Beta Air, a joint venture between Beriev, the Irkutsk Aircraft Production Association (IAPO) and private investors, plans to resume water runs of its Be-200 twinjet amphibian this month at the Ghelendjik maritime-aviation flight test base on the Black Sea.
The second Be-200 prototype, in assembly at the IAPO plant, will join the flight-test programme in November. Russia's Ministry of Emergency Situations has ordered eight Be-200s for search and rescue and firefighting missions.
The Be-200 will also be available in air ambulance, maritime patrol and passenger versions. China and South Korea are believed to be interested in the maritime patrol Be-200, while the passenger version is intended for Malaysia and the Philippines.
Source: Flight International
