Beriev Be-4

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Be-4
KOR-2-Molotov1941.jpg
Be-4 on the Soviet cruiser Molotov, 1941.
General information
TypeReconnaissance flying boat
Manufacturer Beriev
Primary user Soviet Naval Aviation
Number builtca. 47
History
Introduction date1942
First flight21 October 1940

The Beriev Be-4 (originally designated KOR-2) was a reconnaissance flying boat built to operate from Soviet warships during World War II.

Contents

Design and development

In 1939, Beriev was ordered to develop a successor to the KOR-1 design, which would overcome the numerous problems encountered in operational experience with that design. The new aircraft, with the in-house designation KOR-2, first flew on 21 October 1940 at the Beriev factory in Taganrog.

The Be-4 was an elegant, parasol-winged monoplane with a slight inverse-gull wing. The large radial engine was mounted in a nacelle above the fuselage.

Testing continued through January 1941, when series production was ordered under the designation Be-4, at a factory near Moscow. However, due to the start of World War II, only two aircraft were completed. The factory was dismantled, and evacuated to Omsk, then to Krasnoyarsk, where production resumed in May 1943 to the end of 1945. A total of 47 aircraft were eventually completed.

Operational history

The Be-4 was placed into operational service with the Russian Black Sea Fleet from 1942, where it was used for coastal reconnaissance, anti-submarine and transport duties. It was also used on the cruisers Maxim Gorki and Kirov.

Operators

Flag of the Soviet Union.svg  Soviet Union


Specifications

Beriev Be-4 draw.gif

General characteristics

Performance

Armament


See also

Related lists

References