The Caspian monster is back in action. Ekranoplan "Lun" - a thunderstorm of ships and a sea rescuer

Moscow is conducting development work to create a new generation of ekranoplans - hybrids of a ship and an aircraft that once terrified the US military. They may again appear in service with the Navy.
This was announced at a joint meeting of the expert council under the State Duma Committee on Industry and experts of the League for Assistance to Defense Enterprises, the general director of the association "Cosmonautics to Humanity" Albert Nikitin.
According to him, Russia has developed a project for the creation and use of ekranoplanes until 2050.

He recalled that, by order of the Ministry of Defense, the Alekseev Design Bureau carried out research work to study the existing problematic issues in the aerodynamics and hydrodynamics of ekranoplanes, and is also working on its appearance. “The work has been completed, it has been accepted by the military department, but it has not made a final conclusion on the appearance of these ships,” the expert said.

“Ekranoplanes are a brilliant development,” Vladimir Gutenev, First Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Committee on Industry, supports his colleague. - “As a prolonged option, it can also help with communication between Crimea and the rest of Russia, in other sectors. In November, we will hold a round table to analyze the current state of developments, calculate their economic relevance and assess in which industries this development can be useful to our country. We will work out the issue of the need to create ekranoplanes for the needs of national security. They can be useful to the Ministry of Defense because of their stealth and their speed.”

Flying on the waves

The ekranoplan is an indisputable "know-how" of the Russian industry, which makes us not only the first, but in general the only one in the world that has managed to master the technology of crossing a ship and an aircraft. From the first - the ekranoplan inherited the carrying capacity, from the second - the speed. In addition, the hybrid is also environmentally friendly. Unlike conventional ships and vessels, it flies like an airplane over water, without creating waves that can destroy the coastline. Able to go to an unequipped gentle coast, “fly” over ice or tundra.

The technology of ekranoplans - ships on dynamic air cushions was developed by academician Rostislav Alekseev more than half a century ago. Ships, more like passenger planes, moved above the sea at a certain height, thanks to the effect of an aerodynamic screen, which made it possible to reach speeds of hundreds of kilometers per hour.

In Soviet times, as always, the military were the first to take advantage of this. The command of the Navy saw in the aircraft-ship the very trump card that would allow minimizing US hegemony in the field of aircraft carrier formations. Landing ekranoplan "Eaglet", shock "Lun" had a speed of 500 km per hour. For comparison: for US nuclear aircraft carriers, it does not exceed 70 km per hour. So, with all the desire to "escape" from the Russian aircraft-ship, they simply could not. Launched in 1986, the Lun flew 2,000 km and carried a load of 140 tons.

Sunburn

But not only speed made the Lun so dangerous for the American fleet. Its main weapon was the 3M80 Moskit supersonic cruise missiles. On the "Moon" there were 6 of them. For comparison, the main carriers of these missiles in the Soviet Navy were destroyers 955 of the Sovremenny type project. There are 8 of them on the ship. But the destroyer's speed is only 35 knots. So, in conditions of prompt response to emerging threats, it is not as effective as an ekranoplan.

Each Mosquito is the size of a fighter jet. It flies at a distance of almost 200 km. On each nuclear or high-explosive warhead weighing up to half a ton. The speed of the missiles is such that they are not seen by radar. In addition, the rocket constantly changes its altitude and direction of flight, writing out an intricate “snake” above the water, sharply gaining and dropping altitude, making the so-called “slide”, as a result of which it completely merges with the environment.

According to the sailors, the Mosquito can be seen only under the very side of the ship, when it is already physically impossible to dodge a meeting with this machine. For the speed, unpredictability of flight and destructive power, the Mosquito was nicknamed in the West "Sunburn" - "Sunburn". And the “Lun” itself, for dimensions comparable to the destroyer - “Caspian Monster” (ships were tested in Soviet times on the Caspian Sea). However, the “monster” did not leave the Caspian Sea, remaining one of the horror stories of the Cold War era and the confrontation between East and West.

well forgotten old

“The theme of ekranoplanes has not gone beyond the experimental,” explained Igor Kasatonov, former deputy commander-in-chief of the Navy, to the ZVEZDA TV channel. The admiral found both ships when he commanded the Black Sea Fleet of the USSR, to which the Caspian Monsters were assigned. - Their main problem is reliability. In addition, it was not possible to combine the concept of the cost of the project, its effectiveness and expediency, which later determined the fate of the ships.

According to Kasatonov, with the "paper-theoretical" beauty of the project, in practice, ekranoplanes turned out to be extremely inefficient. In the post-Soviet period, "Lun" and "Eaglet" went on the "needles". However, the idea of ​​high-speed, heavy-duty maritime communication still hovers in the minds of Russian leaders.

Vladimir Gutenev is one of the enthusiasts of the revival of a unique direction in shipbuilding, where Russia is the undisputed world leader. Moreover, the creation of ekranoplans fits into the concept of "transport accessibility", actively promoted by the government several recent years. Its essence is to create the possibility of unimpeded movement of the country's population to its most inaccessible regions. The capabilities of the ekranoplan make it possible to connect St. Petersburg and Kaliningrad, cut off from "continental" Russia by two borders, Kamchatka, Sakhalin, the Kuril Islands with Vladivostok.

“This project is of particular importance for the development of Siberia, Far East and northern regions of the country, - says Albert Nikitin. - In particular, on the Siberian rivers, in the coastal areas of the Northern Sea Route.

That is why ekranoplanes are seen today by designers, first of all, as a passenger transport. The most promising projects of these aircraft-ships can carry from 40 to 200 passengers, or from 50 to 600 tons, fly at a speed of 500 km per hour and not be afraid of a 3-meter wave. By the way, in the West there are no similar ships with a displacement of more than 5 tons.

Now the Alekseev Central Design Bureau for Hydrofoils is developing the A-050 marine passenger ekranoplan, which can reach speeds of 450 km per hour and take 100 passengers on board. CEO bureau Sergey Platonov stated that the preparation of a prototype passenger ekranoplan should be completed by 2017. By order of the Ministry of Industry and Trade, the ORION Ekranoplan Construction Association created the first working prototype of the Sterkh-10 ekranoplan. The ministry allocated about 70 million rubles for the development of a prototype. The machine weighing 10 tons is designed for flights at a height of up to 6 m and is capable of carrying up to 20 people.

Dreams and reality

“Full-scale development work on “large” ekranoplanes has been envisaged by the state armaments program since 2016, but without an understanding of the appearance, of course, it is not advisable to deploy such work,” says deputy Gutenev. According to him, it is necessary to additionally work out at least three problematic issues.

The first is that today there is a very high degree of technical risks from the creation of ekranoplanes. Therefore, not only scientific, but also technical study of the possibility of its creation is required. The place of ekranoplanes in the system of combat use of the Russian Armed Forces has not been determined either.

“This is connected, first of all, with the creation of interspecific groupings of troops and forces,” explains Gutenev. - The Ministry of Industry and Trade has developed a project for the development of ekranoplanes for military and civil purposes. This project is being worked out jointly with the Ministry of Defense, and based on the results of this study, final decisions will be made on the opening of the ROC for the military departments.

“The ekranoplan is very expensive to operate,” states Admiral Igor Kasatonov. - "Lun", for example, set in motion 8 aircraft engines. In the same Kerch Strait, it is simply useless. It takes 30-40 minutes to walk from one coast to the other. In addition, serious navigational activity, in which it is dangerous to launch a ship at a speed of 500 km per hour. In military terms, the use of such ships, if the enemy has powerful space and radar means of space control, aviation groupings, is also doubtful. The ekranoplan will not be allowed to turn around in the sea as soon as they are quickly discovered and counteracted, the admiral emphasizes.

Whatever it was, but the effect of "dynamic pillows" seems to have seriously captured the minds of parliamentarians and designers.
Even if ekranoplans never return to the Navy as strike units, then in the civilian sector of the economy they will find their application.

Under the only condition that the new generation of aircraft-ships will become more economical than their predecessors "Caspian monsters" of the USSR.

"Caspian monster": the thunderstorm of the American fleet returns to service in the Russian Navy

The ekranoplan “Lun” is one of the projects of a promising type of weapon, created in the 80s in the USSR. Abroad, these machines were admired for their unusual appearance, and, without exaggeration, they were feared because of their impressive capabilities.

But due to changes in the country, at first they wanted to convert this combat vehicle from a ship destroyer into their rescuer, and then they left it undeservedly to rust at one of the factories. This article is devoted to the history of this unique aircraft.

The history of the development of ekranoplanes

At the beginning of the 20th century, during the active development of aviation, it was discovered interesting phenomenon associated with the behavior of the aircraft in the air. The first pilots noticed and tested it on themselves.

The phenomenon was as follows - when landing or flying at low altitude over a smooth surface, the aircraft began to behave differently - an increase in speed and a decrease in fuel consumption were noticed. But at the same time, some force prevented the aircraft from landing, as if repelling the plane from the ground, which made it difficult to land and more than once led to accidents. This phenomenon was called the “screen effect”, which later became the basis for movement for a new type of aircraft, called ekranoplanes.

Projects of such aircraft were developed by engineers in many countries of the world, but most of all in the development of this type of transport they succeeded in the USSR.

Since the 50s in the Soviet Union, a number of design bureaus began experimenting with the screen effect, which led to the creation of prototypes of such machines. The pinnacle of the development of Soviet ekranoplans are several types of heavy vehicles that have been developed since the 60s, one of which was the ekranoplan-missile carrier "Lun" of project 903 "Caspian Monster".

The development of ekranoplanes in the USSR

The main driving force behind the development of ekranoplanes in the USSR can be considered the Central Design Bureau for Hydrofoils (SPK) by Rostislav Alekseev, which began work on this type of transport in the 50s. In the early 60s, this design bureau presented the first self-propelled models of SM-1 and SM-2 ekranoplanes. They were aircraft 20 meters long, driven by a single turbojet engine and a crew of three.

Despite a number of minor accidents, the tests of these devices were considered successful and were approved by high-ranking officials of the country. Their flight was demonstrated by D.F. Ustinov and N.S. Khrushchev, who were impressed by the tests. Perhaps due to this, state programs were soon approved, involving the development of combat ekranoplans, intended mainly for the navy. In 1962, the same Central Design Bureau for the SPK began work on the creation of a heavy ekranoplan KM, and in 1964 - the T-1 project, intended for the Navy.

KM tests started in 1966. It had amazing dimensions and characteristics - length 92 m, wingspan - 37 m, take-off weight - 544 tons. the best carrying capacity among aircraft (before the appearance of the An-225 Mriya). The Americans were also impressed with this ekranoplan, giving it the nickname “Caspian Monster”.

The T-1 project, later called the Eaglet, was sent for testing in 1972, and 7 years later the machine entered service with the Soviet Navy. This ekranoplan was intended for the transfer of troops - it could accommodate up to 200 infantrymen or 2 armored personnel carriers. 5 of these machines were built.

In addition to the landing Orlyonok, the fleet also needed a combat model capable of withstanding enemy ships.

They became the impact ekranoplan-missile carrier "Lun", work on which began at the Central Design Bureau in the 70s.

History of creation

The project assignment for the development of the ekranoplan-missile carrier "Lun" was issued in 1970 by the Central Design Bureau for the SEC. V.N. was appointed chief designer. Kirillov. The task involved the creation of a heavy ekranoplan weighing more than 200 tons, capable of carrying ZM-80 Moskito anti-ship missiles.

By 1980, the technical documentation was ready and the development of working drawings began. During the development, the designers actively used the results of previous developments on KM and Orlyonok, in particular, many on-board systems and control systems were borrowed, which significantly reduced the design time. Since 1983, the construction of the first sample began, and already in 1986 the Lun WIG was put into operation. Since 1987, tests began, and in 1990 - trial operation of the missile carrier.

Vladimir Nikolayevich Kirillov was born on March 30, 1931 in the village of Verkhoshizhemo. From his youth he was fond of yachting, in the yacht club he first met Rostislav Alekseev. Graduated from the shipbuilding faculty of the Nizhny Novgorod University. Since 1960, he began working at the Central Design Bureau for the SEC, successively promoted, and in 1976 he was appointed chief designer for the 903 Lun project. Kirillov considered ekranoplanes to be an advanced means of armament, which gave a great advantage in the arms race.

Vladimir Nikolaevich had high hopes for the Lun under construction and positioned it as a universal remedy against any enemy surface forces that existed at that time.

screen effect phenomenon

To begin with, it is worth telling how the ekranoplanes carry out their flight, and what difficulties are associated with this. Delving into the essence of the phenomenon, one can notice that mankind observed the screen effect long before the appearance of airplanes - it was used by some species of birds.

For example, seagulls, flying over the surface of the water, consciously descended to the very surface of the water and continued their flight like that. At the same time, it was noticeable that during such a flight, gulls began to flap their wings much less frequently. Thus, birds use the screen effect to facilitate flight and save energy. But how does this effect help them?

Let's understand the essence of this phenomenon.

It is based on the pressure difference above and below the wings (aircraft or bird). In simple terms, the change in pressure occurs as follows - during horizontal flight, the oncoming air flow, as it were, hits the surface of the wing and some of it goes down, under the wing itself.

When flying at altitude, this would have practically no effect, but when moving low over a smooth surface (ground, water, ice), the air flow that has gone down shields from the surface and returns back, as if pushing the wing from below, thereby increasing lift , which was used during the flight of birds.

The effectiveness of the screen effect depends on the following parameters:

• wing width (the larger it is, the more flow the wing will support, and the greater the effect);
• altitude and flight speed (the lower the flight and the lower the speed, the more efficient the flight).

But in the seeming simplicity of using this effect, which even birds have mastered, there are also difficulties. This is due to balancing and maneuvering when flying over the screen - even with a slight change in altitude or speed, the center of pressure of the ground effect also changes, which changes the balance of the aircraft and can create an unforeseen roll. Because of this, the same gulls, if they are going to change direction or dive for fish, first rise up from the water so that the screen effect does not cause inconvenience when maneuvering.

WIG design

Outwardly, the Lun resembles a large transport aircraft - a long and wide fuselage, wings with a large span, a large tail. But there are quite a few differences from the aircraft layout. “Lun” has a hull 73 m long and 19 m high.

The fuselage consists of panels made of aluminum-magnesium alloy, up to 12 mm thick.

The bottom of the hull, like ships, has a paint and varnish coating and electrochemical protection against corrosion. A few more “marine” features of the “Lun” - the lower part of the hull is closed with fairings, and there is also a hydro-ski on the bottom, designed to soften the landing on the water.

In front of the hull there is a pylon on which 8 traction motors are located. Their nozzles are set at an angle to the water, due to which the stream injected by them goes into the water and shields from it into the wings located slightly behind, due to which the screen effect is achieved in this case. The wings have a trapezoidal shape, their span is 44 m, the area is 550 m2, they also have flaps divided into 12 parts. The stabilizer is all-metal, its area is 227m2. Its ending is made of foam, lined with fiberglass.

On the fuselage of the ekranoplan, weapons are installed - three pairs of anti-ship missiles ZM-80 "Mosquito". Under the front pair is the cabin of the shooters-operators, in which there are GSh-23 aircraft guns. Behind the units are thermal protection sheets to protect the housing from high temperature when launching missiles. Another gunners' cabin with a cannon mount is located in the rear of the hull.

You can get inside the Lun in two ways - through the doors in the sides of the hull or through the hatch on the roof. The internal compartments are divided into 4 groups: bow, central, stern and keel compartments. In the bow are the cockpit and rooms with auxiliary power units.

In the central part there is a lot of equipment for the ekranoplan, as well as cabins and quarters for the crew.

The aft section is occupied by various equipment, in the keel area there is an installation for supplying the ekranoplan with electricity, as well as radio equipment and navigation aids, in the upper part of the keel there is a gunner's cabin.

Specifications

The Lun is powered by eight NK-87 bypass turbojet aircraft engines developed on the basis of Il-86 aircraft turbines. They have a takeoff thrust of 13,000 kgf, and with these engines, the Lun is capable of accelerating to 500 km/h, while its cruising range is 2,000 km. The weight of the empty car is 243 tons, and the maximum take-off is 380 tons. The crew consists of 10 people.

The main flight altitude of the ekranoplan is up to 10 m, but it can also fly off the screen at a height of up to 500 m. In practice, according to the stories of the pilots, in this flight mode the car became unstable and did not obey the rudders well, so it was planned to break away from the screen only in emergency cases.

Like all ekranoplans, in the screen mode “Lun” can fly not only over water, but also over any flat surface - for example, over ice or over the ground. But unlike the landing "Eaglet", the "Lun" does not have a landing gear, there is only a hydro-ski, because of this, it can only land on water. And therefore, a special floating dock was used to base it on land.

But thanks to the hydro-ski, “Lun” could be operated at high waves of water - up to 5-6 points, against 3-4 for “Eaglet”.

Consider the armament of the ekranoplan in more detail. It consists of six supersonic low-altitude anti-ship missiles ZM-80 Moskit. They are intended to destroy surface ships with a displacement of up to 20 thousand tons. The range of destruction of missiles is from 10 to 250 km.

Characteristics of anti-ship missiles "Mosquito":

• Rocket flight height: 7-20 m.
• Launch height: 20 m.
• Launch range: up to 250 km.
• The maximum flight speed of the rocket: M = 2.8.
• Rate of fire during salvo launch: 5 sec.

It was believed that four of these missiles would be enough to destroy any potential enemy ship, including an aircraft carrier. Also, one of the advantages of "Lun" is the possibility of launching these missiles on the move. In addition to missiles, the ekranoplan has auxiliary weapons - two installations with twin 23-mm 2-barreled aircraft guns GSh-23, which are located in the bow and stern.

Another important characteristic of the machine is its stealth for radar. In general, it is inherent in almost all ekranoplans and consists in the fact that their flight altitude is too low for aviation radars to detect them. For marine locators, they also remain invisible, since they do not touch the water surface during the flight.

According to test pilots, during tests in the Caspian Sea, they flew near the location of the missile division against low-flying targets, and they really could not detect the ekranoplan on radar, although they saw it visually.

Comparison with analogues

Speaking about the issue of comparing the “Lun” with analogues, there is not much to compare it with - except for the USSR, no one made heavy ekranoplans, and according to its purpose, “Lun” can generally be called the only combat ekranoplan in the world (the Soviet KM and Orlyonok were rather than transportation).

But let's take a look at the characteristics of the "Lun" in comparison with its "progenitor" - the KM ekranoplan. And also compare it with the Boeing Pelican, an American cargo ekranoplane developed by Boeing since the late 90s, but which was never built even as a prototype. In comparison with the KM, the Lun wins in range and smaller dimensions, but loses in carrying capacity, since it was not originally conceived as a transport vehicle.

But in comparison with the Boeing Pelican, even the monstrous KM pales. The carrying capacity of the Pelican was supposed to be more than 1000 tons, and its cargo compartment was supposed to accommodate up to 17 Abrams tanks (despite the fact that US transport aircraft can take on board only one tank). The estimated size of the American is also striking, whose wingspan is 3 times larger than that of the Lun.

Advantages, disadvantages and possible applications

Let us give once again all the advantages of ekranoplans in comparison with other types of transport:

1. High speed combined with high load capacity.
2. The ability to fly over land and ice, the ability to fly at high altitudes.
3. High survivability - in the event of an engine breakdown, the ekranoplan can fly on the remaining serviceable ones or land on the water for repairs.
4. Radar stealth.
5. The ability to take off quickly without the need for a runway.

But these devices also have disadvantages. One of them is a consequence of the screen effect, due to which the center of gravity of the ekranoplan changes during maneuvering. This makes their maneuverability low, and their control - specific, requiring special training. It can also be noted that the large dimensions of these vehicles make them more vulnerable to enemy fire.

WIG "Lun" was planned to be used as a means of destroying enemy ships, in particular aircraft carriers. Due to their speed and stealth, they could approach the target at a missile launch distance, and then quickly leave.

Further fate

The changes of the late 80s had a negative impact on the program for the development of such transport in the USSR. Work on the machines under construction stopped, and those already in use were decommissioned. But in 1989, the prospect of building an ekranoplan for civilian purposes appeared - they decided to convert the second Lun under construction into a search and rescue ship for ships in distress.

In this regard, rocket launchers were dismantled from the ekranoplan, which increased its carrying capacity and maximum speed, and the compartments freed from equipment were supposed to serve to accommodate up to 500 rescued sailors. This ekranoplan was called "Rescuer".

But the final collapse of the country put an end to this project as well. The new government was not up to promising military projects, and the practical need for the “Rescuer” disappeared - most of the fleet was sold out or decommissioned, and for the Navy there was no longer any special need for a rescue ship.

Thus, the almost completed “Rescuer” has been forgotten at the Nizhny Novgorod plant for many years, and the combat “Lun” is rusting in the dock in the city of Kaspiysk. Several times the question was raised about the disposal of ekranoplans, and about the creation of museum exhibits from them, but so far nothing is known about the solution of these issues.

Mark on history

A family of Soviet heavy ekranoplans developed at the Central Design Bureau for the SEC named after R.E. Alekseev, demonstrated to the whole world the unique capabilities of this type of transport. But in modern world There is no place for ekranoplans yet.

In Russia, after the final closure of the Spasatel project, many developments on ekranoplanes were abandoned and specialists in working with them were lost.

So the revival of the production of heavy ekranoplans in Russia is unlikely and is associated with great difficulties.

In the rest of the world, they are also not remembered yet. In the 1990s, it was planned to build cargo ekranoplans in the United States - in particular, Boeing planned to build a Pelican ekranoplan with a carrying capacity of 1200 tons by 2015, which could be used for both civilian and military purposes.

But in the end, studies have shown that these projects will be unprofitable. Although ekranoplanes have an advantage in efficiency and carrying capacity over aircraft, tangible savings in transportation will be achieved only when building heavy machines, which in turn is associated with difficulties and high costs for mastering production.
Perhaps this is one of the dead-end branches of aviation development. But this can be judged, most likely, only in the next century.

Video

At a speed of more than 500 kilometers per hour, it flies over the very surface of the water, like a hovercraft. It can take off like an airplane and sail like a ship. The ekranoplan is an ideal vehicle for landing and lightning attacks. Russia again plans to produce these expensive but effective weapons.

"Monster from the Caspian Sea"

The Soviet Navy began construction of the first real ekranoplan in 1963. At the shipyard "Volga" near Nizhny Novgorod, construction began on the ekranoplan KM (Layout Ship), which was supposed to be a full-scale model of the future combat ekranoplan. It was a huge machine with a body length of 90 m and a takeoff weight of 544 tons. At that time it was the largest aircraft in the world.

In the "Caspian Monster", as the car began to be called, the experience of testing experimental SM ekranoplans was used. Conceptually, it was a mid-wing T-tail, equipped with two Dobrynin VD-7 engines with a thrust of 107.8 kN, which were located on both sides of the vertical tail surface. The optimal flight altitude ranged from 4-14 meters above sea level, cruising speed was 430 km / h, and the maximum - 500 km / h. During summer testing, the KM demonstrated good stability and controllability.

Despite its impressive size, this ekranoplan could perform surprisingly sharp turns with a large slope, during which the tip of the wing on inside turning touched the surface of the water.

As a result of many years of testing, the KM was rebuilt several times - the last time in 1979. This change was due, on the one hand, to the severe wear of aircraft engines and boosters, and on the other hand, to the need to test new engines for the future Lun combat ekranoplan. The last re-equipment was also because a year later the KM became a victim of an accident.

Airplane or ship? Russian "Caspian monster" returns to service

Rocket ekranoplan "Lun"

“The history of the Lun ekranoplan, the only one that had offensive weapons, began in 1970, when the Central Design Bureau for Hydrofoils. Alekseev (Central Design Bureau for SPK named after R.E. Alekseev) received an order to develop an ekranoplan armed with anti-ship cruise missiles capable of reaching speeds of 500 km / h, ”publicist Radek Panhartek talks about the birth of Luni.

The goal of the designers was to create a tool capable of attacking large objects on the surface of the sea or small sea groups and caravans of ships in fast flight at low altitude. The offensive weapon was an arsenal of six 3M80 Mosquito anti-ship cruise missiles. Given the size of the missile containers, the only place to place them could be the upper part of the WIG hull. This caused its design limitations. All eight Kuznetsov NK-87 bypass engines with a thrust of 127.4 kN were placed on a small pylon just behind the cockpit. After reaching the flight altitude and speed, only two engines remained in operation, while the others were turned off. Boosters were turned on only when accelerating or overcoming obstacles.

To protect the ekranoplan at the stern and under the first pair of missile containers, artillery installations UKU-9K-502-11 were installed - the same as on the Il-76 aircraft.

The tests were carried out on the Caspian Sea in 1990-1991 by the 11th air group, subordinate to the command of the Black Sea Fleet. Part of the test was also the use of Mosquito cruise missiles.

After 1992, ekranoplan flights were very limited due to financial problems. "Lun" stood at the base in Kaspiysk and gradually fell into disrepair. In 1998, by decision of the Chief of Staff of the Navy, the 11th separate air group was reorganized into the Air Base for the Preservation of the Ekranoplan, which mothballed the Lun ekranoplane and was engaged in its storage.

This could be the end of the story of ekranoplanes, a promising technology that simply proved too technologically complex and too costly to be sustained by the faltering post-Soviet economy.

The change has come due to the political and geopolitical dynamics of Vladimir Putin's administration. The appetites directed to the Black Sea corridor in the Mediterranean, in a certain sense, continued the plans that the Soviet Navy associated with ekranoplanes. After all, Soviet ekranoplans were created just for use in inland seas. Transport ekranoplanes "Eaglet" were called upon by an unexpected landing of the Marine Corps to blockade the entrances or exits from the inland seas - primarily from the Black Sea through the Bosporus and the Dardanelles.

In this case, the Lun missile ekranoplan was supposed to cover their operations from attacks from enemy ships or destroy patrols of large groups of ships, thereby opening the way for larger formations of the Navy.

And this role could be played by the vehicles that the Russian Navy wants to put into service after 2020. Other uses of these funds are also being considered. Once in Siberia, Burevestnik-24, a civilian transport and rescue ekranolet, was tested. And it is highly likely that Russian design bureaus are also developing plans for ocean-going military ekranoplanes. They would be a response to the Pelican, Boeing's ekranoplane concept that hasn't been reported since 2002, but that doesn't mean development isn't ongoing. By the way, ekranoplanes are gaining popularity outside of their Russian ancestral home. For example, Iran formed several parts of these weapons-equipped vehicles, demonstrating them at a military parade in 2010.

The ekranoplans are called Bavar 2, and they are small. But for the sake of completeness, we note that since then there has been no information about Iranian ekranoplanes. By itself, this means nothing, although perhaps Iran has the same problems that Russia had. After great expectations - a lot of difficulties and eventually disappointment.

But no one can say that the ekranoplan will end its days among other oddities, of which there have been many in military history. At least until the project is completed, over which engineers at shipyards in Nizhny Novgorod are racking their brains today.

Rocket ekranoplan "Lun"

The wrecked Spitfire pulled heavily over the waters of the English Channel to the West, and it seemed that the damaged car and its pilot had no chance of reaching the coast of Britain. When he completely lost altitude and was already flying, almost clinging to the crests of the waves with his wings, the pilot suddenly felt that the flight had stabilized. As if a soft invisible hand lifted the plane...

That's how it is in fiction describes random meetings of people with a screen effect. That is, with an increase in the lift force of the wing and a change in the aerodynamic characteristics of the aircraft when flying near the shielding surface (water, earth, etc.), the oncoming air flow forms an “air cushion”, which creates lift not only due to a decrease in pressure above the upper plane of the wing (as with conventional aircraft), but due to high blood pressure under the lower plane, which can be created only at extremely low altitudes (less than the aerodynamic chord of the wing). The pressure jump must reach the surface, be reflected and have time to reach the wing. Hence the important conclusion: the larger the wing plane, the lower the flight speed and the lower the altitude, the stronger the screen effect. Now let's leave aerodynamics for a while and turn to.

By the 60s of the twentieth century, military equipment had reached such a level that two developed countries could destroy each other in a matter of hours. In such conditions, not so much the technical characteristics “faster, higher, stronger” began to come to the fore, but the cost. In the development of marine systems Soviet Union, as usual, went its own way, and as a result, a whole separate type of technology called "ekranoplanes" appeared, and here the USSR achieved, frankly, impressive success.

The most load-lifting and cheapest type of transport is water (sea, river). Air transport is not comparable to water transport in terms of energy costs. According to these criteria, the best transport aircraft looks like a flying embarrassment against the background of an old wooden longboat. In a longboat, the weight of the transported cargo can be 5 times its weight, and a very good aircraft (including fuel) weighs two to three times more than the transported cargo. Worse than air transport is only rocket and space transport, where the payload weight of 1% of the launch weight can be considered an excellent result.

So, the ekranoplan, as it seemed then, harmoniously combined the carrying capacity, efficiency of sea vessels and the enormous speeds of aircraft. I don't like to work with hypothetical things, just as I don't like pulling facts "by the ears". Therefore, let's turn to real-life designs and try to find out the strengths and weaknesses of ekranoplanes.

"Caspian Monster"

The giant ekranoplan KM-1, the brainchild of Rostislav Alekseev Design Bureau. Empty weight - 240 tons, maximum takeoff weight - 544 tons (!). The only aircraft to break this record is the An-225 Mechta. Cruising speed - up to 500 km / h. Awesome!
But is everything so simple? Due to what these magnificent characteristics were achieved? Let's look at the photo: the first thing that catches your eye is 10 (ten!) VD-7 jet engines, with a thrust of 130 kN each. Is it a lot or a little?
Here, for example, is the same age as the Caspian Monster, the passenger Tu-154B. The Tupolev is equipped with three NK-8 turbofan engines with a thrust of 100 kN in takeoff mode. The maximum takeoff weight of the Tu-154B is 100 tons. As a result, a simple proportion:
KM - maximum takeoff weight 544 tons, total thrust of 10 engines - 1300 kN.
Tu-154B - maximum takeoff weight of 100 tons, total thrust of 3 engines - 300 kN.
And where is the efficiency, like that of a sea vessel, about which we talked so much today? And she is not! And the answer is very simple: it has nowhere to come from. The Tu-154 flies at a height in rarefied layers of the atmosphere, and the KM is forced to break through the dense air near the water itself. The Tupolev has clean lines, a sleek and streamlined fuselage, narrow swept wings - compare this with the monstrous appearance of the KM, which is only worth 8 engines mounted on the wings! Monstrous air resistance eliminates all the advantages of the screen effect.
Another imperceptible reason for which the effectiveness of ekranoplanes suffers is low speed. As we have already found out, the engines of an ekranoplan and an airplane consume approximately the same amount of fuel per unit of time in cruising mode. But the plane, due to its greater speed, covers a much greater distance during this time!
Yes, 10 KM engines are allegedly needed only in takeoff mode, when entering cruise mode, some of the engines are turned off. But then the question is: how long does this “take-off regime” last? The answer will be the events of 1980 - an attempt to reduce traction as a result led to a disaster and the death of the Caspian Monster.

"Lun"

The ekranoplan-missile carrier "Lun", the pride of the Soviet military-industrial complex, is a byword. Empty weight - 243 tons. Maximum takeoff - 388 tons. Speed ​​- 500 km / h. Impressive.
"Lun" was built in duplicate and there is much more information on it than on its predecessor. So let's take a closer look at it.
Again, look at the beautiful photos. This time, the ekranoplan is equipped with 8 NK-87 jet engines with a thrust of 130 kN. Maybe these are some special efficient engines with minimal fuel consumption?
No. NK-87 is a modification of the NK-86 turbojet bypass engine for the Il-86 wide-body airliner. Specific fuel consumption for NK-86 is 0.74 kg/kgf hour in takeoff mode. A similar indicator for NK-87 is 0.53 kg / kgf hour.
Here it is, the economy, you will happily say. Unfortunately no. The Il-86 uses 4 engines, while the Lun uses 8. Moreover, the maximum take-off weight of the Il-86 is 215 tons, which is only one and a half times less than that of an ekranoplan.

Il is a passenger aircraft with 350 seats, but the Lun or the Caspian Monster are still cargo planes vehicles. Well, let's compare the Lun with the well-known transport aircraft, I'm not afraid to say, the best aircraft of its class in the world - the An-124 Ruslan. With a maximum takeoff weight of 400 tons, up to 150 tons can be PAYLOAD. The ekranoplan, alas, cannot boast of such an indicator - the payload of the Lun is no more than 100 tons.
The flight range of Ruslan with a load of 150 tons is 3,000 km, and with 40 tons, the An-124 will fly 11,000 km! What does Lun offer us? 2,000 km, and the load is not indicated in any source. Possibly empty too.

And now let's list the obvious disadvantages of ekranoplanes:
Firstly, speed. The cruising speed of ekranoplanes is 400…500 km/h, which is more than two times less than that of conventional jet aircraft.
On the other hand, 500 km / h is much higher than that of sea vessels. But, again, it's not all that simple. An ordinary bulk carrier or tanker makes an average of 20 knots with cargo. Every hour, day and night, in storm and fog, without gas stations and breaks. Cost-effectiveness is not even worth comparing - a ship's diesel engine is an order of magnitude more economical than a jet engine in terms of specific fuel consumption, and even taking into account the difference in the cost of diesel fuel and high-quality aviation kerosene ...
And again about efficiency - the design of the ekranoplan is twice as heavy as an aircraft of similar size. Yes, when they are built, instead of aviation technologies, ship technologies are sometimes used, but this difference is dashingly covered by the cost of 8 power plants and the grandiose dimensions of the ship-aircraft. I'm not talking about the cost of maintenance: 8 engines are no joke.

Second, very important quality, versatility. As we remember, the ekranoplan is only capable of flying over an almost perfectly smooth surface. Yes, it can forcefully fly over a low barrier (not higher than a couple of hundred meters) ... but, whatever one may say, the areas of its application are limited to sea areas, large lakes and, possibly, tundra and desert. The very first forest belt or power line will be the last for the ekranoplan. Unlike ekranoplanes, for aircraft, the relief under the wing does not matter: we fly where we need to go.
Moreover, ekranoplanes have very poor maneuverability. Experimental ekranoplan KB Beriev - 14M1P (max. takeoff weight 50 tons) every time you change course had to stop, turn off the engines and turn the tug in the right direction. Although according to the calculations he had to do it himself.

Thirdly, for an ekranoplan, indeed no application. If urgent delivery of people and goods is required, it is more profitable to use an airplane. If it is necessary to deliver a large consignment across the ocean, any customer will choose a ship, because. it is better to wait a couple of weeks, but save millions.
Actually, "Lun" existed in 2 versions: a missile carrier with 6 anti-ship missiles "Mosquito" and "Rescuer". I won’t even talk about the missile carrier - it was a danger only to its own crew (a flight altitude of several meters does not give pilots the right to make a mistake). Moreover, the Tu-22M was a much more powerful carrier of the Mosquitoes ...
"Rescuer" sounds great. Night, shipwreck - and suddenly an ekranoplan jumps out of the darkness, picks up the victims, a mobile hospital of the Ministry of Emergency Situations is deployed on board ... and now everyone is saved! However, this has nothing to do with reality: in an hour, the shipwreck will be people in inflatable vests scattered within a radius of several kilometers. How they planned to search for them from an ekranoplan flying at a speed of 500 km / h a few meters from the water remained a mystery. In any case, the small flight range allowed the "Rescuer" to work only in coastal areas. And, please tell me, how does the ekranoplan then differ from a conventional seaplane, the same Be-200 amphibian? seaworthiness? But this is a myth, the storm is equally detrimental to the use of both means.
Use an ekranoplan for landing? Only the Mistral is suitable for landing on overseas territories - ekranoplans have a completely insufficient range and carrying capacity. Landing troops from an ekranoplan in Georgia? But it is a very long way, much closer by planes through Madagascar.
Considering all of the above, the rapid fading of the interest of the Soviet leadership in the topic of ekranoplanes becomes understandable, for 30 years only 3 such "monsters" have been produced. The cool hybrid of a ship and an airplane actually turned out to be a bad airplane and a bad ship.

Dear readers, you can draw your own conclusions from the above facts and interpret my article in your own way. One thing remains undoubted - buyers have already voted with their wallets - not a single army in the world is interested in ekranoplanes-monsters, however, as well as commercial structures. All use of ekranoplans is now limited to light flying attractions for the amusement of the public.

Notice received by the author a positive result examination of the application for the invention "Ekranoplan" will allow to promote this project, which can say a new word both in transportation and in the creation of a real Russian ocean fleet.

Heavy ekranoplans are in fact the only type of weapons and military equipment where our country has been ahead for more than 50 years in terms of design and engineering developments (“Dry cargo carrier Farewell to Montana”). I will try once again to substantiate the absolute possibility and urgency of the development of this “our” mode of transport, which is easily transformed into new type strike weapons.

We will consider any ekranoplan with a take-off weight of 500 to 5 thousand tons as heavy, and over and up to 18-20 thousand tons as super-heavy. By the way, so far no one in the world has exceeded the displacement characteristics of the KM-1 developed by Rostislav Alekseev. It is also necessary to decide what an ekranoplan is in terms of flight altitude. It should not exceed the chord length of the main or main wing, and the roll and pitch are within strictly defined and relatively small values ​​established by full-scale tests.

The aircraft scheme of the ekranoplanes under construction and being designed has no future - it does not contribute to the self-destruction of involuntary pitch-up. The design of the center section in the form of a monowing is due to the need to have on the upper plane of the runway sufficient for takeoff and landing of two aircraft in a displacement mode of motion. Inside, in the diametrical plane, the ship has paired, at least two-level (two-deck) rooms, the feature of which is composite ceilings (deck-platforms) with measurements that are multiples of the number of sea containers and the dimensions of combat aircraft. home power plant- two nuclear reactor with a total power sufficient to move on the screen in the cruising flight mode at a speed of 300 knots (approximately 300-450 MW each with a take-off weight of 16 thousand tons).

During takeoff and landing, the additional power of the turbopropfan engines (TVP) is turned on - about half of the power required for cruising. Adjacent to the center section are trapezoidal wings with swivel floats at the ends, where propulsion systems are located - TVVD on pylons.

To improve the aerodynamic properties in flight and reduce the starting power of the propulsion complex, the displacement body - a hydro-ski with water-jet installations - is able to retract into the center section after the start. In contrast to traditional schemes for creating an air cushion with separate drives for it and for movement, a scheme was used with a drive from a TVD to fan-compressors mounted in the side wings flush with the wing system, which are closed by louvered grilles in cruising mode.

The underwing space during launch or landing on an air cushion is protected by a system of rotary slats, flaps and restrictive washers. To stabilize the flight in pitch, three systems were used: a certain location of the center of gravity and aerodynamic focus of the apparatus, fan-compressor installations at the ends of the monowing, used at launch to create an air cushion, as well as a system of stern and bow horizontal stabilizers installed on the center section and side wings. All parameters of the device are calculated. In the transitional mode from gliding to separation from the water surface, columns with supercavitating tandem propellers are advanced from the aft vertical stabilizers.

Approximate dimensions of the ekranoplan: length - 250 meters, width - 300 meters, height - 35 meters, draft - 3.5-4.5 meters. The total capacity of the power plant at launch is within 840-900 MW, in flight - 550-650 MW. At the same time, the thrust-to-weight ratio will not exceed 0.115–0.120, which is more than two times less than this value for the KM ekranoplan. To facilitate the launch, the load per unit area of ​​thinner wings compared to the KM and Orlyonok has been reduced by about half - about 200-250 kilograms per square meter against 450, which corresponds to modern fighters. The aerodynamic quality of the device at a flight altitude of 40–50 meters should be at least 22–26, the Froude number should be within 10–11. PU power distribution - 4 NKA 20 water cannons or NK-20 engines of 20 MW each); retractable tandem columns with supercavitating propellers, hydraulic or electric drive (with cryogenically cooled superconducting windings of built-in electric motors) from nuclear power plants with a total capacity of 150–220 MW; 4 NKA 40 30–40 MW each - drive to fan-compressors installed at the ends of the center section-monowing in the usual non-nuclear version, 8 tandems of cowled high-pressure engines - channelless high-pressure engines, that is, 16 engines of 40 MW each (with afterburner 55 MW) with a drive (mechanical, hydraulic or otherwise) for 8 fan-compressors in the side wings behind the pylons. In the nuclear version, the closest 10–12 engines to the center section are tandem NKA-1055 engines (development of NK-93 and GE-36) of 50–55 MW each. The rest of the conventional TVD are used during takeoff and landing. I omit subtleties and details.

For heavy and super-heavy ekranoplanes, it is preferable to have the most economical transport nuclear power plants in combination with a TVD. Although there is an opinion that at speeds up to 600 kilometers per hour, the powerful connecting rodless internal combustion engines of Balandin can also come up. There is quite significant experience in creating atomoletes in our country: in the 60s, the atomic Tu-119 was tested with two NK-14A engines with a good weight-to-power ratio of about 3–3.5. The anti-submarine An-22 with an almost exhausted nuclear power plant was able to fly without refueling for at least 48 hours.

On the clock in Hudson Bay

Combat ekranoplans can be aircraft-carrying, anti-submarine, anti-missile and amphibious. The latter includes any civilian option, since a relatively small draft and a bow tip hanging over the water make it possible to approach the coast and land military equipment and soldiers. As for the over-the-horizon landing that is now fashionable in the West, there are no problems at all. High-speed floating craft with a displacement of up to 500 tons with weapons and manpower are launched from the bow of the apparatus. The second combat method of using civil ekranoplanes in the event of a military threat is to transport 300 40-foot or 600 20-foot containers of the Club system to the enemy's coast. You can use them from four lifts on the upper plane of the monowing, and several dozen in volleys at once.

Inside the aircraft-carrying ekranoplan there will be 22-24 heavy fighters, AWACS aircraft. Heavy high-altitude drones will stand on the upper plane of the monowing outside the runway, it is advisable to use them as reconnaissance ones. The use of aviation is possible in two modes - in displacement (for reconnaissance and patrol aircraft) and in combat, at a speed of about 150 knots, while catapults are not required. The maintenance of aircraft is carried out according to the conveyor principle: aircraft land and roll out onto the bow lifts, descend to the lower deck and there they move to the aft lifts, while preparing for the next sorties.

In the anti-submarine version, inside the monowing center section, it is possible to place two submachine guns like the Project 705 nuclear submarine with a displacement of up to two thousand tons or several underwater drones, on the upper plane of the monowing center section - helicopters and PLO aircraft. Since the combat duty routes of American SSBNs are known, it is possible, if necessary, to completely disorganize the operation of the main, most dangerous component of the US strategic nuclear forces today.

There is no point in describing the anti-missile ekranoplan in detail. Three tasks can be noted for this type. The first and main one is the neutralization of ground-based strategic nuclear forces. The starting position is near Vancouver in the Pacific Ocean, near Halifax in the Atlantic, in Hudson Bay, from where it is easiest to intercept the starting Minutemen from North Dakota, Wyoming and Montana. The second task is to cover the Arctic and adjacent areas together with the Russian Aerospace Forces. And the third is the neutralization of anti-missiles capable of shooting down nuclear warheads on a downward trajectory.

Eurasian Arctic Bridge

The Russian Navy has a choice: copy old Western technologies or get ahead of them forever. Storm aircraft carriers and nuclear destroyers with the displacement of heavy cruisers will not take us to the front lines. Following this path, we will not create a real ocean fleet, except that we will get units of motley ships scattered across the water area and dangling in all directions at the speed of tanker tankers accompanying them. Right now, until the construction of heavy ships has begun, it is possible and necessary to fulfill the dream of Admiral Sergei Georgievich Gorshkov of several hundred combat ekranoplans for the Russian Navy. Moreover, there are both technical possibilities and economic prerequisites for the creation, together with Chinese, and perhaps with Indian, Iranian partners, of a new type of sub-Eurasian water transport.

We propose to arrange an open or closed competition for the development of a new shipbuilding program that would meet the realities of the 21st century. We have lost time, but we still have about 10 years to decide what to build - aircraft carriers, and most likely coastal defense, we will not be able to master such AUGs as those of the United States, equipped with ships with nuclear power plants. It is possible to start designing now and in two or three years to start building an intermediate version of a heavy ekranoplan with a displacement of up to five thousand tons, using as a nuclear power plant the design of a homogeneous reactor with a liquid metal coolant with a capacity of up to 100 MW and modified NK-93 engines developed by Gidropress. And after testing the device, determine the directions for the development of the shipbuilding program.

We still have the opportunity to become a scientific and technical Eurasian transport bridge between the rapidly developing Southeast Asia and the rest of the world through a new transport system and at the same time create a new type of weaponry that will put direct pressure on the main potential enemy.

The development and operation of such a system at the total cost of the Eurasian countries will not become an unbearable burden for the budget of the Russian Federation. The civilian version of the ekranoplanes can initially be used on the Northern Sea Route, in which China and Europe are primarily interested in increasing the traffic through which. Calculations show that for the transportation of 50 million tons, and the need for such volumes may arise as early as 2020, 90-100 vessels with a deadweight of 65 thousand tons are needed on the Murmansk-Shanghai line, while crossing the Northern Sea Route at an average speed of 13.4 knots takes about 23 days. To deliver a similar cargo by heavy ekranoplanes with a deadweight of 10,000 tons at a speed of 324 knots (600 kilometers per hour), no more than 18-20 ships will be required, and the transition time will not exceed 24 hours. The potential demand for transportation along this route exceeds 650 million tons - as much cargo is currently passing through the Suez Canal.

The main design solution of the project is the use of specialized similar cargo spaces inside the center section, equipped with several loading and unloading systems. In the military version, they can accommodate aircraft and any other equipment, in the civilian version - standard containers and other cargo. With the threat of a nuclear confrontation, both combat and transport ekranoplanes armed with cruise missiles can be transferred to the shores of the main potential enemy in less than a day. Calculations show that in peacetime near the coast of the United States it is necessary to keep from four to six groups of super-heavy ekranoplans. Each includes three to four vessels with functionality from anti-submarine to anti-missile and a total number of combat aircraft up to 80.

Native ocean spaces

The strategy of using the USSR Navy in peacetime assumed the duty of ocean multi-purpose formations, primarily near the coast of the main potential enemy. It was the time of the highest military power of the country: there were magnificent ships of the middle class, excellent naval aviation, a huge number of diesel submarines, but all this threatened a potential enemy in the European or Far Eastern theater of operations. In fact, we were able to create only one permanent naval formation outside our coastal zone - the Mediterranean Squadron. Even if we start building the latest ocean-class ships, we will never reach the combined power of the NATO and Japanese fleets, which are armed with the latest modifications of the Aegis system.

Therefore, it is proposed to step over the standard approaches to the construction of the fleet and create a universal naval transport and combat system that can bring us to the forefront. At the same time, the civil branch is a purely Eurasian one, serving the transport needs of the SCO and, as the BRICS transport ocean transportation develops. There is no need for many communications, for example, in the Panama Canal: super-heavy ekranoplans can cross the isthmus over the territory of Nicaragua at altitudes up to 200 meters above sea level.

The Russian Federation has the greatest scientific and technical reserve both in ekranoplanes and in aviation with nuclear power plants. We are the only ones in the world with experience in the construction of transport homogeneous reactors: there is the Hydropress project with a capacity of under 100 MW, it only needs to be increased, there are developments in the creation of ultra-light and super-strong structural materials.

It is necessary to set tasks correctly and immediately build ekranoplans much more powerful than Alekseev's, which our probable "partners" called "Caspian monsters". The task is difficult, but quite capable. You need to understand how much of a loaf of global transport infrastructure you can grab and even hobble your "partner".