…was watching the History channel about this incredible vehicle the Russian hierarchy was developing…
this and it’s subsequent versions are well…whewwwwwwwww…
for the pics half way down the page…the red x’s will open the pics…they do work…
http://www.se-technology.com/wig/html/main.php?open=showcraft&code=0&craft=24
Hi Rik,
Yes, I saw the same presentation… that thing would make an AWESOME addition to my collection!! [:D]
Thanks for the link, it’s bookmarked for future reference! [;)]
Take care,
Frank
what is that thing exactly?
Well, it’s what is called a GEV, standing for Ground Effect Vehicle. I know it looks like an airplane but it really isn’t, if you do have to compare it to something else, you should compare it to a hovercraft.
It can’t get higher in the air than a few dozens of feet, since it relies on the “aircushen” that is created by the “wings”, unlike a conventional airplane that get’s “sucked” in the air by the vacuum on the topside of the wings.
Don’t want to start any rumours or anything, but a friend of a friend says Trumpeter will release a kit of this craft in 1/24 scale. Should make an impressive model !! [:-^][:-^]
Regards, Rick
Man, that wouldn’t probably even fit in my livingroom. Have you got any idea of the size of that thing ? They don’t call it a “monster” for nothing. Even the “smallest” version would still be over 12 feet long !!!
size does matter…huh[:-^]
part of the narrative gave the weight of the Ekranoplan (as it was callled)…as some 540 Tons…some 140 tons heavier than a loaded B-747…& standing 5 stories to the top of the tail plane…
there are some other websites or join that one and get all the specifications you can handle…
1/24th model of that thing !!!..where ya gonna build it ?
I am sure that all of you know that there is a 1/144 model of one of the sea monsters by Revell. I personally would rush out and buy the kit if it was in 1/72nd. As it is I will probably think about scratch building it at some time in the future which, of course, means that there will be an immediate release of an injection molded kit in that scale.
Richard
It was called the Ekronoplan, but I may have botched the spelling a little. It flew, as noted above, in ground effect, I think about 50-100 feet over the water. It was reputed to carry over 300 troops and their gear, as well as a whole bunch of tanks and other carg. It got the name of Caspian Sea Monster when the first Keyhole satellite photos of it in a drydock were beamed down, and no one in the CIA had a clue what to make of it. But what was truly amazing was that someone in the National Reconnaisance Office finally figured out what it was, just using his knowledge of flight and clues in Russian journals, as well as a little guessing. The program was finally killed basically for politcal reasons after a big turf war among the Soviet military branches, and its designer, who was also the program director, was fired, and later died, his daughter believed, of a broken heart. However, several smaller proof-of-concept versions of the beast were made and may very well survive. It was capable of doing well over 300 knots, and I believe there was at least one crash of the giants, blamed on pilot inexperience. Imagine having a huge fleet of such craft in a D-day type landing. They could cross the channel in ten minutes, assuming they weren’t nuked in their moorings before the got off the ground…er, water.
Tom
all i can say is wow. and no dont want to build that one. no room for it.
joe
The 1/144 Revell kit is discontinued so if you find it, grab it…! It does require quite a bit of work though…
The KM (the biggest of all Ekranoplanes) would e a fantastic addition to my collection… But there’s only one option at the moment: scratch…!
The Caspian Sea Monster, also a Ekranoplane, had 10 jet engines, each developping about 26,000 pounds of thrust allowing this massive machine (quite longer than a Jumbo jet, with a hull of over 90 meters long, and a max weight of 544 tons -that’s bigger than a Jumbo too at 393 tons! -) to glide at just a few feet over the surface of the water… Each of the four engines of a Jumbo (747-400) developps at least 57,000 of thrust.
