The Beriev Be-10, also known as Izdelye was a twin engined, turbojet powered, flying-boat, patrol bomber built by the Soviet Union from 1955.
The Be-10 is sometimes referred to as the M-10, though this designation is believed to apply only to the modified Be-10 that established 12 FAI world records in 1961, Bort no. 40 Yellow, still holding class records for speed and altitude.
Operational use of the Be-10 began when the 2nd Squadron of the 977th Independent Naval Long-range Reconnaissance Air Regiment (977th OMDRAP) started replacing its Beriev Be-6 flying boats with Be-10 aircraft.
This squadron and the 1st Squadron of the 977th OMDRAP became the only operators of the Be-10, operating from a naval base at Lake Donuzlav on the Crimean Peninsula
The first public appearance of the Be-10 was when four aircraft flew over the 1961 Aviation Day air display at Tushino, giving the impression that the Be-10 was already in service.
However, the Be-10 proved to be difficult to fly and there were several accidents.
The Be-10 suffered from metal fatigue due to the stress on the airframe from the high-speed take-offs and landings, together with corrosion.
The Be-10 was removed from service in 1968 and was replaced by the turboprop-powered Be-12, which was easier to operate and had better endurance.
Variants
Izdeliye M
The prototype Be-10, Bort no. 10 Red completed in 1955 and flown on 20 June 1956 from Gelendzhik on the Black Sea.
One built.
Be-10
The standard production version built for the AV-MF, 27 built from 1958 to 1961.
Be-10N
Proposed cruise missile carrier to be part of the K-12B airborne strike system, carrying two K-12BS cruise missiles on pylons under the wings.
Although reaching mock-up stages and being granted approval from the Gosudarstvenny Komitet Po Aviatsionny Tekhnike (“State Committee on Aircraft Technology”) Scientific & Technical Council, no further action was authorized.
M-10
A single Be-10, (c/n 0600505), Bort No. 40 Yellow, modified to attempt record breaking flights in 1961.
The tail turret was removed and faired over, an additional pitot tube was fitted to the fin, and guns removed.
Twelve world records were broken, some of which still stand.
Specifications
Crew
3
Length
31.45 m (103 ft 2 in)
Wingspan
28.6 m (93 ft 10 in)
Height
10.7 m (35 ft 1 in)
Wing area
130 m2 (1,400 sq ft)
Empty weight
27,356 kg (60,310 lb)
Gross weight
45,000 kg (99,208 lb)
Max take-off weight
48,500 kg (106,924 lb)
Fuel capacity
18,750 kg (41,337 lb)
Draught
1.75 m (5.74 ft)
Powerplant
2 × Lyul’ka AL-7PB Axial flow turbojet,
71.2 kN (16,000 lbf) thrust each
Performance
Maximum speed
910 km/h (570 mph, 490 kn) at 5,000 m (16,400 ft)
Range
2,895 km (1,799 mi, 1,563 nmi)
Service ceiling
12,500 m (41,000 ft)
Rate of climb
10.288 m/s (2,025.2 ft/min)
Time to altitude
5,000 m (16,400 ft) in 8.1 minutes
Armament
Guns
4 × 23 mm (0.90 in) Afanasev Makarov AM-23 cannon.
2 forward firing, and 2 in a radar-controlled tail turret
