"Great Leap Forward" WIG: How a Wonder Machine Was Built in Russia

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The history of Russian ekranoplanostroeniya rooted in the Soviet past, when in the late 40s, designer Rostislav Alekseev designed and created a hydrofoil ship. In parallel with the development of hydrofoil vessels, Alekseev conducted research on the so-called “screen effect” and the possibility of its use for the needs of the army and the national economy.

The results of Alekseev’s research were so successful that the leadership of the USSR adopted a state program for the development and creation of ekranoplanes, thanks to which a miracle of Soviet engineering was born equipment - WIG KM, nicknamed the Americans "Caspian monster."



Subsequently, five really working landing craft "Orlyonok" were built, one of which is now in the open-air museum in the Severnoye Tushino park in Moscow.

With the collapse of the USSR, centralized funding for the study and construction of ekranoplanes was discontinued and was carried out more in the form of private initiative by various enterprises.

Currently, given the active development of the regions of the far north and the Russian Arctic that has begun, the question of the revival of ekranoplanostroeniya in Russia, both for military and civilian purposes, is very relevant.

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  1. Igor Igorev
    Igor Igorev
    +1
    21 August 2018 22: 15
    Why are types A, B, C, and not A, B, C?
    Everything is similar to the fact that in the Russian Federation they invent the Soviet “bicycle” in a new way. Small cars, unable to tear themselves away from the air screen.
    There was Alekseev, but someone had early killed him. Here he had powerful ekranoleta with 6 anti-ship missiles and a speed of 500 km / h above the water with the ability to take off up to 1 km. Right now, no one even tries to design such a thing. Here is a little lower-class flier, somehow.
    Russian Defense Ministry is not interesting. Because amers do not have this, it means unpromising. What good can come from the Russians for the White House, the one into which the stupid Russians themselves fired from tank guns. Have you thought about the other White House?
    Now, if the Americans create and accept, then the Moscow Region will run frantically, and their people will run out of production and projects, as they did with the engine designer for Caliber, putting him in prison for 7.5 years, because He didn’t want to give up the design bureau and the factory, as they selected AVISTM, the manufacturer of titanium products.