Beriev Be-200
| Be-200 Altair | |
|---|---|
| Be-200ChS | |
| General information | |
| Type | Multirole amphibious aircraft |
| National origin | Russia |
| Manufacturer | Taganrog Beriev plant |
| Designer | |
| Status | In service, In production |
| Primary user | EMERCOM |
| Number built | 20 |
| History | |
| Introduction date | 31 July 2003 |
| First flight | 24 September 1998 |
| Developed from | Beriev A-40 |
The Beriev Be-200 Altair (Russian: Бериев Бе-200 «Альтаир») is a jet-powered amphibious flying boat of utility type designed and built by the Beriev Aircraft Company. Marketed as being designed for fire fighting, search and rescue, maritime patrol, cargo, and passenger transportation, it has a capacity of 12,000 litres (3,200 US gal) of water, or up to 72 passengers.
The name Altair was chosen after a competition amongst Beriev and Irkut staff in 2002—2003, as a reference to the name of the alpha star in the Eagle constellation and because: "Al" is the first part of the name of the Beriev A-40 Albatross amphibious aircraft, whose layout was the development basis for the creation of the Be-200; "ta" stands for Taganrog; and "ir" stands for Irkutsk.