The Beriev Be-12 Chayka ("Seagull", NATO reporting name: Mail) is a Soviet turboprop-powered amphibious aircraft designed for anti-submarine and maritime patrol duties.
The Beriev Be-12 was a successor to the Beriev Be-6 flying boat, whose primary roles were as an anti-submarine and maritime patrol bomber aircraft. Though tracing its origins to the Be-6, the Be-12 inherited little more than the gull wing and twin oval tailfin configuration of the older aircraft. The Be-12 had turboprop engines, which gave it an improved speed and range over the Be-6. The Be-12 also had retractable landing gear, which enabled it to land on normal land runways, as well as water.
The Be-12 was first flown on October 18, 1960 at Taganrog airfield, and made its first public appearance at the 1961 Soviet Aviation Day festivities at Tushino airfield. The Be-12 entered service with Soviet Naval Aviation, or AV-MF (Aviatcia Voenno-Morskogo Flota), in the early 1960s in the maritime patrol role, and is one of the few amphibians still in military service in the world. Initially its role was ASW patrol, but when newer missiles enabled United States Navy submarines to launch from further offshore it was converted to the search and rescue role (Be-12PS). Small numbers are still in service today.
In Indonesian ServiceIn 1965, when the Communist Party of Indonesia overthrew the Sukarno Government and instated the Peoples' Democratic Republic of Indonesia (PDRI) under President Untung bin Syamsuri who had lead the Revolution on 30 September 1965. He replaced President Sukarno soon afterwards. The Indonesian Air Force, which had already been largely equipped with Soviet aircraft, adopted the the Be-12 in small numbers to act initially as Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) and then later as Search and Rescue (SAR) aircraft.
The Be-12s were initially deployed as part of Skadron Udara 5 Putri Duyung ("Black Mermaids") operating out of Sultan Hasanuddin Air Force Base, Makassar. In agreement with the Australian Government, the Be-12s were painted with Orange Recognition panels to ensure that their humanitarian nature was easily and quickly identified after the disastrous shooting down of one aircraft by a RAN FFG when it approached too closely when the FFG was on patrol near Indonesian territorial waters.
The KitThe kit is the new Modelvist one. I cannot recommend it to most modellers. Like the Ye-152A which I made the other month, it has no location pins. The engines do not fit, nor does the undercarriage. It is a nice model with some nice features, such as rubber tyres and masking for the canopy and some photo-etch for the cockpit, but a real bugger to build. No “in build” pictures, sorry.
