Not sure if this topic has been posted before , but with the current financial crisis in the EU , from what I have read they are about 10 to 12 million dollars cheaper than a new 415. How will a swept wing jet perform at low altitude in hills compared to the 415?

Who knows - never been tried, AFAIK. Then there's the certification process. Also, what's the water run required for a load? What's the climb gradient like with a full load on? What's the turn radius in a 45* bank? What's the stall speed in that bank? How about 60*?

How much ramp space to they take up? How much gas do they burn compared to a 415? How big of a hanger do you need to build to house one?
They do look kinda neat......

Beriev BE200

Max Take Off Weight (Land): 41,000 kg (90,390 lb)
Max Take Off Weight (Water): 37,900 kg (83,550 lb)
Max Capacity (Water or Retardant): 12,000 kg (26,450 lb)

Maximum speed: 700 km/h (435 mph)
Cruise speed: 560 km/h (348 mph)
Economy speed: 550 km/h (342 mph)
Landing speed: 200 km/h (124 mph)
Takeoff speed: 220 km/h (137 mph)
Minimum speed (Flaps 38°): 157 km/h (98 mph)
Range: 2,100 km (1,305 mi)
Ferry range (One Hour Reserve): 3,300 km (2,051 mi)
Service ceiling: 8,000 m (26,246 ft)
Rate of climb: 13 m/s (2,600 ft/min) (At Sea Level and MTOW — Flaps 20°)
Rate of climb: 17 m/s (3,350 ft/min) (At Sea Level and MTOW — Flaps 0°)

wiki

Be-200 is a proven, capable design; however, I don't believe it will ever be seen working in Canada since the logistics of operating even a couple of them here are probably just overwhelming. Certification will certainly be an issue since this machine has been designed with a completely different set of airworthiness standards as a reference.

I would love to give the Be-200 a go. I know a die hard Bombardier tanker driver who flew it in Europe and he was extremely impressed. Basically works out of the same area that a 415 works out of but scoops twice the load. The only concern was there was no speed brakes and you had to be about 20 miles ahead of it in order to get it slowed enough to make a drop. It also has some bastard engine from the Ukraine in it but there was talk of getting it certified in North America with Rolls Royce or GE engines on it. That was a few years ago and no talk since.

Pretty fancy water bomber

Does every plane that comes from Russia have to have that light green cockpit? That aside, really nice looking set up.

It looks like a simulator built in someone's basement.

It's probably about the same price as a simulator built in someone's basement too. That stuff is crazy expensive.

Fancy air-conditioning system there too...

C-GGGQ wrote:Does every plane that comes from Russia have to have that light green cockpit?

Yes, yes they must.

The technical term for that color is "Chromite green"*. Igor Vasiliovitch Dugachev was decorated with the Hero of Socialist Labour award and the Order of the Red Banner for inventing the color which is the ultimate secret behind making russian aircraft cool. Such coolness enabled the pilots of the first MiG-3s painted with the color inside turn back the fascist dogs at the Battle of Moscow, and is subsequently credited as one of the factors of contributing to the victory of the Great Patriotic War. Every aircraft made on Russian soil has since been painted as such to remind its pilots of this fact, it also makes the airplane go faster**.

*Truth
**Slight exaggeration

scooping distance? Dropping speed? Think about the water plans sizes and the ground crew that has to deal with the damages from a 170 kts drop.

CamAero wrote:Fancy air-conditioning system there too...

Obligatory,
When NASA first started sending up astronauts, they quickly discovered that ballpoint pens would not work in zero gravity. To combat the problem, NASA scientists spent a decade and $1.5 million to develop a pen that writes in zero gravity, upside down, on almost any surface, and at temperatures ranging from below freezing to 300 degrees Celsius.

The Russians used a pencil.

It seems that FAA certification is pending.
This California company has an option for 10 of them http://www.be200usa.com

here is another interesting article on the beast
http://wildfiretoday.com/2012/02/08/be- ... ker-board/

It'll never happen...politics will get involved and whoever put money in there will lose it all,
regardless of the merits of the design...The USFS will use it to pad their pension plans...
Bought people dont stay bought over there, ask the relevant people over HERE!
(How many we sold, after trying for forty years?)

Look at the Shinn Meiwa...they even removed the water tanks,
so at Kobe and at the nuclear disaster, they had nothing to dump water with except useless helicopters...

Unlike the Meiwa, the Russian and it's thin wings look like it have very little agility, coupled with these jet engines
you may have a repeat of what happened in France in early eighties where a giant
Russian water bomber helicopter crashed, having flamed out all it's three huge engines
because of the smoke, killing thirty aboard.

There is so many surplus DC-10 and Boeing 747, to be had for less than a million dollars
and with a 300,000 pounds payload...