billgerat
The Harvester of Eyes
Registered: Aug 2000
Location: In a Blue, Blue State
Posts: 12547 |
Ekranoplans: Soviet inventions that will blow your mind
A bizarre cross between a hovercraft and an airplane,
developed during Cold War
They hover and skim above the water surface at speeds of up to 250 miles an hour, they carry heavier loads of cargo and troops than any airplane - the Ekranoplans, or "Wing-in-Ground" (WIG) vehicles are possibly the most exciting and strange looking technology ever designed by men.
Developed mostly by Soviets during Cold Wars years (by Rostislav Alexeev's design firm) some of them were over 500 feet in length and had an estimated weight of over 500 tons! And yet they skimmed over the waves with grace, at high speeds, able to negotiate stormy conditions, unseen by radar - all thanks to an aerodynamic principle known as the "ground effect".
All pilots are familiar with this effect: when an airplane is about to land, it almost wants to "float" on air, moments before touchdown. The compressed air between the wing and the ground becomes a "cushion" that gives the plane smooth gliding ability. Over the sea surface this effect is even more noticeable.
KM - Russian "Caspian Sea Monster" Ekranoplan
It was the biggest ground-effect vehicle ever designed (100 meters long, weight: 544 tons, powered by ten Dobryin VD-7 turbojet engines). It still holds the record for lifting the heaviest load off the ground (more even than the largest modern cargo plane Antonov An 225 "Mriya" can handle). It also had an air of mystery around it for a long time, tested in secrecy on the Caspian Sea in 1966 and spied on by a US satellite.
Although only one KM (Russian abbreviation for prototype ship) has been built, there were several variations, differing in length and weight. All were intimidating and weird looking, designed to use the ground effect to skim the ocean at high speed, undetected by radar. According to military sources, the Soviet government planned to built 100 of these monsters at the height of Cold War, then the number went down to 24.
After an accidental crash (due mostly to poor visibility in the fog), KM was abandoned in a shallow 20 meters of water, thwarting all efforts to recover it because of its weight; its high tail sticking out of the water like a funeral cross.
(more here, with some film of these in flight. Also, a picture of a proposed American version, larger than 12 Boeing 747's)
http://thrillingwonder.blogspot.com...s-showcase.html
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I've never heard or seen these things before. Awesome to the nth degree.
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05-26-2007 11:36 PM
