A bizarre cross between a hovercraft and an airplane, developed during the Cold War mainly by the Soviet Union. They hover and skim above the water surface at speeds of up to 250 miles an hour, they carry heavier loads of cargo and troops than any airplane - the Ekranoplans, or "Wing-in-Ground" (WIG) vehicles are possibly the most exciting and strange looking technology ever designed by men.Developed mostly by Soviets during Cold Wars years (by Rostislav Alexeev's design firm) some of them were over 500 feet in length and had an estimated weight of over 500 tons! And yet they skimmed over the waves with grace, at high speeds, able to negotiate stormy conditions, unseen by radar - all thanks to an aerodynamic principle known as the "ground effect".
These are some funky looking planes. Hopefully in class this year we'll get ot cover some of the Cold War and the technologies that were being developed. This post has numerous pictures and even a video post within it. Definitely worth a look.
Click on the post title to learn more about Ekronoplans.
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