Beriev Be-6

Beriev Be-6

Role: Maritime reconnaissance and patrol aircraft
Manufacturer: Beriev OKB
First flight: 1950s
Retired: Late 1960s
Primary user: Soviet Navy
Produced: 1949-52??

The Beriev Be-6 (USAF/DoD reporting name "Type 34", NATO reporting name "Madge") was an all-metal flying boat produced by the Soviet Beriev OKB. It was a gull-winged aircraft with twin oval vertical stabilizers on top of a deep fuselage. This flying boat was capable of accomplishing a wide variety of missions, such as long-range maritime reconnaissance, coastal and supply line patrols, torpedo/bombing strikes, mine-laying, and transport operations.

The aircraft was built in 1949. Since requirements of naval aircraft do not change rapidly, the reliable Be-6 stayed in service until the late 1960s. Some aircraft ended service as civil unarmed transports in Arctic regions.

Beriev Be-6s operated by the Peoples Republic of China PLANAF proved useful in patrolling the long coastline and huge territorial waters off China's coast. During the 1970s the original Shvetsov radial engines began to wear out with no replacements available, so several aircraft were re-engined with Wopen WJ-6 turboprop engines, in new nacelles, for a new lease of life and were redesignated Qing-6.

Operators

People's Republic of China

People's Liberation Army Naval Air Force

Soviet Union

Soviet Naval Aviation

Variants

Picture - Be-6 in Kiev museum

LL-143: Prototype of Be-6 with Shvetsov ASh-72 radial engines; nose, beam, ventral and tail positions for a total of six 12.7mm UBT machine-guns.
Be-6: standard production aircraft with Shvetsov ASh-73 radial piston-engines.
Qing-6: Be-6 aircraft of the PLANAF re-engined with Wopen WJ-6 turboprops.

Specifications (Be-6)

Data from Encyclopedia of Russian Aircraft

General characteristics

Length: 23.5 m (77 ft 1 in)
Wingspan: 33 m (110 ft)
Height: 7.64 m (25 ft 1 in)
Wing area: 120 m� (1,292 ft�)
Empty weight: 18,827 kg (41,506 lb)
Loaded weight: 23,456 kg (51,711 lb)
Landing weight: 20,928 kg (46,138 lb))
Max takeoff weight: 29,000 kg (64,000 lb)
Powerplant: 2x� Shvetsov ASh-73TK radial engines, 1,800 kW (2,400 hp) each

Performance

Maximum speed: 414 km/h (218 kn, 257 mph) at 1,800 m (5,900 ft)
Cruise speed: 280 km/h (173 mph) at 2,000 m (6,600 ft)
Landing speed: 147 km/h (105 kn, 91 mph)
Range: 5,000 km (2,700 kn, 3,100 mi)
Service ceiling: 6,100 m (20,013 ft)

Armament

Guns: 5 x� 23 mm (0.91 in) Nudelman-Rikhter NR-23 cannon in 3 remotely-controlled turrets
Bombs:
General ordnance, or
2x�1,000 kg (2,205 lb) torpedoes, or
8 mines

Gunston, Bill. “The Osprey Encyclopaedia of Russian Aircraft 1875 - 1995”. London, Osprey. 1995. ISBN 1-85532-405-9
Gordon,Yefim & Komissarov, Dmitry. Chinese Aircraft. Hikoki Publications. Manchester. 2008. ISBN 9 781902 109046

Beriev Be-6 Pictures

More aircraft.

Source: WikiPedia