PRESS RELEASE About the celebration of the centenery of Chief Designer G.M. Beriev.

Dear Sirs!

February 13, 2003 is the date of the centenary of the remarkable aircraft designer, the creator of an unique home designer school, which took at present time the leading world place in the field of the creation of the sea-planes and amphibious aircraft, G.M. Beriev. Created by him the Central design bureau of naval aircraft, became now Taganrog BERIEV Aircraft Company, named in his honor since December 1989.

Georguyi Mikhailovich Beriev was born on February 13, 1903 in Tiflis (Tbilisi at present). In of marine aircraft construction (CDB of MA) in Taganrog and he manages it permanently till 1968.1923, after graduating Tiflis Railway School he enter the Polytechnical Institute from which he move to the aircraft department of the shipbuilding faculty of the Leningrad Polytechnical Institute. In 1930, after graduating it, he began to work as designer at Design Bureau MOS VAO with P.E. Rishar at the head. At the end of 1930 G.M. Beriev becomes the deputy of the chief of the naval department of Central Design Bureau of the plant named after Menginovskyi. In 1934 he has been appointed General Designer.

CDB of MA with G.M. Beriev at the head (BERIEV Aircraft Company now) covered a great creative way, having made an important contribution to the science and to the techniques, and for the first time - to the development of seaplane building.

The activity of CDB of MA began since starting of serial production of the MBR-2 short range marine reconnaissance, designed by G.M. Beriev. Sum total it has been manufactured more than 1300 MBR-2 seaplanes of various versions. Since 1937 the MBR-2 became a main seaplane of soviet marine aviation, its civil versions (MP-1) haven been widely used at the national economy. At one of these machines pilots Marina Roskova, Vera Lomako and Polina Osipenko have set six world record. Till the beginning of the Great National War it was the most popular flying boat at all fleets. During the war the aircraft has been extensively used as short-range maritime reconnaissance airplane, night and even day bomber, anti-submarine aircraft. Flying boats having also been used for the rescue of the crews of battered aircraft, for cargo transportation and coordinate updating mission.

Created in Taganrog the KOR-1 (Be-2) and KOR-2 (Be-4) ship-based seaplanes adopted by Fleet having been not less successfully used during the Great National War.

At post-war years for the sea borders defense worldwide known seaplanes have been developed and manufactured serially: the Be-6 flying boat, the Be-10 jet flying boat and biggest for that time the Be-12 amphibious aircraft. These aircraft have been adopted for a long time, have had high flight test performances, approved by tens world records. Creation of such kind of aircraft made our country occupy world priority in the field of the seaplane building.

In 1968 the Be-30 (Be-32) regional airliner was created, which hasn't been manufactured serially because of political reasons. Long years later the restored aircraft was shown at aerospace exhibition in Paris, where it stired up a great interest and got a high estimation of specialists.

Also in other years under the guidance of G.M. Beriev MDR-5, MBR-7, LL-143, Be-8, P-1, Be-14 experimental seaplanes and the P-10 experimental flying bomb (winged rocket) have been created.

G.M. Beriev was a member of science and technique councils of State committee SM USSR of aviation techniques and State committee of shipbuilding and science and techniques council of aviation of the Russian Navy. Major-general of technical service (1951), Doctor of technical Science (1961), twice State Prize Laureate (for the creation of the Be-6 in 1947 and Be-12 in 1968), he was decorated with 2 Lenin orders and two Labour Red Banner orders, medals.

Last years of his life he resided in Moscow and was occupied with science work.

G.M. Beriev died on July 12, 1979.