Beriev Be-12 Tchaika (Mail)

Maritime Patrol / Reconnaissance Flying Boat (1961)

Aviation / Aerospace

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Image from the Russian Ministry of Defense.

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The Be-12 was a very capable floatplane for its time, achieving several world records for an aircraft of this type.

Authored By: Staff Writer | Last Edited: 07/23/2020 | Content ©www.MilitaryFactory.com | The following text is exclusive to this site.

The Beriev Be-12 "Mail" was a successful flying boat aircraft developed for the Soviet Navy as a replacement for its troublesome Be-10 "Mallow" series during the Cold War. It fulfilled the role of maritime patrol and reconnaissance and showcased a turboprop design over the former's turbojet arrangement. Like the Be-10 before it, the Be-12 went on to set several world aircraft records for an aircraft of this type. The series was available in prototype form in 1960, first unveiled to the public during 1961 and entered production soon afterwards. 143 of the type were produced in all with some still flying today (2014).

The Be-12 was powered by 2 x Ivchenko Progress AI-20D turboprop engines mounted high on a high-wing monoplane assembly. The wings were notably cranked upwards from the fuselage in a "gull-wing" type arrangement. As with other flying boat designs, the use of high-mounted wings aided in lift as well as clearing the engines from the surface of the water. To prevent tipping, pontoon floats were affixed under each wing. The Be-12 was typically crewed by four to six personnel. Beyond its water-based landing and take-off, it also held an inherent amphibious quality thanks to its wheeled undercarriage - a feature retained from the preceding Be-10 design. As such, it could function as a traditional land-based aircraft from prepared runways. Beyond that, the Be-12 accommodated a MAD (Magnetic Anomaly Detection) system in the tail, a radar housed in the nose section and a glazed observation position also in the nose.

Dimensions included a length of 98.8 feet, a wingspan of 98 feet, and a height of 26 feet. Empty weight was listed at 52,800lb with a Maximum Take-Off Weight of 79,200lb. Performance from the twin-turboprop engines included a maximum speed of 330 miles per hour, a range out to 2,100 miles and a service ceiling of 26,250 feet.

The Be-12 bettered the outgoing Be-10 - which it succeeded in Soviet Naval Aviation service - by improving its operational ranges. Its payload included up to 3,300lbs of externally-held stores in the form of torpedoes, depth charges, mines, or conventional drop bombs.

The series was exported to Egypt, Syria, and Vietnam while ex-Soviet stocks fell to the Ukrainians. Additionally, ex-Soviet Navy models were reconstituted into the reborn Russian Navy after the fall of the Soviet Empire in the early 1990s.

Specifications

Service Year

1961

Origin

Soviet Union

Status

ACTIVE
In Active Service.

Crew

6

Production

143
UNITS

Beriev - Soviet Union

(View other Aviaton-Related Manufacturers)

Egypt; Russia; Soviet Union; Syria; Ukraine; Vietnam

(OPERATORS list includes past, present, and future operators when applicable)

✓ Special-Mission: Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW)
Equipped to search, track, and engage enemy underwater elements by way of specialized onboard equipment and weapons.

✓ Special-Mission: Anti-Ship
Equipped to search, track, and engage enemy surface elements through visual acquisition, radar support, and onboard weaponry.

✓ Maritime / Navy
Land-based or shipborne capability for operating over-water in various maritime-related roles while supported by allied naval surface elements.

✓ Intelligence-Surveillance-Reconnaissance (ISR), Scout
Surveil ground targets / target areas to assess environmental threat levels, enemy strength, or enemy movement.

Length

98.8 ft
(30.11 m)

Width/Span

97.9 ft
(29.84 m)

Height

26.0 ft
(7.94 m)

Empty Wgt

52,911 lb
(24,000 kg)

MTOW

79,366 lb
(36,000 kg)

Wgt Diff

+26,455 lb
(+12,000 kg)

(Showcased structural values pertain to the base Beriev Be-12 Tchaika (Mail) production variant)

Installed: 2 x Ivchenko Progress AI-20D turboprop engines developing 5,180 horsepower each driving four-bladed propeller units.

Max Speed

329 mph
(530 kph | 286 kts)

Ceiling

26,247 ft
(8,000 m | 5 mi)

Range

2,051 mi
(3,300 km | 6,112 nm)

♦ MACH Regime (Sonic)

Sub

Trans

Super

Hyper

HiHyper

ReEntry

♦

(Showcased performance specifications pertain to the base Beriev Be-12 Tchaika (Mail) production variant. Compare this aircraft entry against any other in our database. View aircraft by powerplant type)

Up to 3,300lb of externally-held drop-ordnance including torpedoes, depth charges, mines, and/or conventional drop bombs.

Supported Types

Graphical image of an aircraft conventional drop bomb munition

Graphical image of an aircraft aerial torpedo

(Not all ordnance types may be represented in the showcase above)

Hardpoint Mountings: 2

Be-12 - Base Series Designation; standard production models.

Be-12EKO - Proposed ecological reconnaissance platform.

Be-12I - Proposed flying laboratory

Be-12LL - Cruise missile carrier test airframe

Be-12N - Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) variant with MAD and other applicable sensory equipment.

Be-12Nkh - Stripped utility transport; two converted from standard Be-12.

Be-12P - Firefighting variant

Be-12P-200 - Developmental firefighting variant

Be-12PS - Search and Rescue variant; four converted from base Be-12s.

Be-12SK - Test airframe for nuclear depth charges

Be-14 - All-weather, day-night Search and Rescue variant; single example completed.

M-12 - Stripped variant for record attempts.

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