Ekranoplana

The ship airplane on effect of the screen

Ekranoplan belongs to the class of sea vessels as it is capable to move in close proximity to a surface ─ to two-three tens meters (this value in many respects depends on the ship sizes). Such device is capable to slide over the water or land surface, using screen effect at which lifting force is provided with the nabegayemy air flow forcing pressure under the ship. Most often ekranoplana are used over a surface of the water as, unlike terrestrial, it is more uniform on height.

Value for military

Ekranoplana profitable differ from the normal ships in the fact that are capable to gather speed to 250 nodes (460 kilometers per hour), and their movement is almost not limited ─ the seas, the rivers, the marshland, snow, ices and even the land are capable to serve for creation of "screen". Besides, unlike airplanes, ekranoplana are more hardy, economic and capable to accept aboard loads, big on weight. At the same time such devices do not need coastal infrastructure ─ for landing to them enough to have only the water area suitable by the sizes or the land area.

Till certain time serious restriction of ekranoplan was the seaworthiness which as a rule did not exceed three points (wave height up to 0.6 meters), however with creation of the shock device "Lun" weather borders of use of the ships were moved apart. Ekranoplan of "Lun" could move on "screen" at nervousness of the sea to six points (at wave height up to 4-6 meters).

Such vessels are of special interest for military as allow to throw loads and a landing, and quicker, than by the ships. At the same time, owing to flight at small height, ekranoplana are almost not noticeable to radars and also are unreceptive to antiship mines. A separate type of ekranoplan are aerodynamic ground-effect crafts ─ the same devices, but with more extended wings thanks to which they can "come off" the screen and pass into the plane mode, rising by height to six thousand meters.

In armed forces of the USSR ekranoplana were going to be used in landing transactions, for cargo delivery and also in the anti-submarine and antiship purposes. Also Robert Bartini's project on creation of the strategic A-57 aerodynamic ground-effect craft bomber is known. There were projects of ekranoplanov-aircraft carriers the and also ships capable to serve as starting and the airfield for space "Snow-storm" shuttles.

Application in the civil purposes

In addition to military application, ekranoplana can be useful also in civil area today. In particular, the international routes of such devices will be much shorter used by the railroads or the ships. Ekranoplana will be useful also when holding rescue operations as the normal ships have no rather high speed, and helicopters ─ big spaciousness. In northern regions of the country of an ekranoplana will allow to organize year-round cargo transportation.

History

2010

The plan of resuming of construction of ekranoplan for the state program in Russia

In July, 2010 it became known that the Russian CDB of Alekseev which received the application of the government in the next several years will resume production of ekranoplan which stopped in the early nineties. It is going to resume project and developmental works in two stages, last of which will begin in 2012. However, when in Russia there will be a new "Caspian monster", specialists do not speak yet.

According to Central design bureau of Alekseev, during 2010-2011 project and research works will be carried out. Since 2012 the second, longer stage during which there will take place developmental works will begin and creation of a prototype of a large ekranoplan will begin. According to the head of quality of CDB Alekseev of Evgeny Meleshko, "most of specialists of the enterprise will work on this subject".

Russia wins first place on the volume of the acquired technologies in the field of the "screen" ships so far. Especially, if to speak about large load-lifting vessels. But such state of affairs without serious intervention in the next years can be changed.

Developments of private companies in Russia

For 2010 developments in the field of an ekranoplanostroyeniye in Russia are conducted by private companies on own means. In 2000 the experimental design bureau of "Sukhoy" provided the S-90 aerodynamic ground-effect craft capable to transport up to 4.5 tons of loads at the height from 0.5 to 4000 meters. Flying range of the device makes about three thousand kilometers.

Arctic Trade and Transport Company is engaged in release of passenger five-seater ekranoplan Aquaglide-5, and the Moscow NPK "Track" Oriole makes ekranoplana. The last are already employed in the Ministry of Emergency Situations.

In CDB Alekseeva ekranoplana Volga-2, "Rocket-2" and Martin are issued at this time.

The special attention is deserved by the Neptune Be-2500 project of the Taganrog aviation scientific and technical complex of Beriyev. Within the project the superheavy seaplane aerodynamic ground-effect craft with a loading capacity up to one thousand tons is created. The scope of a wing of such device will be 125 meters, and fuselage length ─ 115 meters. In the screen mode it will be able to gather speed to 450 kilometers per hour, and in aircraft ─ up to 750 kilometers per hour. Flying range of the device will make about 16 thousand kilometers.

As the foreign companies copy the Soviet experience

The USSR was the only state in the world which developed and constructed ekranoplana. Many foreign companies conduct own developments in the field of ekranoplan, using the Soviet practices.

For 2010 in the USA several private companies releasing two-seat passenger devices are engaged in creation of ekranoplan. In 2004 the Boeing concern began project implementation of Pelican within which it is going to construct the world's largest ekranoplan. The scope of his wings will be 152 meters, and fuselage length ─ 122 meters. The device will be able to gather speed to 240 nodes (445 kilometers per hour) and to transport loads weighing up to 1.2 thousand tons, for example, of 17 M1 Abrams tanks and a landing. Flying range of an ekranoplan should make about 16 thousand kilometers.

Own developments are also conducted by China which already created civil ekranoplan Tianyi-1. This ekranoplan made the first flight in 1998, and since 2000 went on open sale. In addition to it also passenger-and-freight device Tianxiang-2 was created and 50-seater Tianxiang-5 is created. Researches in the field of an ekranoplanostroyeniye are also conducted by Japan, South Korea, Germany, New Zealand and Australia. As expected, the first own device will be tested by South Korea ─ in 2012.

2007: The Minister of Defence Sergei Ivanov speaks about need to revive an ekranoplanostroyeniye

The need to revive the ekranoplanostroyeniye industry at the beginning of 2007 was expressed by the Minister of Defence Sergei Ivanov of that time. At the same time he announced that the target state program within which in Nizhny Novgorod production of the courts using effect of the screen will be developed will be created. So it was talked just of CDB Alekseeva located in Nizhny Novgorod.

1997: A paid excursion to Kaspiysk for Americans

In the 1990s, with the permission of the State committee on defense industry and the Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation, CDB Alekseeva organized for the American specialists an excursion to base in Kaspiysk where Eaglet was prepared for a departure ekranoplan. It was authorized to western specialists to conduct photo and video filming. The cost of such excursion was about two hundred thousand dollars.

1992

The Russian designer Sinitsyn passes with patents into the company on Taiwan

On Taiwan development of ekranoplan began thanks to the former designer of CDB Alekseeva Dmitry Sinitsyn who in 1992 passed to work into Taiwanese company of Amphistar. Under the terms of the employment contract, Sinitsyn received financing, and in exchange assigned the companies patents and the rights to the created vehicles. In case of the financing termination all rights and patents returned to the designer. The devices Amphistar released in 2010 are capable to gather speed to 150 kilometers per hour and to fly over up to 600 kilometers on distance.

Stop of creation of ekranoplan in the USSR

In the USSR production of ekranoplan began in 1957 and almost completely stopped in the early nineties. About 30 such devices which were used for the benefit of the Ministry of Defence were during this time constructed. The most known courts are Eaglet aerodynamic ground-effect crafts and the shock Lun ekranoplan-rocket carrier.

1986: Descent to water of the shock Lun ekranoplana-rocket carrier

Ekranoplan was constructed by Lun in a single copy and enlisted in the structure of the Black Sea Fleet (it is written off in the 1990s).

Shock Lun ekranoplan-rocket carrier of development of CDB Alekseeva

"Лунь", created by CDB Alekseeva, it was capable to move with a speed up to 500 kilometers per hour to distance to two thousand kilometers. The device was armed with six supersonic anti-ship Mosquito ZM-80 cruise missiles.

1980: Accident of an ekranoplan of "KM"

The ekranoplan of "KM" was tested within 15 years. In 1980 the prototype of the ship crashed and sank then the project was closed. According to different versions, the conflict between the developer ─ Rostislav Alekseev ─ and the minister of the ship-building industry of the USSR Boris Butoma became the reason of it.

"The Caspian monster" there was a pilot error which at take-off too highly raised a nose of an ekranoplan therefore the machine almost vertically went up. For correction of a situation the pilot reduced draft of engines and mistakenly worked an elevator therefore "KM" was filled up on the left wing, hit against water and drowned. According to designers and testers, "The Caspian monster" was very hardy and "it was necessary to make something outstanding to ruin him".

1973: Creation of the Eaglet aerodynamic ground-effect craft

The "eaglets" developed by CDB Alekseeva in the early seventies were capable to gather speed to 500 kilometers per hour and to transport a landing and loads on distance up to 1.5 thousand kilometers. The device intended first of all for transportation of 200 fighters and two armored vehicles. Capability to pass into the plane mode was distinctive feature of Eaglet and also to perform landing not only to water, but also to the land that considerably facilitated carrying out landing transactions.

1966: "KM" - the first-ever flight of an ekranoplan

In the 1960th years CDB Alekseeva created and tested on the Caspian Sea experimental ekranoplan, christened by the western intelligence agencies "The Caspian monster" ─ so investigation decrypted an abbreviation of "KM" (Ship model) onboard the vessel^[1]. Ekranoplan had scope of a wing 37.6 meters, length about hundred meters, and the maximum take-off weight of 544 tons.

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