Specialists of the Ministry of Defense will go on an expedition to find places for hydroaerodromes. This was stated in an interview with the Zvezda TV channel by Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu.
"Now a large expedition is planned," he said. "We are identifying hydroaerodromes all over the north, then Kamchatka and our entire eastern coast, where Be-200 aircraft can land."
He explained that to do this, it is necessary to carry out a lot of work and determine where it is possible to land aircraft, depending on the excitement and other conditions.
As TASS reminds, the Be-200 is a Russian amphibious aircraft developed by the Taganrog Aviation Scientific and Technical Complex (TANTK) named after G. M. Beriev. Previously, it was assembled at the Irkutsk Aviation Plant. In 2013, a contract was signed, according to which TANTK should supply the Ministry of Defense with six Be-200s.
As part of the contract, the first Be-200ChS amphibious aircraft arrived in Yeisk last summer. As reported, the aircraft entered the 190th training mixed aviation regiment on the basis of the 859th Center for Combat Training and Retraining of the aircrew of the Russian Navy's Naval Aviation. The aircraft received its own name "Alexander Mamkin" in honor of the civilian pilot Alexander Mamkin, who took part in Operation Zvezdochka to evacuate the children of the Polotsk orphanage No. 1 to the rear in 1944.
As specified by RIA Novosti, the contract provides for the supply of Marine aviation of the Russian Navy two search and rescue aircraft Be-200ChS and four modified aircraft Be-200PS without fire extinguishing function.
Vladislav Kulikov
