O Governo português concluiu recentemente com o fabricante dos Beriev-200 a compra de 4 aparelhos para combate a incêndios.
O Estado português, que ficará proprietário dos aparelhos assegurará que para além dessa missão primordial, os aviões poderão ainda ser utilizados para projecção de forças, e tranportes diversos, etc, ficando neste momento a dúvida sobre quem irá operar e manter esses aviões:
Se a Força Aérea Portuguesa ou o SNBPC, ou uma entidade independente.
A entrega dos aparelhos está prevista para 2008.
O custo rondará os 25 milhões de euros/unidade.
BERIEV BE-200 AMPHIBIOUS MULTIROLE TWINJET AIRCRAFT, RUSSIA
The Beriev Be-200 is an amphibious multirole turbofan aircraft designed by the Berieva Aviatsionnyi Kompaniya (Beriev Aviation Company), with the Russian Irkutsk Aircraft Production Association (IAPO) responsible for the production engineering development phase of the program. The first flight took place in 1998 and the aircraft was first seen in the west at the 1999 Paris Air Show.
IAPO (now part of the Irkut Corporation) and EADS signed a memorandum of understanding in May 2002 to jointly carry out a market study and to define the conditions and costs of international certification and the logistics of setting up a worldwide after-sales service. The study was completed in July 2003 and the two companies, with Rolls-Royce Deutschland, plan to obtain Western certification and offer the aircraft for Western markets. It is planned to power the aircraft with Rolls-Royce BR715 engines.
The Be-200 was first developed for fire-fighting missions. It can start, take-off and land on water, and can carry a load of 12t of water. The first prototype aircraft has successfully completed 650 flight hours and carries Russian certification as a fire fighting aircraft. Seven aircraft are on order for the launch customer, TsENTROSPAS/MChS or the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations; the first was delivered in June 2003.
In February 2004, Hawkins & Powers, a US company that specialises in fighting forest fires, signed a letter of intent for the sale of eight Be-200 aircraft with Irkut Corporation. The aircraft will be powered by the Rolls-Royce BR715 engines and are to be delivered in 2007.
In August 2004, Irkut leased one aircraft to the Protezione Civile of Italy for firefighting.
The multirole aircraft can be configured as a freighter, a passenger aircraft (Be-210) or as an amphibious water drop fire-fighting aircraft. The aircraft can also be equipped for special missions, such as an air ambulance for 30 stretcher patients and seven seated patients or medical crew.
In the search and rescue role, the aircraft is equipped with searchlights and sensors, and a suite of medical equipment. The aircraft is also capable of being configured for an anti-submarine warfare role and fitted with equipment to the customer country's operational requirements.
FIRE-FIGHTER AIRCRAFT
The fire-fighter aircraft has 12m³ ferric aluminium alloy water tanks under the cabin floor in the centre fuselage section. There are four retractable water scoops, two installed forward of the step and two after the step. The water tanks can be removed quickly for carrying cargo. Fire-retarding chemicals can be added to the water using a centrifugal pump. There are six tanks for these substances, with a total volume of 1.2m³, installed on the aircraft.
In a fire-fighting mission, the fully fuelled aircraft can fly 200km from the airfield to a water reservoir, make successive trips between the site of the fire and the reservoir (over a range of 10km from the fire zone to the reservoir), to drop a total of 310,000kg of water on the fire and make the 200km return flight to the airfield for refuelling.
The aircraft is capable of scooping 12t of water in 14 seconds from seas with waves up to 1.2m. The aircraft flies at speeds above a minimum drop speed of 220km/h to empty the water tanks over the site of the fire in 0.8 to 1.0 seconds.
DESIGN
The hull is of single step design with a high length to beam ratio, which contributes to the stability and controllability in water, and at landing and take-off. The hull is constructed of aluminium and lithium alloys. The wings are fitted with underwing stabiliser floats.
FLIGHT DECK
The cockpit accommodates two flight crew. The aircraft is equipped with an ARIA-200 digital flight and navigation system developed by Honeywell with the Moscow Research Institute of Aircraft Equipment. The flight deck is fitted with six 152mm x 203mm (6in x 8in) liquid crystal displays and a Honeywell Electronic Flight and Information System (EFIS).
CABIN
The cabin can be arranged in a passenger, freight or both freight and passenger layout. The passenger cabin can be configured for up to 66 tourist class seats or between ten and 32 first and business class seats. In the cargo configuration the aircraft has a capacity for up to 7,500kg of cargo. In the mixed passenger/cargo configuration, 19 passengers and up to 3,000kg of cargo can be transported. The cargo door, 1.70m high by 2.00m wide, allows easy access for large loads. The cabin can accommodate up to nine freight containers.
The cabin interior is being provided by AIM Aviation (Fliteform) Ltd, of Alfreton, Derbyshire of the UK.
ENGINES
The two ZMKB Progress D-436TP turbofan engines are rated at 73.6kN each. The engines were developed by the Progress Design Bureau and are manufactured by the Motorsich plant in Zaporozhye. The fuel system, supplied by the US company Pall, has a capacity of 12,260kg of fuel. The engine air intakes are fitted with a de-icing system.
The engine vibration control system is supplied by Endevco of San Juan Capistrano, California, a subsidiary of Meggitt plc of the UK.
LANDING GEAR
Each unit of the hydraulically operated retractable landing gear is twin-wheeled. The landing units all retract rearward. A water rudder provides steering in the water.
SPECIFICATIONS - BERIEV BE-200 AMPHIBIOUS MULTIROLE TWINJET AIRCRAFT, RUSSIA
Dimensions
Length 31.43m
Height 8.90m
Wingspan 32.78m
Tailplane span 10.11m
Fuselage length 29.18m
Fuselage diameter 2.86m
Cabin Dimensions
Cabin floor area excluding flight deck 39.00m²
Passenger cabin length 17.00m
Passenger cabin width 2.40m
Passenger cabin height 1.80m
Cargo cabin length 17.00m
Cargo cabin width 2.60m
Cargo cabin height 1.90m
Weights
Maximum take-off weight 37,200kg
Maximum landing weight 35,000kg
Maximum airborne weight after water scoop 43,000kg
Payload 7,500kg
Fuel 12,260kg
Performance
Maximum level speed at altitude 7,000m 720km/h
Never exceed speed, VNE 610km/h
Service ceiling 8,000m
Service ceiling, one engine inoperable 5,500m
Runway 1,800m
Take-off from runway 700m
Landing from 15m on runway 950m
Take-off on water 1,000m
Landing from 15m on water 1,300m
Water scooping distance to 15m 1,450m
Noise
Take-off operational noise level 96EPNdB
Climbing operational noise level 90EPNdB
Landing operational noise level 98EPNdB
dados de:
http://www.aerospace-technology.com
