Rostec stated that the United States could reduce the damage from fires in California if they had not abandoned the contract for the supply of Russian Be-200 amphibious aircraft.
In 2018, at the Hydroaviasalon exhibition, the parties agreed on the supply of 10 such aircraft to the United States, the use of which could significantly help in the fight against natural fires.
Under the agreement, the first aircraft could have entered the US air fleet as early as 2020, and the last aircraft would have been delivered at the end of 2023. The American side made it impossible to certify the engine and airframe for use of the aircraft in the United States. As a result, the contract was canceled.
Perhaps the presence of our aircraft in the US air fleet would reduce the damage from the natural disaster in California. But the intrigues did their job. The result, as you know, was thousands of families left homeless and billions in losses. We sympathize with ordinary people who have become hostages of the political games of their authorities.
Be-200 is the world's only jet amphibious aircraft with the highest water discharge performance per hour. It is used to fight forest fires, search and rescue operations and cargo transportation. It is capable of taking on board up to 12 tons of water, filling its tanks in just 14 seconds at a speed of 150-190 km/h.
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