Jet Flying Boats

The post-war development of the turbine engine led to ambitious jet and turboprop-powered flying boat design by leading British, American and Russian companies ranging from fighter aircraft, the unsuccessful Saunders Roe SRA.A/1 and Convair Sea Dart fighter projects, the technically advanced Martin Seamaster maritime reconnaissance flying boat, Beriev's equally advanced Be-10 and A-42 anti-submarine flying boats and its successful Be-200 fire-fighting amphibian. Currently the twin-turboprop powered 12-seat Dornier Seastar amphibian is being built in China which is also developing the AG600 search & rescue amphibian for the Chinese Navy. There have been a number of successful turboprop conversions of piston-engine flying boats such as the Grumman Mallard and Canadair CL-215 amphibians. The author also covers jet-powered flying boat designs that never got off the drawing board, including the Saunders Roe Duchess, the Martin Sea Mistress, the Shin Meiwa SS-X and giant Be-Hydra.