Russia unveils amphibious aircraft for firefighting operations.

According to the Russian news agency TASS, on October 22, Deputy Governor of Rostov Oblast Aleksandr Grebensikov announced that two BE-200 amphibious aircraft will be unveiled in Rostov for the first time this year.

BE-200 amphibious aircraft. (Source: taringa.net)

The BE-200 was designed and researched for 15 years, aiming to find the basic shape suitable for extinguishing forest fires using liquid.

In addition, the BE-200 can also transport people, conduct search and rescue operations, and clean up the environment after a fire with minimal manpower involvement.

According to Grebensikov, the BE-200 aircraft model was licensed by the Irkut Corporation to the Taganroxky Aviation Engineering Complex JSC named after Beriev for production and testing at the end of 2014, with a view to mass production depending on demand.

Currently, the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations and the Ministry of Defense have ordered two of the aforementioned BE-200s, and Grebensikov believes that the demand for this type of aircraft will increase in the near future.

According to Vietnam+