The Beriev Be-200 is a Russian jet-powered amphibious flying boat designed for firefighting, search-and-rescue, patrol, cargo, and passenger support missions. UAC describes the Be-200ChS as a serial-production amphibious jet able to scoop and drop 12 tonnes of water, while Russian naval aviation reporting places military rescue-configured Be-200 aircraft at the Yeysk naval training center before Ukraine later reported destroying a Russian Be-200 there during the Russia-Ukraine War.
Russian military reporting placed Be-200 amphibious aircraft in naval aviation rescue service at the Yeysk training center, and Ukrainian reporting said drone operators destroyed a Russian Be-200 at Yeysk air base on 15 May 2026. The open-source record supports a Russian support-aircraft loss at a military airfield, not a direct strike role for the Be-200 itself.
Role detailsThe Be-200 is best read as a dual-use support aircraft rather than an armed strike platform. Its military relevance comes from amphibious rescue, patrol, cargo, personnel movement, and naval support missions, while its best documented design feature remains high-volume aerial firefighting.
UAC lists a 12-tonne water payload and describes water pickup from an open reservoir while aquaplaning.
Russian naval reporting describes rescue-configured Be-200 aircraft with firefighting capability and deployable rescue containers.
The Be-200 family is centered on the baseline multirole amphibian and emergency-services Be-200ChS/Be-200ES configuration; military reporting also uses Be-200PS for Russian naval rescue aircraft, while export, passenger, patrol, and re-engined designations appear in certification records and open reference summaries.
| Variant | Configuration | Designation notes |
|---|---|---|
| Be-200 | Baseline multirole amphibious aircraft | UAC describes the Be-200 as derived from the A-40 Albatros layout and intended for amphibious fire, rescue, cargo, patrol, and passenger support roles. Sources: UAC Be-200 |
| Be-200ChS / Be-200ES | Emergency-services firefighting and rescue configuration | UAC says the Be-200ES version was developed for Russia's Emergency Situations Ministry and preserved firefighting, disaster-detection, and water/coastal search-and-rescue roles. Sources: UAC Be-200 |
| Be-200E / Be-200ES-E | English-cockpit export/certification configuration | UAC records a 2010 supplement to the Be-200ES type certificate for the Be-200ES-E version equipped with an English cockpit, and EASA lists the BE-200ES-E under certificate EASA.IM.A.114. Sources: UAC Be-200, EASA Be-200ES-E |
| Be-200PS | Russian naval aviation rescue configuration | Naval News reported that the Russian defence ministry's Be-200 aircraft were ordered in rescue configuration while retaining firefighting capability; the article describes their Yeysk training-center introduction and naval rescue equipment. Sources: Naval News Be-200 Navy, AIN First Navy Be-200 Flight |
| Be-210 | Projected passenger model | UAC notes a passenger-version certificate supplement in 2007, while open reference summaries list Be-210 as the passenger-only projected designation. Sources: UAC Be-200, Wikipedia Beriev Be-200 |
| Be-220 | Projected maritime patrol model | Open reference summaries list Be-220 as a projected maritime-patrol variant; UAC also says patrol versions were envisioned beyond the Be-200ES. Sources: UAC Be-200, Wikipedia Beriev Be-200 |
| Be-200ChS-146 | Projected SaM146-powered derivative | Open reference summaries describe the SaM146 re-engining proposal as shelved after Russia's war against Ukraine disrupted access to engine parts and support. Sources: Wikipedia Beriev Be-200 |
UAC says the Be-200 amphibious design effort began in 1990 under Alexander Yavkin at the Beriev Taganrog design bureau, using the A-40 Albatros as the development basis.
Sources: UAC Be-200
UAC records the first Be-200 flight at the Irkutsk Aviation Production Association airfield on 24 September 1998.
Sources: UAC Be-200
UAC says the Be-200 made its first takeoff from water at Taganrog on 10 September 1999.
Sources: UAC Be-200
UAC says the first production Be-200ES for EMERCOM flew from an Irkutsk-area airfield on 17 June 2003.
Sources: UAC Be-200
UAC reports that one Be-200ES was delivered to a customer in Azerbaijan in 2008.
Sources: UAC Be-200
EASA lists the BE-200ES-E under type certificate EASA.IM.A.114; UAC says the European type certificate was issued on 7 September 2010.
Sources: UAC Be-200, EASA Be-200ES-E
Naval News reported that UAC said the first Be-200 for Russia's defence ministry flew on 14 February 2020 before test operation at the Yeysk naval training center.
Sources: Naval News Be-200 Navy, AIN First Navy Be-200 Flight
Aviacionline reported that Algeria's first Be-200 departed Russia for Algeria on 21 May 2023 under an order for four firefighting amphibians.
Sources: Aviacionline Algeria Be-200
UNITED24 Media reported that Ukrainian Unmanned Systems Forces operators destroyed a Russian Be-200 at Yeysk air base and struck a Ka-27 helicopter during the same overnight drone attack.
Sources: United24 Be-200 Yeysk
