In the US and UK, jet flying boats were something that was tried and put aside as more capable land based ASW aircraft were developed and SAR eventually became mostly helicopters. However, in the Soviet Union, there was still a need for flying boats and when the jet age came, those boats had to be turbojet powered.

As you probably know, certain design bureaus concentrated on specific aircraft types: Beriev was the one to see about flying boats.

His initial designs for turbojet boats, the R-1 and R-2 were practical enough, but underpowered. It takes more power to pull a plane from the water than it when using a nice runway. Eventually, a more promising design with swept wings, the Be-10 was developed. It would have the speed needed and be able to haul the required weapons. Range was its biggest problem, but Beriev was not alone as all early turbo jets were fuel thirsty. What made this one possible were two 16,000 lb thrust Lyul'ka AL-7 turbojets, providing more than three times the power available with the earlier designs.

This aircraft was soon put into series production, operating along side the later turboprop Be-12s until they were retired. There were always concerns about water ingestion from spray and experiments were tried to prevent it, though nothing really conclusive was developed.

Move time on a decade or so and the desire for another jet powered flying boat was upon the Russian navy. This time, a most impressive aircraft, the A 40 Albatross was developed. It was large, fast, and provided all that was needed. However, the timing sucked. Just when it looked like it would enter production, the Iron Curtain collapsed and with it the unlimited funding for such projects. Two planes were built and used as technology demonstrators. The idea has not died and the smaller but similar Be-200 is now doing the rounds, looking for buyers would would like to have a fast water bomber or commercial amphibian.

Characteristically, this Red Star volume has a history of the OKB, development and operational history of the various aircraft as well as detailed descriptions of the airframes and their systems. There is also a very nice color section with superb photographs as well as a goodly number of scale drawings. If you have read any of the series, the layout will be quite familiar.

The authors have produced a superb book on a type that gets very little press and this is undoubtedly the best book on the type to have been done. Those interested in the different or in Soviet/Russian aviation will find this one to be a must have.

October 2006

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