The Beriev Design Bureau and Sukhoi's KnAAPO plant have tested a weaponised version of the Be-103 amphibian.
The six-seater was equipped with a Kalashnikov PKT 7.62mm machine gun, attached to the starboard side of the fuselage. The package includes a gunsight to be fitted to the cockpit, which is a derivative of the device used on the Su-15 interceptor, and can be supplied as a kit to be bolted on to a production-standard Be-103.
Following successful trials with the PKT gun, Beriev and KnAAPO are planning similar tests with a higher-power 12.7mm Kord machine gun.
The weaponised Be-103 is being offered to China, Indonesia and Malaysia for border patrol missions, as well as counter-smuggling and anti-terrorist operations.
The standard meteorological radar can provide initial targeting data for the crew, but Beriev is testing a newly developed compact surveillance and target illumination radar from PNO Leninets. Installation of the new radar could include a pair of detachable side-mounted antennas enabling 180e_SDgr surveillance and detection of surface vessels at up to 40km (22nm).
China has ordered 25 civilian Be-103s, but future orders are expected to be for a weaponised variant for use by the country's border guards.
Source: Flight International