01474 BE-6 PLO NATO CODE MADGE

The Beriew Be-6 (NATO designation: Madge) was a Soviet all-metal high-wing flying boat. The propulsion was provided by two Szwiecow Asz-73TK radial engines with 2400 hp each. The flight of the prototype took place in 1949, and serial production continued in the period 1949-1957, ending with the production of about 120-130 machines of this type. The aircraft was armed with 5 23mm NR-23 cannons and a load of up to 4,000 kg of bombs or two torpedoes weighing 1,100 kg each. The Beriew Be-6 was created in response to the Soviet Navy's demand for a new flying boat capable of long-range patrols. The machine could perform many tasks: from long-range reconnaissance, through fighting submarines (ZOP), to the tasks of medical evacuation and sea rescue. In the course of operation, the Be-6 turned out to be a generally successful machine, with a reliable construction and meeting the hopes placed in it - especially as regards the duration of the patrol flight. In the course of serial production, as many as 19 variants of this aircraft were created, the most numerous of which were versions intended for the detection and destruction of submarines. Machines of this type were also used in the PRC under the designation Qing-6.