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An-Be-20

At the end of the 1960s, due to the falling interest of customers in hydroaviation, G.M.Beriev was forced to develop land machines for various purposes. In 1964–1965 The experimental design bureau forces have finalized, tested and handed over to the customer special complexes “Toros” and “Igla” based on the Il-18 aircraft.

The An-Be-20 was a project for a Soviet passenger aircraft. It was planned to replace Il-12, Il-14, and also Li-2 with this aircraft. The history of the An-Be-20 aircraft began in the 1960s. Then the country's aviation industry needed a new modern passenger plane for local airlines. On August 6, 1964, a Resolution of the Central Committee of the CPSU and the Council of Ministers of the USSR was issued on the joint development of an aircraft for local airlines with three AI-25 turbofan engines.

The first to start working on the project at the Beriev Design Bureau, but they had no experience constructing passenger liners. Antonov Design Bureau had this experience, which is why they decided to work on the project together. Also involved in the project were the engine designer led by Ivchenko Alexander Georgievich. He really wanted to test his new development of the AI-25 on a small plane.

Designed by the Beriev Design Bureau in conjunction with the Anton Antonov Antonov Scientific Technical Complex with the involvement of the engine designer A.G. Ivchenko to replace obsolete piston aircraft Li-2, IL-12 and IL-14 The layout of the cabin included a double cabin, sideboard, toilet, wardrobe and luggage compartment, as well as a passenger compartment with 24 seats. There was also a built-in gangway in front of the fuselage.

The aircraft was to be operated at airfields with short unpaved runways, so they decided to use a wing of relatively large area and extension, and a chassis with low-pressure pneumatics. All three engines were located in the rear of the fuselage, which reduced noise in the cabin. Behind the cabin were a buffet, toilet, wardrobe, luggage compartment, and a 24-passenger compartment. The front door with a built-in ladder was located on the port side in front of the fuselage.

In August 1964, OKB-115 began to finalize the outline design of the Yak-40, and on October 21, 1966, test pilot Kolosov first took the Yak-40 into the air. The An-Be-20 prototype was built in 1965 (a year later than the first Yak-40 prototype). The An-Be-20 airplane model was built in Taganrog, an advance project was submitted to the State Committee on Aviation Engineering, but there was no sanction to continue work (the partners of the OKB G.M.Beriev did not have much interest in An-Be-20). Then, according to eyewitnesses, the model was dismantled and transported to Moscow.