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Beriev Be-10 (Mallow)

1961 COLD WAR

History

The Beriev Be-10 flying boat was developed for use by Soviet naval aviation as a patrol bomber during the Cold War. It followed the basic standard of an airship, with a high-wing main aircraft and a boat-like fuselage mated to the fuselage of the aircraft.

This enables the aircraft to take off and land from water sources and perform the necessary maritime missions for Navy service. Wheeled landing gear can be used for conventional runway landings. While using turbojet propulsion, the design deviates from the classic airships of past decades.

When completed, the Be-10 has four standard operators. The fuselage is 103.1 feet long, with a wingspan of 93.9 feet and a height of 35 feet. The nose is glazed to view oncoming terrain, and buoys are mounted on the wingtips to prevent tipping in flowing water or rough seas. Curb weight is reported at 60,300 pounds, and maximum takeoff weight (MTOW) is close to 107,000 pounds.

A vertical fin and two upwardly sloping horizontal fins form the fin. Power comes from 2 Lyulka AL-7PD turbojets, each providing 16,000 lbs of thrust, mounted at the root of the wings with nacelles located under each wing. Top speed is 565 mph, range is up to 1,800 miles, and service is capped at 41,000 feet. The rate of climb is measured at approximately 2,000 feet per minute. Local defense is provided by a twin-gun stern turret with 2 x 23mm AM-23 series guns and 2 x 23mm guns in the nose.

Can carry up to 4,400 pounds of supplies in the form of torpedoes, mines, and conventionally dropped bombs.

The Be-10s were initially deployed in the 2nd Squadron (977 OMDRAP) of the Soviet Naval Aviation and later joined the 1st Squadron - they became the only two operators in the entire series. Production also limited the range, as only 28 were produced in total from 1958 to 1961. When introduced, the Be-10 replaced the older Beriev Be-6 "Madge" high-wing propeller-driven airships that entered service in the 1950s.

The new aircraft family was not formally identified by NATO observers until 1961, during the transfer to Tushino Aviation Day.

In combat service, they are excellent and tactically flexible. However, due to tricky flight characteristics, their controls require a lot of concentration and an experienced hand on the control stick.

In fact, several crashes were due to the plane's handling scheme tainting an otherwise solid performance record. Early metal fatigue further exacerbated the decline of the line, mainly due to the large number of landings required by the aircraft.

The Be-10 was discontinued in 1968, followed by the new and improved Beriev Be-12 "Mail" series, described elsewhere on this site.

Only one large standard variant was produced - simply called "Be-10". Several proposed forms emerged, but all were rejected: the Be-10N was intended to be a cruise missile carrier, and the Be-10S was intended to be an anti-submarine platform. The Be-10U is designed to be used as a target designator and equipped with a radar, while the Be-10T is designed to fulfill a trainer role. A high-performance version, the M-10 ("40 Yellow"), was specially modified for record attempts and completed in one example.

It has set about a dozen world records for payload, speed and altitude for such aircraft.