Rostec Reports on Work of Russian Be-200ES in Turkey

Rostec Reports on Work of Russian Be-200ES in Turkey

Russian Be-200ES amphibious aircraft flew more than 200 times in three months to extinguish forest fires in Turkey. Since June 16, crews have participated in the elimination of large fires at complex and strategically important facilities and locations. The total flight time was about 450 hours.

Two aircraft produced by the Taganrog Aviation Scientific and Technical Complex (TANTK) named after G.M. Beriev of Rostec State Corporation were on duty in the vicinity of Antalya, Izmir and Bodrum. The Be-200ES was involved in extinguishing a blaze at a fireworks factory near the city of Sakarya. It took the crew less than two hours to localize and completely eliminate the blaze. Another major fire in the Dardanelles Strait was extinguished in less than a day, thus preventing shipping disruptions. The amphibious aircraft dropped over 300 tons of water on the fires. The flights were carried out in conjunction with observer pilots from the Turkish side. Amphibious aircraft remained on duty until October 15.

It should be reminded that the service agreement and the dispatch of aircraft was organized by the United Aircraft Corporation with the assistance of the Russian Ministry of Industry and Trade, Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations and with the active support of the representative office of Rostec State Corporation in Ankara. A request for assistance in combating forest fires came from the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry of the Republic of Turkey.

The successful operation of the aircraft in challenging conditions is aligned with extensive cooperation with Turkish partners and discussions on purchase of Russian Be-200ES amphibious aircraft to renew the Turkish fire service fleet.