Yes, it is only in russian, but you can watch the fascinating video. This is the coolest technology you never knew existed. They had some crazy technology behind the curtain.

This thing basically forces a cushion of air under the wings, and that keeps it a loft.

Okay I wrote a translation. Not that much new information here for me, but still for all the rest of you! I wonder if I can add this in Google Video for CC.

=================================================================================================================================

It was truly a thing of wonder, still unsurpassed, surely no one in the observable future will able to construct something like the Caspian Sea Monster (KM) - The Ekranoplan, the work of the great Russian innovator Rastislav Evegniy Alexisy. Once the Caspian Sea Monster (KM) was filled with a record load of 544 tons, a record for not only for the Ekranoplan, but all flying based vehicles existing on the planet, even the famous Mira could not take such a load, yet the Caspian Sea monster did it in stormy weather!

They died together, in one year, Alexis in February 1980. The Ekranoplan a little later in latter testing stages, it sank in 20m waters. It's gigantic tail sticking from the water like a tombstone for a long time.

The Ekranoplan is basically an plane, but its massive lifting power comes from 2 technologies, the first being plane lift technology, and Ekranoplan effect (BTW in The US/UK this is called Ground Effect).

"It's incredible that this huge plane flies just a few meters off the water, using just one engine, this was done possible due to Ekrano effect where a pocket of air is created between the plane wing and the water, providing lift"

This lift support, makes the Ekranoplan a more economic plane, i.e. the weight lift capability created meant that the plane flying over water, could be up to 40% larger.

"This gave an increase speed and sea mobility regardless of wave fluctuations for the most part. This is why the air pocket planes... so called Ekranoplans were developed, however the first developments of the ekrano effect were found in early airplanes."

The Ekrano effect was noticed in the infancy of aviation, pilots first felt it when they would try to land, the effect would reduce plane control, and the higher the aerodynamic quality of the plane the less the Ekrano effect would take place. However from the point of view of the pilot and the air builder this was a negative effect, but it gained the attention of various inventors, especially those of speedboats, leading to famous developments of speedboats with under board wings which were also the design of Alexisy Evegniy.

However when these boats reached speeds of 100 to 150 KM/H, they would reach a limit of the Ekrano effect, and Rastislav decided that it was time to stop fighting against the wing and re-design it altogether and enhance the effect of Ekrano effect, to gain the most speed it would need to glide above water. And Alexis started with the largest, a real Caspian monster, the KM was 92 meters long, with a height of 22 M and a wingspan 37 M. The underside was built like a boat, though the most of the exterior looked like that of a plane.

In the front were 8 engines, each capable of 10 ton lifting capability, most of the power was mostly needed for the initial take off. 2 similar engines in the back were located in the keel, enough to keep the tail up.

The Caspian Sea Monster trails started in 1966, at Caspian Sea. The first flight lasted 55 minutes, with a height of 4 meters off the water and a speed of 400-450 km/h. While the flight looks smooth, there were problems, the body of the plane was built for flying and started to weaving like a snake under pressure. The solution was simplicity itself, to strengthen the body of the plane with metal sheets 20mm thick. But the Caspian Sea Monster did its assigned part convincing officials and earning Alexis a contract to develop more Ekranoplans called the A-90 Orlyonok.

The Orlyonok, launched in 1977, combined everything that has been learnt from the Caspian Sea Monster trails. The Orlyonok showed good results, with liftoff off the water at low speed, high lifting capability, and high speed in flight made this apparatus unique in its use and application.

"This is a marine transport Ekranoplan, capable of transferring 140 marines, or 2 APCs with troops. For load up, these locks are unlocked and the entire front side opens like a large gate."

Orlyonok could take up to a maximum up to 200 troops or 2 water based tanks, it could take off from 2 meter wave seas, and in several hours carry the troops a distance over 1500 KM. The speed of the Ekranoplan was 450 Km/H, no mines or bombs would pose it threat, it offered excellent maneuverability and control. Its low flying height of 2 m and high speed meant it was invisible to radar.

*The following part talks about how difficult it was to control for new pilots, once crashing it and tearing off the entire wings off. Once the engines failed catastrophically, but the pilots managed to make it glide to a stop into the coast*

5 Orlyonoks were built, one for static display, and 4 for flights. 2 were lost, in one of them a pilot died, leading the project to stop for a while.

One last derivative of the Caspian Sea Monster (KM ) was the armed Lun, work started on it in early 70s. The Lun-class was 8 M longer and 3 M higher then the KM. It was armed with 6 3M80 Mosquit rockets, capable of destroying any modern battleship. In 1971, the Lun passed firing exercises for it's weapons with flying colors.

"The Ekranoplan Lun-class was the killer of the seas, for this it has 6 rockets, in its time it performed marvelously. But it was not really accepted and 14 years later still awaits its fate in this dry dock"

The Lun was the best (most practical) of the Ekranoplan that Alexis had completed before his death; it could fly in Level 6 to 7 storms the original Caspian Sea Monster could only fly in Level 3 storms. The speed and armaments of the Lun transport, made it 3 times cheaper then the conventional battleship. However it was not built for the replacement of the battleship, but for support of sea based forces in enclosed seas such as the Baltic, Black or the Mediterranean seas.

"In 1993 they showed the flight of this plane, the one right behind me, to American delegates and after that the flights were basically stopped."

It was a strange occurrence, the Americans always wanted to see the Ekranoplan. They saw it, were marveled and left. And the Ekranoplan faded into obscurity. The USSR collapsed, and not one new version of the plane has been developed. The hard character of its developer, the difficulties in its constructions and the catastrophes of the trails while no military technology came without its difficulties, the Ekranoplan has had far worse fate. What is the fate of this Russian wonder? Seeing as NATO is experimenting with similar technologies, maybe it's not long before in Russia they will remember the work of Rastislav Evegniy Alexisy.

i still prefer howard hughe's flying boat!

holy crap.. Thanks farhad, that is the a crazy amount of transcription. You are awesome.

wow, thanks farhad!

Upvote for farhad!

thumbnail looks kinda overweight and a bit obscene

*wings

Adding video to channels (Wings) - requested by kulpims.

*dead

This published video has been declared non-functional; embed code must be fixed within 2 days or it will be sent to the dead pool - declared dead by mauz15.

Awarding littledragon_79 with one Power Point for fixing this video's dead embed code.

*dead

This video has been declared non-functional; embed code must be fixed within 2 days or it will be sent to the dead pool - declared dead by gwiz665.

rasch187 has fixed this video's dead embed code - no Power Points awarded because rasch187's points are already fully charged.

*dead

This video has been declared non-functional; embed code must be fixed within 2 days or it will be sent to the dead pool - declared dead by jonny.