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.
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?option=com_content&view=article&id=102:ekranoplan-caspian-sea-monster&catid=57:machines&Itemid=54
I couldn’t find any info on how this vessel 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?
Volga shipyard is offering now smaller models for private use. :rolleyes:
By: SPIT - 11th August 2009 at 22:49
There is a superb tv prog that I recorded in the 90s all about this project and the designers are still building small types in the USA. If I come across this film I will let you know what the prog name is and who (which tv station ) showed it ???; );)
By: Flanker_man - 11th August 2009 at 22:02
Does anybody know which was and/or have a picture of the smallest model of these ground effect vessel/aircrafts?
Btw, thanks for making some things clear to me 😀
The best place to look for WIGs (Wing in Ground Effect) vehicles (Ekranoplans is here.
Ken
By: DiligentBhikkhu - 11th August 2009 at 21:55
Smaller models?
Does anybody know which was and/or have a picture of the smallest model of these ground effect vessel/aircrafts?
Btw, thanks for making some things clear to me 😀
By: Flanker_man - 11th August 2009 at 18:45
My apologies, Zebedee….
I misread your post as saying ….”only 7, possibly 8 KM’s were built”
It is a popular misconception – given that the side numbers went from 04…07…08.
Still an awesome machine though – 544 tonnes travelling at 500km/h, 14m above the waves.
A true ‘Monster’ indeed……..
Ken
By: Zebedee - 11th August 2009 at 16:35
Only ONE KM was built
I though thats what I said…? perhaps i could have worded it better… 🙂
1 KM, 1 Lun, 1 Spasatal and the 5 A90’s… 8 in total… iirc on of the A90’s was a rebuild of an earlier example that had crashed but i may be wrong…
I thought the number on the tail was to show the phase of testing rather than to confuse the filthy capitalist spies lurking on the banks of the caspian 🙂
Zeb
By: Flanker_man - 11th August 2009 at 16:20
Sorry to disapoint you… but no large Ekranplans have been started since the end of the cold war…
Only 7, possibly 8 were built, 1 KM (aka the Caspian Sea Monster)
Zeb
Only ONE KM was built – the Soviets kept changing the number to sow confusion.
Originally the letters ‘KM’ stood for ‘Korab’l Maket’ – which meant ‘Mock-up Ship’.
When US intelligence (?) agencies saw the satellite photos, they nicknamed it the ‘Caspian Sea Monster’.
Soviet journalists then conveniently ‘changed’ the meaning of ‘KM’ to ‘Kaspisski Monstr’.
One of the five A-90’s built is now a museum piece in Moscow…. where I took this photo in 2007…
It has since been pianted in totally ficticious colours – I am hoping to see it again in a few weeks time.
Ken
By: Zebedee - 11th August 2009 at 14:58
Sorry to disapoint you… but no large Ekranplans have been started since the end of the cold war…
Only 7, possibly 8 were built, 1 KM (aka the Caspian Sea Monster) 1 missile carrying Lun, 4, possibly 5 A90 Orlyonoks and Spasatal, a civilian rescue version of the Lun. Spasatal has been sitting in a hanger for the last 20 odd years waiting for the money to finish her, Lun and the remains of all but one of the A90’s lie abandoned at a Soviet Naval base, which you can see on Google Earth…
One A90 is now on display in moscow though…! I suspect that the entry on the Volga shipyards page is nothing but wishful thinking…! if your interested in these wonderful beasts I can recommend Yefin Gordons fantastic Book “Russia’s Ekranoplans”
Zeb
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August 11, 2009 at 1:54 pm