Lets see if you can Id this monster
Its the russian Ekranoplan. It uses the wash off the ground to keep itself aloft and can move at incredible speeds. there was a prototype with Missile pods along the spine.
Ditto! Lun-class Ekranoplan, AKA the Caspian Sea Monster.
Bizarre looking from that angle.
Actually, it’s bizarre looking from every angle.
Have a look at the following website where there are a few more photos. To get an idea as to how big the Ekranoplan is, look at the fifth picture down the page where the crew(?) is stood/sat on the wing and forward jet turbines. This thing is huge.
http://www.gamellama.net/amazing/machines/ekranoplan-caspian-sea-monster.html
RODC
I just opened Google Earth and typed in Kaspiysk. When you zoom in to the dock facilities, you can actually see the Caspian Sea Monster moored.
RODC
Google Earth is just TOO COOL sometimes!
I’d say…if you want to see something really cool, type in Davis-Monthan Airforce Base, zoom in to about 1000m elevation and scan to your northeast. Holy [cnsod], there are acres upon acres of mothballed American military planes there. Quite the site!
RODC
Yes, Davis-Monthan AB is truly an impressive sight!
Here’s some links to things found on Google Earth:
Same place, only focused on military aircraft in flight:
http://www.gearthhacks.com/dlcat24/Aircraft-in-flight.htm
The above site, featuring the airport to avoid! Look at all those wrecks!:
http://googlesightseeing.com/2009/10/07/luzamba-airport-plane-wreck-central/
I have spent HOURS trolling around looking at stuff on GE!
How did they come up with this stuff???[8-)]
Of course, if you just want one to zip around the lake on…
“The Russian ekranoplan Aquaglide”
Maybe the designers watched Thunderbirds a lot when they were kids. [clwn]
That is bizarre!
If you go to Davis-Monthan Airforce Base on G E, go to the corner of South Kolb rd. & East Escalante rd.
Looking at it from above you see a couple of KC-135’s (I’m guessing)and a few C-130’s & A-10’s in different spots. If you go into street view, you see a bunch of C-130’s . [:^)]
Art
The Russians also devised this “tank” during WW I. Referred to as the “Czar”. Check the man on top for comparison.
What is amazing to me is this thing actually flew. I saw some films of it in action and was truly amazed. I think gone are the days of experimentation with big projects. Heck, the prez wants to get rid of big SUVs [:'(]
A complete walk around can be found here, there are 3 pages IIRC.
He also has a walk around of the Typhoon Sub.
E…
What a great link!! Thanks for posting it. [t$t]
I’m going to guess that it would have been quite a rush to have been seated at the forward gunners position during a launch of those forward missile tubes. [:|]
Art
Don’t mean to be a jerk or anything, but what a pile of junk!
When that “thing” first showed up on overhead imagery, we called it, “The Caspian Sea Monster”. It is nice to see some close up photos of the beast. The Russkis definately built some weird machines.
Darwin, O.F. [aln]
When I had an opportunity to do so ,I visited a friend from VLADIVOSTOK and boy, did he have some pictures of really weird stuff.The EKRONOPLAN was the biggest of the weirdos next to the TYPHOON of course.He was proud of it! He also said that if the old SOVIET UNION had done more of these weirdo things they would,ve broke up a lot sooner!! Something about money!! They had some weird ships in the works too.They thought about redoing the idea the JAPANESE used in the AKAGI early in her life(1927) She then had what amounted to three flight decks.Can you imagine a tri-decked carrier the size or bigger thn our nuclear carriers? That would be weird!!!