Flight tests of the third Be-200PS amphibious aircraft for the Ministry of Defense began in Taganrog
In Taganrog, flight tests of the next Be-200 amphibious aircraft, built for the Ministry of Defense, began. The first flight took place on June 16 at the factory airfield TANTK im. Beriev.
According to the bmpd blog, this aircraft is the third built for the naval aviation Ministry of Defense under the 2018 contract. Unlike the first one, executed in the BE-200ES version (search and rescue with fire extinguishing function), the second and third aircraft are made in the Be-200PS version (search and rescue without fire extinguishing function).
The first Be-200ES, which received its own name "Alexander Mamkin", was transferred on July 14, 2020 to the 190th mixed training aviation regiment on the basis of the 859th Center for Combat Training and Retraining of Flight Personnel of the Naval Aviation of the Russian Navy in Yeisk. The second built Be-200PS at the beginning of this year was formally handed over to the military, but continues to be at the Aircraft Company named after Beriev.
The third Be-200PS began flight tests, so far there is no information on further plans for this aircraft.
The first contract for the Ministry of Defense to supply six Be-200 amphibious aircraft - two Be-200ES aircraft and four modified Be-200PS aircraft (without fire fighting function) - was concluded in 2013. In 2017, the contract was terminated due to the inability of TANTK to build aircraft. In 2018, the contract was renewed, ordering only three Be-200ES aircraft.
Initially, it was planned that the Ministry of Defense will receive all three aircraft by the end of 2020, but only the first one was handed over. Meanwhile, in December last year, the Ministry of Defense ordered two more Be-200ES amphibious aircraft for delivery by the end of 2022.
Information