight of the aircraft made a profound impression on all those present.

The work on the Be-200 was launched in the 1980s when TANTK began plans to develop an amphibian aircraft for the national economy. This new plane was to be based on the A-40 Albatross military amphibian, a unique aircraft which was never brought into series production for lack of funds.

In the 1990s, when political and economic reforms began in the country, the IAPO management was faced with the problem of how to maintain their highly-skilled personnel who developed state-of-the-art aircraft. Following an aircraft design competition, IAPO awarded a tender for a developmental project of the Beriev Experimental Design Bureau to develop a new and unique amphibian airplane, the Be-200, which would have no analogs in the world. At that time, it was only an idea, a dream that had yet to be brought to life.

To accomplish that, IAPO and TANTK decided to pool their efforts and in 1991 set up a joint venture which was named BETA IR.

Although the president and the government supported this project and gave it top priority among their aircraft building programs, the state was unable to fund it.

Finding outside sources of financing, considering the current conditions of political and economic instability in Russia, seemed to be an unsolvable problem. This is why the two enterprises decided to continue work on the project using their own current assets. The main part of the expense was handled by IAPO which built four prototype aircraft, paid for the development of the aircraft, and purchased series-produced accessories. The IAPO management and personnel were well aware that they could ensure a promising future for their enterprise only by sacrificing their current well-being.

When the aircraft was still in the process of being developed, the designers of the project set themselves the task of facilitating its access to foreign markets. To achieve this end, investors were invited from Russian and foreign companies involved in the production and distribution of aircraft systems and accessories. Dozens of Russian and foreign companies won contracts and participated in the aircraft’s development. For example, the ARIA U.S.-Russian joint venture, established by the United States AlliedSignal company and the Russian Institute of Aircraft Equipment, won the right to develop the integrated flight and navigation system for the Be-200; Britain’s AIM was commissioned to work on the craft’s interior; and Ukraine’s Motor Sich provided its latest D-436TP engines for the aircraft.

The first customers of this new plane were Russia’s Ministry of Emergency Situations, and the Federal Forestry Service. The Be-200 is indispensable and efficient in combating fires, patrolling, and conducting search-and-rescue operations. It is also ideal for freight and passenger transportation, ecological monitoring, and in fulfilling many other tasks.

Foreign customers, too, have displayed an interest in this new technology. Negotiations are presently underway with several foreign companies wishing to purchase this aircraft. Looking back at the finished job we can proudly say: we have done everything possible and even impossible, put our hearts and souls into this project, and come up with a unique aircraft which has a bright future.