Russia Begins Adapting Be-200 Amphibious Aircraft to Use Indigenous PD-8 Engine

Russia has officially begun work on adapting the PD-8 turbofan engine for the Be-200 amphibious aircraft, a crucial platform used by the Ministry of Emergency Situations in firefighting missions.

The engine, developed by the United Engine Corporation (UEC), was originally designed for the SJ-100 — a fully Russian version of the SuperJet regional airliner — to replace Western systems amid ongoing sanctions.

According to Yuri Slyusar, former head of the United Aircraft Corporation and now acting governor of the Rostov region, the Be-200 adaptation is already underway at the Beriev Aviation Complex in Taganrog.

In service since 2003, the Be-200 has a proven track record of aerial firefighting, particularly in hard-to-reach mountainous regions. The aircraft can scoop up to 12 tons of water in just 15 seconds during a low-level glide over water surfaces, and it can take off and land both on runways and on water — earning it the “amphibian” designation.

The PD-8 engine, now undergoing certification testing on both the SJ-100 and Be-200, delivers around 8 tons of thrust and shares core technologies with the larger PD-14 engine developed for the MC-21 airliner.

The Be-200 ‘Altair’ was developed in the 1990s and has been in service since 2003. The amphibious aircraft is powered by two Progress D-436 engines that were produced in Ukraine and had their factory destroyed in May 2022 during the Russian military invasion.

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