The first prototype Beriev Be-103 amphibian was scheduled for its debut at an air show in Gelendzhik, Russia, in late September. The five-passenger piston twin has been manufactured at the Komsomolsk-on-Amur aircraft factory in Siberia, better known for producing the Sukhoi Su-27 fighter.
Komsomolsk-on-Amur plans to build two more Be-103 prototypes by the end of 1996 and hopes to launch production of the all-metal aircraft in 1997.
"We are building the Be-103 without financial assistance from the state [the Russian Government], on our funds," says Vyacheslav Shport, deputy director- general of the aircraft plant.
The Be-103 is a low-wing amphibian with a flying-boat hull. The engines are pylon-mounted on the rear fuselage. The aircraft has Teledyne Continental IO-360-ES engines and Western propellers and avionics.
The Beriev-designed Be-103 has a design cruise-speed of 125kt (230km/h) and a range of 1,350nm (2,500km).
Source: Flight International
