Two Russian Be-200 aircraft have been deployed to extinguish forest fires in southern and western Turkey. The amphibious aircraft have already flown over 35 hours. Intensive flights began on July 28.
The agreement for extinguishing natural fires is for two months. The Be-200ChS arrived from Krasnoyarsk and Rostov-on-Don and are based at Izmir airfield.
In total, 21 aircraft, 69 helicopters, about 500 fire trucks, and over 3.5 thousand people are involved in the firefighting efforts. Out of 115 fires in the country, 110 have already been brought under control.
Meanwhile, in Europe, over 1.3 thousand people have died due to the heatwave in a week – fires are raging in Greece and southwestern France. But EU countries have lost the ability to use Ka-32 helicopters for firefighting due to anti-Russian sanctions.
The Be-200ChS is a multi-purpose jet amphibious aircraft developed by the Beriev Design Bureau; its first flight took place in 2002. Its key advantage is the ability to take off and land on both land and water. The aircraft is used not only for firefighting but also in search and rescue operations, for cargo and passenger transportation, as well as for environmental monitoring and patrolling.
The power plant consists of two D-436TP turbofan engines, each with a thrust of 7,500 kgf; they are located above the wing, which protects the units from water ingress during takeoff, landing, and water intake. Additionally, an auxiliary power unit TA-12-60 is provided. The crew consists of two people, and the ARIA-200M flight and navigation complex allows simultaneous control of the aircraft and firefighting equipment.
Flight characteristics include a maximum speed of about 700 km/h and a cruising speed in the range of 560–600 km/h.
In firefighting applications, the aircraft can take up to 12 tons of water into tanks located under the cargo compartment floor. Water intake occurs at a speed of 150–190 km/h in planing mode, and filling the full volume takes about 12 seconds. Dropping is performed at a speed of 200–250 km/h, with both salvo and sequential delivery possible – from two to eight drops.