Be-200: When There Truly Is No Analogue or Alternative

Photo by © Sotiris Dimitropoulos / Global Look Press

At the “Aviation of Russia” website editorial office, we don’t like or use the hackneyed phrase “there are no analogues.” However, the situation with the fires in Los Angeles and the footage of the pathetic attempts by American firefighters to combat them, whether one likes it or not, lead to the conclusion that the Beriev Be-200 amphibious aircraft really does have no analogues in the world. Though, one does occasionally see footage of Canadian turboprop amphibians or older passenger aircraft modified for firefighting, with water tanks installed in the cabin, being used in California.

In the USA, California suffers first and foremost from wildfires. In 2018, the Carr Fire, which became the seventh-largest in the state’s history, caused the death of eight people, including three firefighters. The total area of the blaze reached approximately 930 square kilometres. The fire destroyed 1,079 residential buildings, 22 infrastructure facilities, and 503 outbuildings, while damaging a further 196 structures.

Due to certain economic factors, many countries around the world, including developed nations, have an emergency response and wildfire fleet made up of outdated aircraft. This is also true for the USA, where Canadian Canadair CL-415 amphibious aircraft are used for firefighting. The USA has approximately 10 of these machines. The CL-415 is a twin-engined turboprop aircraft capable of carrying 6,000 litres of water, or just over 5,220 kg. The turbofan-powered Be-200 carries 12,000 kg of water. The Hong Kong-based newspaper Asia Times suggested that the United States lease Be-200ChS aircraft in the autumn of 2018.

In 2018, TANTK named after Beriev was in negotiations with the American company Seaplane Global Air Services Inc for a contract worth $3 billion for the supply of ten Be-200ChS aircraft. The first aircraft under this contract could have been delivered to the United States in 2020, with the final one in late 2024. Preliminary agreements were signed in Taganrog in September 2018 during the Hydroaviasalon.

However, the US’s passionate desire to inflict a strategic defeat on Russia, including through sanctions, led to the preliminary agreements being scuppered. The administration of the 45th US President, Donald Trump, ensured that the approval process for the updated SaM146 engine and the airframe of the Russian amphibious aircraft for operation in the USA became impossible.

The fact that over 12,000 homes, including luxurious villas owned by the American elite, were burned in Los Angeles in January 2025, is not only down to lesbians, irresponsible city officials, and the outgoing US administration, but also the new-old president of America who played a role in the sanctions he imposed against Russia during his first tenure in the Oval Office (2017-2021). Trump, by the way, is proud of this, talks about a record number of sanctions, and sees it as an achievement as President of the USA.

Ten Russian aircraft would now be simply indispensable in fighting the fires in the City of Angels. Perhaps they would not be able to completely protect this megalopolis from the flames, but the damage would undoubtedly be significantly less. The residents of Athens would certainly concur.

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