Aircraft

Russia is creating a single centre of competence for amphibian aircraft and flying boats with a main production and repair site in Taganrog and a test base in Gelenzhik on the Black Sea coast. It will comprise the Beriev design house and Tavia production plant and is scheduled to open in 2010 to coincide with the initial public offering of state-owned aircraft manufacturing giant United Aircraft Corporation (OAK).

The facility will centre on production of the A-42 Albatros and Be-200 amphibian jets, as well as Be-103 and newer propeller-driven designs. It will also undertake the repair, maintenance, modernisation and upgrade of flying boats and amphibious aircraft of Russian and Soviet-origin. Beriev and Tavia may also take over the final assembly of the Be-103 from Sukhoi's KnAAPO plant. OAK believes that concentration of military and civilian orders in one base would render their amphibious aircraft profitable. Along with the A-42, the Taganrog centre will manufacture the Be-200 amphibious twinjet for both military and civilian customers. Tavia is setting up a Be-200 assembly line using tooling and equipment it has received from NPK Irkut's main manufacturing site IAZ in Irkutsk, Siberia. IAZ is curtailing its Be-200 project to free up space for the Yakovlev Yak-130 military trainer and MS-21 short- to medium-range airliner programmes, which it sees as more lucrative.