Beriev Be-4

Be-4
Be-4 on the Soviet cruiser Molotov, 1941.
Role	Reconnaissance flying boat
Manufacturer	Beriev
First flight	21 October 1940
Introduction	1942
Primary user	Soviet Naval Aviation
Number built	ca. 47

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 ft²)
• 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)
• Range: 1,150 km (716 miles)
• Service ceiling: 8,100 m (26,575 ft)

Armament

• 1 × fixed, forward-firing 7.62 mm ShKAS machine gun
• 1 × trainable 7.62 mm ShKAS machine gun for observer
• up to 400 kg (880 lb) of bombs or depth charges

See also

Related lists

• List of aircraft of World War II

External links

• Beriev KOR 2 Be 4 at Century of Flight
• Be-4, KOR-2 by G.M.Beriev at Russian Aviation Museum