| Be-2 | |
|---|---|
 | |
| General information | |
| Type | Reconnaissance seaplane |
| Manufacturer | Beriev |
| Primary user | Soviet Navy |
| Number built | 12 [1] |
| History | |
| Introduction date | 1938 |
| First flight | April 1936 |
| Retired | 1942 |
The Beriev Be-2 (originally designated KOR-1) was a two-seat reconnaissance seaplane built for the Soviet Navy shortly before World War II. It was designed to replace the Navy's obsolete license-produced Heinkel He 55 aircraft operating from warships and shore bases.
The Be-2 was an all-metal biplane floatplane, with two open cockpits in tandem for the pilot and observer. The wings were braced, but designed to be folded back for storage on a warship. The float arrangement consisted of a large central float, with two smaller floats on the wings. The Be-2 was powered by a Shvetsov M-25 radial 9-cylinder air-cooled engine (a copy of the American Wright R-1820) with a rating of 700 hp (520 kW).
From the outset, Be-2 design exhibited serious handling difficulties and maintenance problems. However, due to the lack of a suitable alternative, the design was placed into production. A total of around 12 serial aircraft were produced. By June 1941, six KOR-1 were in the Baltic, five were in the Black Sea Fleet Air Force. [2]
As problems with stability on the water while taxiing, and with maintenance of the engine were never really resolved, that in practice, the Be-2 was restricted to training and secondary roles, and was more often deployed from land than from warships as originally planned. In addition, delays with updating the Navy's cruisers meant that suitable catapults were not installed until about 1939.
With the outbreak of war with Germany, all attempts to deploy the troublesome aircraft from ships were finally abandoned. During the early years of the war, they served as shore-based reconnaissance and search/rescue aircraft on the Baltic, and with their float undercarriage replaced by wheels, some were pressed into service as strike aircraft during the Battle of Sevastopol. They were withdrawn from service in 1942.
Soviet Union General characteristics
Performance
Armament
Related lists
The Sukhoi Su-2 is a Soviet reconnaissance and light bomber aircraft used in the early stages of World War II. It was the first airplane designed by Pavel Sukhoi. The basic design received an engine and armament upgrade (Su-4) and was modified for the ground-attack role (ShB).
The Kharkiv KhAI-5, was a Soviet reconnaissance and light bomber aircraft, designed in the mid-1930s in the Kharkiv Aviation Institute, under the direction of Iosif Grigorevich Nyeman.
The Yakovlev Yak-11 is a trainer aircraft used by the Soviet Air Force and other Soviet-influenced air forces from 1947 until 1962.
The Yakovlev UT-1 was a single-seater trainer aircraft used by the Soviet Air Force from 1937 until the late 1940s.
The Polikarpov Po-2 was an all-weather multirole Soviet biplane, nicknamed Kukuruznik. The reliable, uncomplicated design of the Po-2 made it an ideal trainer aircraft, as well as doubling as a low-cost ground attack, aerial reconnaissance, psychological warfare and liaison aircraft during war, proving to be one of the most versatile light combat types to be built in the Soviet Union. As of 1978 it remained in production for a longer period of time than any other Soviet-era aircraft.
The Tupolev Tu-2 is a twin-engined Soviet high-speed daylight and frontline bomber aircraft used during World War II. The Tu-2 was tailored to meet a requirement for a high-speed bomber or dive-bomber, with a large internal bomb load and speed similar to that of a single-seat fighter. Designed to challenge the German Junkers Ju 88, the Tu-2 proved comparable and was produced in torpedo, interceptor and reconnaissance versions. The Tu-2 was an effective combat aircraft and it played a key role in the final offensives of the Red Army.
The Mikoyan-Gurevich DIS was a prototype Soviet heavy fighter of World War II, envisioned to serve primarily in the escort fighter role. The service designation MiG-5 was reserved for the production version of the aircraft. Competing designs in the USSR included the Grushin Gr-1, Polikarpov TIS and Tairov Ta-3.
The Polikarpov I-185 was a Soviet fighter aircraft designed in 1940. It was flown with three engines but all of them were either insufficiently developed for service use or their full production was reserved for other fighters already in production. The I-185 program was cancelled on 27 January 1943. Engines used with the I-185 included the Shvetsov M-71, which was more prominent and the Shvetsov M-82, which was also used on Lavochkin La-5 fighters. Only a few M-82 variants were produced.
The Beriev Be-6 was a flying boat produced by the Soviet Beriev OKB. It 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 Beriev Be-30 is a Russian regional airliner and utility transport aircraft designed by the Beriev Design Bureau. It was developed specifically for Aeroflot local service routes using short, grass airstrips. It was also designed to be used in the light transport, aerial survey and air ambulance roles. It competed against the Antonov An-28 and the Czechoslovakian LET-410.
The Beriev MBR-2 was a Soviet multi-purpose flying boat which entered service with the Soviet Navy in 1935. Out of 1,365 built, nine were used by foreign countries. In the Soviet Union, it sometimes carried the nickname of "Kорова" (cow) and "Амбар" (barn).
The Yakovlev Yak-6 was a Soviet twin-engined utility aircraft, developed and built during World War II. It was used as a short-range light night bomber and a light transport.
The Sukhoi Su-6 was a Soviet ground-attack aircraft developed during World War II. The mixed-power high-altitude interceptor Su-7 was based on the single-seat Su-6 prototype.
The Beriev Be-4 was a reconnaissance flying boat built to operate from Soviet warships during World War II.
The Chyetverikov MDR-6 was a 1930s Soviet Union reconnaissance flying-boat aircraft, and the only successful aircraft designed by the design bureau led by Igor Chyetverikov.
The Yakovlev Yak-5 was an experimental trainer aircraft designed by Yakovlev OKB in the Soviet Union, and first flown in 1944.
The Beriev MBR-7 was a Soviet short-range reconnaissance/bomber flying boat developed by the Beriev design bureau at Taganrog. Designed as a successor to the MBR-2 but it did not go into production due to lack of engines.
The Beriev MDR-5 (sometimes Beriev MS-5) was a Soviet long-range reconnaissance/bomber flying boat prototype developed by the Beriev design bureau at Taganrog. It did not enter production as the rival Chyetverikov MDR-6 was preferred.
The Tupolev I-14 was a Soviet fighter aircraft of the 1930s. It was a single-engined, single-seat monoplane with retractable undercarriage, designed to carry heavy armament, and as such was one of the most advanced fighters of its time. It was ordered into production, but this was cancelled after only a small number had been built, the competing Polikarpov I-16 being preferred.
The Ilyushin DB-4 or TsKB-56 is a Soviet twin-engined bomber aircraft of the early 1940s. It was a development of the Ilyushin DB-3 and was intended as a replacement for the earlier aircraft, but only two prototypes were built; engine problems and the need to concentrate production on existing types following the German invasion of the Soviet Union in June 1941 meant that no more examples were built.
