Be-200 Aircraft Manufactured by Irkut Corporation Confirmed Its Unique Capabilities in Fire-Fighting During Experimental Operation In Italy
(Source: Irkut Corp.; issued Sept. 30, 2005)
In Italy the next stage of experimental operation of the Bе-200 multipurpose amphibian is successfully completed. From July, 6 till September, 17 this year Be-200 fighted forest fires within the framework of the leasing agreement between Beriev Design Bureau, the designer of the aircraft, and SOREM company, an official fire fighting applications operator of the Italian Civil Protection Department.
In the first half of July the joint Russian - Italian crew of the aircraft executed the program of familiarization flights over the whole territory of Italy with landings, take-off and scooping water both from the 34 lakes, and from the open sea. On July 17, the crew of Be-200 aircraft started its first fire duty and that day it took an active part in forest fire fighting in remote mountain area on Sardinia island.
It should be mentioned, that as a rule, during fires Bе-200 worked together with Canadair (CL-415) aircraft and fire fighting helicopters that was determined by complexity of a fire situation and availability of free on duty applications. High maneuverability and high-speed characteristics of Be-200, and its powerful engines have allowed to reconsider earlier working techniques of work on a fire and have enabled to carry out the drops of water on fire on an ascending trajectory. Engines of Be-200, even at imitation of one engine failure, allowed to perform such a maneuver, also during the flights with the maximal loading.
There were also cases when Bе-200 was the only possible mean to fight fires under difficult meteorological conditions. So, on August 23, Skycrane helicopters and Canadair aircraft were sent to the fire which inflamed on one of abrupt hillsides, but they could not work in conditions of strong turbulence and they had to return to the base. After that the Bе-200 took off to the same area and successfully extinguished the fire by two approaches.
The fire fighting duty of Bе-200 aircraft lasted till September 17 this year. All these days the Be-200 worked under complicated conditions of mountain area. It made scoop approaches in the open sea under conditions close to critical ones, practically always at the wind 15-17 m/s. In the course of its service the aircraft completed 63 sorties totaling 150 hours. It made 435 approaches scooping as much as 3,500 tons of water.
Same as during last year's experimental operation in Italy the Be-200 has confirmed the efficiency in struggle against forest fires and, first of all its unique capabilities to reach the seat of fire in the shortest time and to execute the first powerful attack on it by droping the big volume of water (up to 12 tons), that allowed to locate the fire at once.
The work of the Bе-200 constantly received a high estimation of the Italian foresters and ground fire services coordinating suppression of fires from the ground and estimating results of work of aviation engineering. At the same time during operation of the Bе-200 in Italy the additional technical requirements to the fire plane were determined. They will be realized in the future deliveries of the Be-200 to the customer.
As Victor Kobzev, the Beriev Design Bureau General Director, has noted, “the statistics of the flight and operational data, summary parameters of efficiency and the general results of the experimental program show the unique opportunities of the aircraft of new generation in real conditions of operation are convincing without any comments. It goes without saying that the Be-200 aircraft easily and naturally integrated in the existing fire fighting system in the framework of the western legal field. The Beriev Design Bureau and Irkut Corporation have already started preparation for the future fire risk seasons and actively work with potential customers.”
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