Description:
The Beriev A-40/Be-42 is the world's largest amphibious airplane. It was developed to meet the requirements of the Soviet Union's Navy for a single platform to replace Be-12 and Il-38 maritime patrol and ASW aircraft. The A-40/Be-42 is powered by two D-30KPV turbofan engines rated at 26,500-pound of thrust each, equipped with booster turbojets and mounted over the fuselage between the wings and the tail. Besides its stability and controllability in the water is remarkable due to variable rise hull. Its development began in the early 1980s and by 1989 the aircraft had achieved operational capability within the Soviet Union's Navy.
the Beriev design bureau also envisaged the development of new variants powered by turboprop engines in lieu of turbojets. The A-45 was the designation for ASW variant powered by turboprop engines, the Be-40P was a 105-seat airliner and the Be-40PT was a combi cargo/passenger airplane. Apparently, these further developments were put on hold following the Soviet Union collapse. However, Beriev continued development work on a shortened fuselage version intended for the commercial/civil segment and named the Be-200. Approximately 20 to 50 A-40/Be-42/Be-200 aircraft have been produced for the Commonality of Independent States (CIS) and export customers.
The A-40 was dubbed 'Mermaid' by NATO and the Be-42 is also known as Albatross. Currently, both aircraft are known as Albatross. The A-40 aircraft is a variant specifically designed to suit Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) missions and is equipped with torpedoes, mines and depth charges which are carried inside an internal weapons bay. The Be-42 suits maritime patrol and search and rescue (SAR) missions. In the SAR role can rescue as many as 54 survivors. Anyways the Be-42 aircraft is unarmed. Both aircraft models are optimized for operations in coastal and ocean areas.
The A-40 aircraft is capable of taking off and landing on ground and water with waves of up to 2.2 meters of height. The A-42PE is an amphibian aircraft based on the A-40 which would be powered by two D-27 turboprop engines provided by Ivchenko-Progress. The A-42PE is intended as a patrol and search and rescue aircraft.
Specifications Accommodation: Crew 4, Passengers 54
Dimensions: Height 11 m, Length 45.7 m, Wingspan 42.5 m
Weights: Max Weight 86,000 kg (189,594 lb) at take off, Payload 10,000 kg (22,046 lb)
Engine/s Performance: Thrust 66,137 lb (30,000 kg)
Performance: Ceiling 9,700 m (31,824 ft), Cruise Speed 200 mps (Mach 0.60), Landing Run Distance 700 m (2,297 ft) on ground or 900 meters on water, Max Range 5,500 km (2,970 nm), Operational Altitude 8,000 m (26,247 ft), Take Off Run Distance 1,000 m (3,281 ft) on ground or 2,000 meters on water, Top Speed 800 kph (497 mph)
Russia