Ekranoplan
1987 was the year when the first 350 tons ground effect “ship” from the series of Soviet battle missile carriers was produced. It was called Lun after the Russian name for a bird of prey - hen harrier. Another name for this vehicle was Project 903. It carried 6 Moskit cruise missiles (SS-N-22 Sunburn in NATO classification). Hitting four of them causes inevitable sinking of a vessel of any know type and size. The second Lun-class battle aircraft was supposed to be produced in several years but due to the end of cold war and partial disarmament the project was changed to a rescue aircraft and it was never finished.
This type of vehicle called in Russian ekranoplan uses so called ground effect - extra lift of large wings when in proximity to the surface. For this reason they have been designed to travel at a maximum of three meters above the sea but at the same time could provide take off, stable “flight” and safe “landing” in conditions of up to 5-meter waves. These crafts were originally developed by the Soviet Union as high-speed military transports, and were based mostly on the shores of the Caspian Sea and Black Sea. In 2005 crafts of this type have been classified by the International Marine Organization so they probably should be considered flying ships rather than swimming planes. It is also interesting to note that this aircraft is one of the largest ever built, with a length of 73,8 meters (comparing with 73 of Airbus A380).
| Tags: aircraft, russian army, ship |
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Boris is FIRST!
Stuff like this really makes me wonder, where are the scrap yards?
Interesting post.
The whole of Russia is scrap yard !!! look around you!!
Yes, but nothing seems to get recycled, lol.
There is another link to the ekranoplanes, this stuff looks like it’s right out of The Thunderbird’s!
Uhhhh. I don’t really get it. It transports troops and shoots 6 cruise missles. Why does it not have a vodka distillery built into it as well, and maybe a McDonalds? And no aquarium? No waterslide? Seriously, either fix it up and put it in a museum or scrap it!
Yes, of course, it flight.
There were some other variants of ekranoplans and they flight too.
But the Lun hadn’t finished properly…
Another marvel of Soviet engineering… but did it ever actually *move*?
probably not…russians are not really good at flying…
theres a story that Gagarin never went to space. that was the reason why he went looney in the end..couldnt just live the lie
always try to clarify things for yourself, before giving any answers.
Ahh yes, the Soviet version of the “Spruce Goose”, we knew it had to exist. Do what they did in the States, make it a museum attraction and theme park.
Man, it blows my mind the money the USA and Russia put into weapons. They gave up the health of their people, science and exploration (other than for military pruposes) and eventually BOTH will have done irreperable harm to their own economies and the world in general. How long before a stolen nuke ends up going off in Manhatten? In my lifetime, I bet.
That said, I DO realize that most modern technical innovations came out as a direct result of Military development, like MRI’s, computers, silicon, disc brakes, all kinds of shit.
Don’t forget that there was Cold War at that times.
Oh yeah ultra sound and spam(the canned meat). Spent an evening with a rocket scientist and an AF pilot drinking good beer and discussing inventions of war that were used for other things. I got a list around here somewhere. I bet you know them.
No it wasn’t, it was invented for sharing information between universities.
And GPS for our cars and LED flashlights and night vision devices was only for military use and then it was for civilian use.The internet we all use was created so the US government could communicate with each other after a nuclear attack.
I must admit this thing is pretty dam cool.
This is so fascinating! I’ve always liked these ekranoplan(e?)’s, despite their weird name!
I wonder how well this thing turned in any speed?
Red Bull should buy this, fix it up and add it to it’s fleet.
1th i woold likeing to buy this tthere airplain boat it are much nice yes
Thats so damn cool, but i wouldnt give it that name, id call it Leviathan!!
Incredible piece of engineering. Russian engineers are the best. If this beauty would have been “flying” it would be a majestic sight! Thanks for publishing these pics, enjoyed them very much!
For all who are wondering, yes, these craft really did “fly” at one time. I have no doubt that this one was operated successfully at one time either. The CIA called it “The Caspian Sea Monster” after seeing it from satellite photographs. If you would like to see video of it operating, use that as your search term.
Also, the other name of this type of craft is “WIG”, for “Wing In Ground”. It is also known as a “Ground Effect Craft” as well. This is because of how it gets it’s lift. it uses what is called the ground effect that basically uses the ground as a type of wing, and it floats on a cushion of air between the ground and wing. This is why the engines are on forward nacelles and the thrust output faces down at the wings.
Damn you’re good Jim-Bob!
The WIG conecept seems to be an extremely progressive one. In case this ekranoplane would ever have come into use, this would surely have caught NATO on the wrong foot.
here u can see it… the caspian monster
42° 52′ 54″ N, 47° 39′ 24″ E
Here it is!!!
42° 52′ 54″ N, 47° 39′ 24″ E U can find it in Dagestan
Wow, the Google satellite view of this is amazing.
42° 52′ 54″ N, 47° 39′ 24″ E
I love these machines, wish I saw them in person. They were featured in the Video game World in Conflict when the soviets use them to raid a section of norway
That was the coolest thing EVER in that game. I love watching that cut-scene with the Ekranoplanes zooming in out of the mist.
Impressive! I have seen many photos and videos of Ekranoplanes before, but never so close and in such details. Too bad that they represent the final cut of the Soviet Empire. They could have been used to transport people throughout Caspian and Black sea, if they were more fuel efficient than normal planes.
Awesome pictures. Fantastic feat of engineering. Thanks for the posting!
Greetings From Houston, Texas USA.
Are these tonemapped/HDR images? No EXIF data in the files themselves. I’d like to get the originals.
a must map for CoD!!!
Thanks V_Power for the co-ordinates. It is great!!
Awsome - this looks like some mix between spaceship and a submarine and that it was ment for a crazy batman-movie.
thanks for sharing - this makes my day
greetings from Norway
I’d like it for my house. Add some windows, nice BBQ deck on the high rear wing.
You can actually see this beast “fly” on youtube. There are some videos. Go check them out. Just type in “Ekranoplan” in the search field.
totally amazing ! as usual the Russians thought up something totally different
i wounder if it will tow a car trailer with a transit van on the back while doing a somersault?
AMAIZING…
SOVIETS AND GERMANS ALLWAYS HAVE BEEN AHEAD IN MANY THINGS… ESPETIALLY IN AIR, SEA AND WEPONERY… BUT EU/US NEVER GIVE WORD OF IT BECAUSE OF PRIDE AND CARE FOR LOSS OF TRUST AND CORAGE, SO IT WAS BETTER TO GIVE THE IDEA THAT EVERYONE DIFERENT ON EARTH WERE BEHIND USA/UE, etc., etc.
YOU HAVE TO GIVE CREDIT TO THOSE WHO DESERVE IT… AND FOR THOSE THAT NEVER READ OR SEE ANY NEWS BESIDES WHAT A GOVERNMENT WANT TO TELL YOU, YOU MUST GIVE EVERY BODY THE RIGHT OF THE DAUD OR TO BE BELIVED, OTHER WISE, YOU ARE LOST… SORRY IF MAD OR LOST.
DO YOU EVER SEE THE SOVIET ANTONOV MONSTER FLYING AND GIVING STUNT MANUVERS ON FLYING SHOWS ARROWND THE GLOVE, FOR INSTANCE AT ÖSHKOCH.
ANY WAY… I’M GLAD THIS PICTURES ARE AROWND AND HAVE PEOPLE THINK TWICE FEFORE GIVING ANY WRONGTHOUGHT & SAYINGS… NIKOLAI
Very nice footage! And really nice that you got one from inside aswell
Impressionante! Já vi muitas fotos e vídeos de Ekranoplanes antes, mas nunca tão perto e em detalhes. Pena que eles representam o corte final do Império Soviético. Eles poderiam ter sido utilizados para o transporte de pessoas em todo o mar Cáspio e Negro, se fossem mais eficiente de combustível que os aviões normais.
Elite Tecnologica
Holy Crap Batman !!
hi guys new here, forums looking good
hughseyp
Why aren’t more pictures taken of the inside of this beast? Was there some kind of restriction?
In the words of Frank Barone from “Everybody Loves Raymond, “Holy crap!”
Great plane! But why isn’t it in a museum, but rosting on a russian junk yard???
Can’t some millionair buy it and restore it?