Emergencies Ministry to buy more Be-200

LENGTH: 143 words

DATELINE: MOSCOW July 24

The Russian Emergencies Ministry is to by another eight Be-200 amphibious aircraft.

"Work is in progress over the program to build and deliver another eight Be-200 amphibians to the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations.

The program is to be finalized by September," a source in the Russian defense industry told Interfax-AVN on Thursday, noting that financial issues have not been discussed yet because the delivery dates are far in the future.

The source said that the first deliveries are slated for 2011.

"This batch will be assembled not in Irkutsk, but in Taganrog at Beriev complex' workshops and the Tavia factory," he added.

The Emergencies Ministry has received four Be-200 CHS aircraft under the earlier signed contracts. The fifth vehicle will be handed over to the client in 2009, while the sixth and the seventh planes will be delivered in 2011.

I think this is for their "lease squadron" intended mostly for fighting fires in Europe.

--------------------------------------------

This is a nice thing for a "plane nut" like me.


Beriev's flying boats are such a throw back in this day and age and yet so damned practical for many applications.


The Be-40s were such beefy units while the -200s are commercialised designs that are so intriguing. Seem to be wonderful firefighters.



I just wish more authorities...in the U.S. or Canada or Europe or wherever would buy them. Nobody is building anything like them these days.

In the first years of sarkozy as interior minister, he was supposed to have ordered so Be-200 to replace our old Canadair but no news about this issue since then! I wonder what happened!



FREE EASTERN TURKISTAN