OT: do you suppose this thing ever really flew?

[Daddy Dee]

http://igor113.livejournal.com/51213.html

It's a weird looking rascal, a sea plane with alot of armament.

Anyone who knows anything about it would be most welcome to comment.

[MrMcGoo]

daddy,

I have sent the picture (url) to a friend that is super fluent in Russian. His father was a red air force general, so he has some interest in these things. I will report back with his comments.

Bill

[Marvel]

Check out some of these.

http://fiveprime.org/hivemind/Tags/ekranoplan

[DizRotus]

My guess is that it flew, but it's seriously UGLY.

Things like that remind me of why Cosmonauts had to be some of the bravest people on Earth. To allow yourself to be shot into space by a country that couldn't build a decent copy of a 56 Packard, took real nerve.

[Marvel]

Dee - this goes with your pictures... the google language translation is pretty good

-----------------

Here
are my hands and came up ekranoplana.Ya break the story about him for 3
or 4 parts: 1-ekranoplan outside (1 or 2 parts) 2-ekranoplan inside,
3-docking the craft.

In
1987, the water went Lun first ship of a series of military
missile-carrying WIG weighing 400 tons was the chief designer Vladimir
Kirillov. The ship was armed with three pairs of cruise missile 3M80 or 80M "Mosquito" (the NATO designation SS-N-22 Sunburn). The
second "Lun" also found a missile carrier, but the outbreak conversion
brought about changes, and it planned to build a rescue.

LTH:

Modification Lun

Wingspan, m 44.00

Length, m 73.80

Height, m 19.20

Wing area, m2 550.00

Weight, kg

Empty aircraft 243000

Maximum takeoff 380000

Type 8 turbojet engine NK-87

Thrust, kgf 8 x 13000

Maximum speed, km / h 500

Range, km 2000

Height of the flight on the screen, 1.5 m

Seaworthiness, 5.6 points

Crew 10

Armament: 6 IP PKR ZM-80 Mosquito

[Marvel]

This page has info about the ones built... only supposed to fly a three meters above the water.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ground_effect_vehicle

[DrWho]

That's insane if that actually flew []

[jacksonbart]

The Soviets deployed about 30 of these things on a base located on the shore of the Caspian Sea. Not really effective.

What I want to know is would this plane hover if placed in a Giant Lap pool with an adjustable H2O current which was pushing water in the oppose direction with the same force that the plane was moving forward.

[germerikan]

Only if they changed out all wiring to 99,9999999999999% silver tungsten legierung!!

[jacksonbart]

Now this is a fairly large plane.

[MrMcGoo]

The ugly duckling, colloquially known as the Caspian Sea Monster, flew a few feet above the water. It used ground effect to fly low to avoid radar detection. It carried 6 anti-ship missles.

I thought the US military was inefficient, but this thing takes the cake. A $1,000 hammer is nothing in comparison to the Sea Monster.

Bill

[mungkiman]

The History Channel did a show on the Caspian Sea Monster, which is on youtube in 3 parts. I thought 2/3 was quite interesting.

[Andy W]

Check out some of these.

http://fiveprime.org/hivemind/Tags/ekranoplan

Look in row six picture four.

Looks like the same one Dee posted... I'm guessing less emphasis on fly, more emphasis on really fast on or just above the water.

[Andy W]

The History Channel did a show on the Caspian Sea Monster, which is on youtube in 3 parts. I thought 2/3 was quite interesting.

Look @ 8:33 in this video. The rearward tubes are missle launchers.

[Hifi jim]

Didn't those Russians learn anything from our Spruce Goose? I mean, I know nothing about aeronautics but even I have weird feeling that thing wouldn't get off the ground.

[seti]

Actually this did not technically fly. It sort of skimmed over the top of the water perhaps 10+ft over the water. The history channel did a special on it years ago. They had spy photos and a movie clip of it in action. It would come in under radar.

Forget flying can you believe it floated!

BTW this was the smaller one [:|]

[ZAKO]

Yes it flew,,,, If you have enough power you can fly a brick,,,,Plus a gun to your head.

[DrWho]

The History Channel did a show on the Caspian Sea Monster, which is on youtube in 3 parts. I thought 2/3 was quite interesting.

Interesting, thanks for sharing.

I wonder what kind of fuel consumption was necessary for those fast speeds...?

[seti]

The History Channel did a show on the Caspian Sea Monster, which is on youtube in 3 parts. I thought 2/3 was quite interesting.

Look @ 8:33 in this video. The rearward tubes are missle launchers.

Thanks for the links. The soviet era experimental weapons are always interesting. A buddy of mine has been buying Soviet space memorabilia. Interesting stuff on the market the last couple years.

[oldtimer]

It has a certain beauty in it's ungainliness. Purpose built typical russian. They never did have their own design houses like Bertone or Pininfarina.