Belly Of The Beast: Illicit Photos From Inside The Soviet Ekranoplan

[rpannier]

https://www.rferl.org/a/photographer-sneaks-inside-the-legendary-soviet-ekranoplan/30777774.html


This is the Lun-class ekranoplan, a formerly top-secret Soviet naval vessel that could skim just above the waves at jet-plane speeds, evading radar and anti-ship mines.


The vehicle made use of the so-called “ground effect” -- a cushion of high pressure that forms under the wings of extremely low-flying aircraft, boosting speed and lift. Wave-skimming seabirds can often be seen utilizing the same phenomenon.


This summer, Russian urban explorer Lana Sator, 31, read about the ekranoplan being towed by sea to Derbent, a city in Daghestan, where it is due to be moved into a "patriotic park” and put on permanent display.


Controls inside the ekranoplan

[brush]

1. What an ungainly looking thing. Guess it didn't work too well for it to be put out of service...

and never coming to light to much of the West.

Successful planes are usually gracefully designed—airflow and all around them.

[Codeine]

2. It's not really a plane, though.

Ground effects vehicles are their own thing, really; neither plane nor boat nor hovercraft but rather something in the middle of an overlapping Venn diagram of all those things. It flies just over the surface of the water, exploiting the physics of ground effects while remaining well under most radar detection.

The Lun-class was fairly impressive for what it was, as was the “Caspian Sea Monster” ekranoplan prototype that preceded it, but it came about just as the Soviet Union collapsed and was the victim of the resulting lack of funding. It also has a fairly limited application in terms of operational area — pretty awesome on the Caspian Sea, but that’s a finite space.

[brush]

4. It's ugly as hell though. Wouldn't the superstructure, or whatever the architecture of the...

craft is called above the ground effects components, wouldn't the craft, if streamlined, have less air resistance and thus be even more efficient?

[Codeine]

11. I don't pretend to get the physics

of fluid dynamics but most aircraft designers do, so I imagine our layman’s understanding isn’t applicable.

[JHB]

12. The Lun's military role was to make long-distance stikes at aircraft carriers

The cylindrical things on top are missile launchers, and the bulbs on the tail are probably radars set high for maximum line-of-sight.

Ekranoplans had their strengths and weaknesses, but were never developed in the West because the major navies were large enough to cover the strengths by conventional means, without the weaknesses. The Soviets couldn't match that, so tried out more exotic, specialized methods. Plus, of course, politics were involved.

Decent overview here:

[SiliconValley_Dem]

3. great catnip for the Russophiles on this site

[BannonsLiver]

5. Sometimes I forget those actually exist

Anglophiles, Francophiles might be the most common I’d think. I’ve never known a Russophile. Different strokes for different folks, I guess. Definitely not my thing.

[SiliconValley_Dem]

7. yes--many Russia lovers and actual Russians frequent this site

[Codeine]

9. I just like cool machines.

Your insinuations are unwelcome.

[KG]

10. I lulz'd

[captain queeg]

6. Cool idea and exceptional performance. On smooth water.

Funding cut before that could be addressed. I always wonder if that could have been fixed.

[SiliconValley_Dem]

8. doubtful.Soviet Union was a disaster