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Ukraine Destroys Two Rare Russian Be-12 Chaika Amphibious Aircraft in a Historic First. What Is This Soviet Relic?
Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence Directorate (HUR) has eliminated a new type of Russia’s target: for the first time, Be-12 “Chaika” amphibious aircraft came under attack. The Russian military used these planes to hunt for naval drones.
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The HUR special unit “Ghosts” reported that on September 21, they struck a rare target—two Be-12 “Chaika” aircraft and a Mi-8 helicopter. Just a day earlier, the “Ghosts” had destroyed three more such aircraft. In recent months, they have repeatedly hit valuable targets, usually air defense systems, inflicting losses worth hundreds of millions of dollars.
However, the Be-12 “Chaika” is something new. Since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion, almost nothing has been heard about these aircraft. So, what are they?
The Be-12 “Chaika” amphibious aircraft
In fact, this aircraft is more than 60 years old. Development began in the 1950s, its first tests were in 1960, it entered service in 1963, and its official operational start was marked in 1965.
The Be-12 “Chaika” was originally created to track enemy submarines. Its “Be” designation comes from its place of origin—the Beriev Design Bureau. Its chief designer was Georgy Mikhailovich Beriev, a Georgian engineer who specialized in seaplanes and amphibious aircraft.
About 143 were built, in six different versions ranging from purely military to modified variants for rescue missions. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, most of these aircraft were repurposed for civilian tasks such as firefighting and search-and-rescue operations. They served across former Soviet republics, while several units were exported to Egypt, Vietnam, and other countries.
Today, the price of such an aircraft is essentially irrelevant: they haven’t been sold for decades and are no longer manufactured.
The Soviet Union, and later Russia, often highlighted the fact that the Be-12 set more than 40 world records and was recognized as the largest serially produced amphibious aircraft in the world.
Now, HUR has set another record—for the first time in history, such an aircraft has been destroyed in combat.
The Be-12 and Russia’s war in Ukraine
The Russian military uses this type of aircraft to counter Ukrainian naval drones. These drones have played a key role in destroying numerous Russian vessels and in holding back the Black Sea Fleet. Their success allowed the reopening of ports in Greater Odesa and the resumption of maritime shipping routes.
Destroying these aircraft creates more maneuvering opportunities for Ukrainian naval drones, which continue to patrol the Black Sea in search of targets.
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