Beriev Be-4

Be-4
Be-4
	Be-4 on the Soviet cruiser Molotov, 1941.
General information
Type	Reconnaissance flying boat
Manufacturer	Beriev
Primary user	Soviet Naval Aviation
Number built	ca. 47
History
Introduction date	1942
First flight	21 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.

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

Soviet Union

Soviet Naval Aviation

Specifications

General characteristics

Crew: three
Length: 10.50 m (34 ft 5 in)
Wingspan: 12.00 m (39 ft 4 in)
Height: 4.05 m (13 ft 3 in)
Wing area: 25.5 m² (274 sq ft)
Empty weight: 2,082 kg (4,590 lb)
Gross weight: 2,760 kg (6,085 lb)
Powerplant: 1 × Shvetsov M-62 radial , 746 kW (1,000 hp)

Performance

Maximum speed: 356 km/h (221 mph, 192 kn)
Range: 1,150 km (716 mi, 622 nmi)
Service ceiling: 8,100 m (26,575 ft)

Armament

1 × trainable 7.62 mm ShKAS machine gun for observer
up to 300 kg (661 lb) of bombs or depth charges

References

Taylor, Michael J. H. (1989). Jane's Encyclopedia of Aviation. London: Studio Editions. p. 153.
World Aircraft Information Files. London: Bright Star Publishing. pp. File 890 Sheet 26.

External links

Beriev KOR 2 Be 4 at Century of Flight
Be-4, KOR-2 by G.M.Beriev Archived 2016-03-04 at the Wayback Machine at Russian Aviation Museum