Ekranoplan - Caspian Sea Monster - They are still producing it???

Would you like a personal ekranoplan?

  • Nope, my yacht is fine...

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • When my neighbour see this!

    Votes: 9 100.0%
  • Total voters
    9
DiligentBhikkhu

DiligentBhikkhu

New Member
I found that Volga Shipyard is still producing this huge ground-effect vehicles, with new vigor after the end of the Cold War. I found that few of them could be seen even from Google Earth.
Here's a link of the shipyard: http://www.volga-shipyard.com
For people who are not familiar with, the story begun when Americans saw Ekranoplan in Caspian Sea from the satellites. Since they didn't have a clue what this 100m long extra-fast steel thing was, they called it Caspian Sea Monster.

ekranoplan_of_1980s.jpg

​

Flying on an air-cushion over the water this naval "plane" achieves great speed, but can also carry 1000t of "luggage". I put some more pics, videos and info I found on my site (this isn't spam, right?):
http://www.gamellama.net/index.php?...spian-sea-monster&catid=57:machines&Itemid=54
I couldn't find any info on how this vesssel behaves in the situation with extra large waves? Is it stable? And what speed can it achieve then?
How useful would it be today and does something similar and more sophisticated exists today?
Russian Volga shipyard is offering now smaller models for private use. :drunkb:
 
I think the idea has merit for areas that has large areas of flat water (lots of lakes and small in land seas) it would make a great replacement for the slower car ferries etc.

There is no way in hell you could cross the Pacific or Atlantic with something like that but for shorter runs I think they would be viable.
 
DiligentBhikkhu said:
I found that Volga Shipyard is still producing this huge ground-effect vehicles, with new vigor after the end of the Cold War. I found that few of them could be seen even from Google Earth.
Here's a link of the shipyard: http://www.volga-shipyard.com
For people who are not familiar with, the story begun when Americans saw Ekranoplan in Caspian Sea from the satellites. Since they didn't have a clue what this 100m long extra-fast steel thing was, they called it Caspian Sea Monster.

ekranoplan_of_1980s.jpg


Flying on an air-cushion over the water this naval "plane" achieves great speed, but can also carry 1000t of "luggage". I put some more pics, videos and info I found on my site (this isn't spam, right?):
http://www.gamellama.net/index.php?...spian-sea-monster&catid=57:machines&Itemid=54
I couldn't find any info on how this vesssel behaves in the situation with extra large waves? Is it stable? And what speed can it achieve then?
How useful would it be today and does something similar and more sophisticated exists today?
Russian Volga shipyard is offering now smaller models for private use. :drunkb:
Click to expand...

Gde si brate Srbine? :bravo:

Ive heard rumours about this plane, but I dont know anything I can be sure is fact.
 
I would use one!

Pozdrav, brate JSO! :salute::drunkb:
I would really use one of those smaller models to try it on Danube river, all the way to the Black Sea, hoping for good weather :CG:
 
traffic

Yes, but since it's flying 14m above surface, only one who would have a problem are them :-D
But I would have to find the way to streighten the river :???:
Who knows, maybe new ekranoplans have an ability to jump! :jump:
:mrgreen:
 
That's a cold war era beast on the Caspia, and I don't think they still build the military version, but they have the technology to build it.
 
I don't know if Russians will make any more of these, but I know that Chinese are producing and testing the right now.
There was some interesting documentary on Discovery recently, about new train concepts. One of them was train which would use ground effect to move, just like Ekranoplan. It was explained that it uses the same principle as piece of paper, which, when thrown, doesn't fall straight to the ground, but glides on the air.
 
Hi there, a long time back now, about the time of the collpase of the Soviet Union, Australia had very good news coverage of events in the former Soviet Union. One such article covered the then "Black Sea Monster" as it had become known. It wasone of a series of trial horses for large Wing In Ground Effect Aircraft military aviation. The original goal of this particular version was that the class be developed for the resupply of Soviet Nuclear Ballistic Missile subs at sea. Extending significantly the periods between visits to a home port facility. If you can find it, I think the original footage was done by a BBC television crew and it was shown full length on Australian television. During the film, it showed the WIG rising to about 100 metres above sea level, demonstrating an ability to overfly large obstacles. Apparently the only ill efffect of operation at this altitude was a dramatic drop in fuel efficiency.
The Soviets tried a huge range of WIGs in military formats, including missile launching varients, forget which missile now, but the launch tubes were of a serious size so probably were launchers for SS-N-22 anti-ship type cruise missiles, or something similar.
Not really surprised to learn they are still developing the type, in even large formats. Department of forestry had a few of the smaller types as well. A WIG as large as the one in your photo, would appear well suited to operating over land in the more open spaces of the far north, as well as over water. The original "Black Sea Monster" had a very advanced undercariage they had hoped to market independently, on the collapse of the SU. hope this is helpful.
NERO1234
 
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