Ekranoplans - Back in Business

Venik
July 29, 2002
www.aeronautics.ru

[Philadelphia, PA] -- On August 1, 2002, the Russian

Ministry of Defense is planning the largest in the past 10
years naval exercise in the Caspian Sea that will include
up to 10,000 troops, 60 military vessels and more than
30 aircraft. A highlight of this event will be the
participation of the unique combat aircraft – the Figure 2 The Orlyonok transport ekranoplan of the
ekranoplans. Russian Navy rolling out on the shore to deliver troops.

These plane-ship hybrids fly over water an altitude of The exercise in the Caspian Sea will include “Orlyonok”
just a few meters – well below the detection limit of (Eaglet) transport ekranoplans and the “Lun” (Hen
most naval and shore-defense radars and below the Harrier) attack ekranoplan armed with the Moskit
operational altitude limit of air-to-air missiles. (Mosquito) supersonic anti-ship missiles with the top
speed of 3000 km/h. Jane’s Intelligence Review writes
about this missile: “The Moskit was the world's first
supersonic sea-skimming anti-ship missile. It preceded
any comparable Western missile by almost two decades
and, today, probably no anti-ship missile causes more
anxiety in Western navies… It is the combination of
extremely high terminal speed, low approach altitudes
and terminal maneuvering in the Russian 3M80 Moskit
(Mosquito), otherwise known in Western circles as the
SS-N-22 `Sunburn', which raises serious questions about
the viability of many existing shipborne defences.” 2

Figure 1 One of the Russian Navy’s three Orlyonok

ekranoplans during take-off with its forward engines
engaged to create the initial cushion of air under the wing.

Ekranoplans can transport well over a hundred of fully

equipped troops, as do large amphibious assault ships. Figure 3 The Lun ekranoplan comfortably holds the title
Unlike such ships, however, ekranoplans can travel at up of the world’s most heavily-armed WIG aircraft with its
to 500 km/h and are invulnerable to most anti-ship six supersonic anti-ship missile launchers and a
missiles designed to attack much slower targets. sophisticated array of surveillance and targeting radars.
Ekranoplans are also far more efficient than transport
aircraft of similar take-off weight and lifting capability. The “Lun” was designed to evade all anti-ship and anti-
“The enhanced lift and reduced drag permits roughly a aircraft defenses and engage its targets from 90
30-40 per cent increase in payload carried over greater kilometers away. Jane’s writes: “The most unusual of the
distance and with less fuel consumption compared to vessels armed with Moskit is the Project 905 Lun
conventional aircraft.”1 (`Utka') wing-in ground-effect (WIG) flying boat
developed by the R E Alekseyev Central Hydrofoil
Design Bureau in Nizhniy Novgorod. The second
aircraft of this type, the S-31 completed in 1993, is
armed with three twin Moskit launchers arrayed along
its upper spine. The S-31 is fitted with a complicated
1
WIG Interest: Real or Imagined?, Indternational Defense
2
Review, September 1993, p. 697 Jane’s Intelligence Review, 04-1996, p. 155
1
array of fire-control radars on its tail which may be speed by this single engine, making the ekranoplan the
adaptations of the Monolit fire-control radar used on the most efficient transport vehicle for its speed class.
Moskit-armed warships.” 3
Jane’s explains the flight mechanism behind the
The Alekseyev Central Hydrofoil Design Bureau in ekranoplan: “The nose-mounted jet engines have
Nizhniy Novgorod developed these remarkable aircraft pivoted exhaust nozzles; during take-off the jet exhaust
during the Khrushchev era. Nikita Khrushchev hoped streams are directed beneath the wing to boost the ram-
that this new technology would give the USSR a air pressure beneath the wing. On changing to cruising
decisive edge over the US carrier forces. And for a while flight the nozzles are redirected to provide horizontal
it did. After Brezhnev replaced Khrushchev, the thrust, accelerating the craft until cruising speed is
Alekseyev Design Bureau has quickly gone out of favor reached; the take-off jet units are then shut down. The
and the new Party leadership for political and personal same procedure is used when landing the craft to reduce
reasons gradually terminated the ekranoplan program. hydrodynamic loading. The fuselage nose location of the
jet units allows their intakes to be positioned in the
contours of the nose in such a way as to minimize
aerodynamic resistance.” 4

Flying at an altitude of just a few meters an ekranoplan

is virtually invisible to air defense radars until its too
close. Naval radars designed to detect other ships will
also be useless against ekranoplans since such radars are
not designed to reliably track targets moving at ten times
the speed of a ship. Ekranoplans fly to low to be engaged
by air-to-air missiles from carrier-based fighters.

Even acquiring and targeting an ekranoplan for a fighter

pilot would be a monumental task given the altitude
resolution restrictions of air-to-air radars and the
Figure 4 The KM ekranoplan, which the US intelligence
called the Caspian Sea Monster, was by far the largest background EM noise created by radar signals reflected
such aircraft ever constructed. It is equal in size to a off the surface of the water. Air-to-ground radars and
football field and the Alekseyev designers were working on missiles carried by multi-purpose fighter-bombers such
a machine twice its size. as the F/A-18 are also ill suited to engage such fast-
moving “ground” targets. In other words, the ekranoplan
is unlike any potential target and no air defense system
Nevertheless, during the relatively short time of
has been even developed to counter this threat.
sufficient funding Alekseyev and his engineers were able
to create by far the largest and most deadly military
ekranoplans ever constructed anywhere in the world. To
this day no effective defense against these hybrid aircraft
has been developed by any naval power. What makes
ekranoplan such an efficient flying machine and such a
difficult target?

Ekranoplans, or Wing-in-Ground (WiG) effect aircraft,

glide over water or any other smooth surface by forming
a cushion of air under its short but very wide wing. For
initial take-off most ekranoplans use additional engines
installed in the nose section of the aircraft. These
engines are used to create the cushion of air under the
wing and help the aircraft gain the initial speed. Figure 5 In this view of the Orlyonok ekranoplan one can
see the maximum altitude this aircraft can obtain without
After the take-off only the cruise engine is enabled – leaving the WIG effect flight regime. Outside of this
usually a tail-mounted turboprop or turbofan engine. The regime, the aircraft can reach an altitude of several
entire fully loaded huge aircraft is propelled at high hundred meters.

3 4
Jane’s Intelligence Review, 04-1996, p. 155 Jane's High-Speed Marine Transportation 1998-99, p. 249
2
 ekranoplans have been built for the Russian Navy, of
A common question is how do ekranoplans operated in which three remain in service.
the rough seas and how can amphibious assault versions
of ekranoplans navigate minefields and other defenses Venik , July 29, 2002
near the shore. Ekranoplans do glide just a few meters www.aeronautics.ru
over the water surface, but they can also leave the Philadelphia, PA
ground effect zone and gain an altitude of up to 300
meters – enough to clear any obstacles. Leaving the For more ekranoplan photos visit:
ground effect flight means higher fuel consumption, but
it allows an ekranoplan a certain degree of flexibility – • http://www.aeronautics.ru/ekranoplans/photodump/page_01.htm
not as much as a plane but considerably more than a ship • http://www.aeronautics.ru/ekranoplans/
or a hovercraft.
• http://www.aeronautics.ru/ekranoplans/orlyonok/index.htm

Further Reading:
Wig Interest: Real Or Imagined?

International Defense Review, p. 697

September 01, 1993 edition: 1993 volume/issue: 026/009

Perhaps the highest profile US evaluation effort of

Russian technology is the ARPA study of wing-in-
ground effect vehicles (WIGs). WIGs are designed to fly
at very low altitude -- usually only a few metres -- in
order to take advantage of increased aerodynamic lift
Figure 6 This view of the Orlyonok clearly shows the dual- and reduced drag that occurs when flying in ground
prop cruise engine, extended flaps and the landing gear. effect. The enhanced lift and reduced drag permits
Take-off engine nozzle is also visible in the nose section of roughly a 30-40 per cent increase in payload carried over
the aircraft. greater distance and with less fuel consumption
compared to conventional aircraft. The concept has been
experimented with since the early days of flight but
The exercise in the Caspian is not designed to counter a moved forward only in the 1930s, beginning in Finland.
large enemy fleet, however. The scenario for this
exercise is a hypothetical attack by a large force of
terrorists who have captured one of the Russian island-
based oil-drilling stations in the Caspian. In this exercise
the Russian military would respond by deploying troops
of the 77th Marine Brigade and the Astrakhan Marine
Brigade on the island supported by the warships and
patrol boats of the Makhachkala surface warship group
and the elements of the 4th VVS and PVO army.

In addition to these forces Russia would deploy troops

from the North-Caucasus Military District, the Federal
Border Guard Service, the Customs Service, as well as
rescue and environmental protection services from the
Figure 7 This photo affords a great view of Orlyonok’s
Astrakhan Region and Dagestan. Air Forces of nose section and the forward fuselage. Take-off engine
Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan will take part in the exercise, nozzle is clearly visible along with navigational radars and
which will be observed by military representatives from the closed loading ramp.
Turkmenia and Iran. The exercise will be opened by an
attack of a hundred “Black Berets” – a Russian naval
special ops unit – using an “Orlyonok” ekranoplan However, it has been Russia that pioneered large-scale
supported by missile boats. A total of five “Orlyonok” WIG development culminating in the 1960s with the
construction of the long-secret 500t "Caspian Sea
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Monster" ekranoplan. Meaning "screen-plane," Japan, and China, the central focus has been on Russia.
ekranoplans are supported by both aerostatic lift The investigation has included two fact-finding missions
provided by a means of propulsion as well by to industrial sites in Russia this year. The ARPA trips
aerodynamic lift caused by ground effect. More than a were arranged, under contract, through the Virginia-
hovercraft, ekranoplan craft can fly in and out of ground based Russian-American Science Inc, a jointly-owned
effect to avoid sea obstacles (limited to 200-300m). US-Russian firm that commercially represents the
Russian Academy of Sciences in the US. The ARPA
Ideally suited for heavy airlift, ASW, and maritime team, led by Colonel Mike Francis, has held meetings in
patrol, several ekranoplan designs were put forward by Moscow at the Central Aero-Hydrodynamics Institute
Western aerospace firms during the 1960s, primarily at (TsAGI) and at the primary centre of WIG activity, the
the behest of the US Navy, although none came to R.E. Alexeyev Central Hydrofoil Design Bureau in
fruition. These included a 1,000t behemoth cancelled in Nizhni Novgorod. The team also travelled to Taganrog
1964 after the model failed, and a smaller WIG plane to the Beriev Design Bureau. Beriev, better known for
called Columbia, developed under a contract let by the conventional seaplanes, has also experimented with
US Maritime Administration in the mid-1960s and WIG craft, chiefly the VVA-14.
cancelled after just a few model tests because of huge
cost overruns. In 1977, Lockheed proposed a 700t WIG
for cargo transport and ASW duty as part of a US Navy
Advanced Naval Vehicle Concepts Evaluation
(ANVCE) program. It, too, was never built. The
ANVCE study concepts seem strongly based on Russian
designs and indicate that US intelligence was aware of
Russian progress in WIG construction. Only the Soviet
Union has actually built and deployed large WIG craft,
and even then only in small numbers. The Caspian Sea
Monster, designated only "KM" (an abbreviation for
Figure 9 An improved version of the VVA-14 features
"prototype vessel") and of which only one was built, nose-mounted takeoff-assist engines for improved
crashed and sank in the Caspian in 1980. The Russians performance.
designed and built four other large WIG aircraft during
the 1970s: the 400t Lun (Hen Harrier), the 140t Orlenok
(Eaglet), the 20t Utka (Duck), and the 30-5t VVA-14 While 20 years ago US interest centred on technology to
VTOL amphibian. build a WIG ASW combatant, the motive today is for a
logistical craft, specifically to take on the role of fast
sealift. Airlift and sealift capability has become more
important as US forces withdraw from forward bases.
The ARPA team will assess not only what Russia has
accomplished on WIGs, but also on how some advanced
technologies could be applied to future WIG projects
and how a WIG craft would fit into current US-service
infrastructure (if at all). According to Francis, initial
impressions are that significant structural weight
reduction is necessary to make WIGs an effective
transport system. Russian WIGs such as the Orlenok, he
says, are built more like ships than aircraft and could
Figure 8 The Bartini VVA-14 is an aircraft in a class of its probably benefit from advanced materials such as
own, combining the features of a hovercraft, ekranoplan composites. More sophisticated flight-control systems
and a conventional plane with vertical take-off and landing
are also indicated to increase safety margins for such
capability.
low-flying craft. He adds that very little work has been
done on exploring high Reynolds numbers in WIG
Once again, US interest on WIGs is stirring, and ARPA applications in order to determine the nature of WIG
is conducting an international evaluation of WIG fluid dynamics.
technology at the behest of the US Congress. An eight-
month Wingship Investigation study began in March The Russian operational experience with large WiG craft
1993, led by a team of government and industry experts has not been highly successful, and due to dire financial
in aerodynamics, propulsion, and structures. While the circumstances, is unlikely to continue without external
study takes into account work conducted in Sweden, investment. Russia's two Lun WIGs, originally designed
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and built as missile-launching craft in 1987, have now VTOL wingship built at Beriev and designed by R.L.
been demilitarized with their six dorsal-mounted missile Bartini, was designed for ASW work and two prototypes
tubes removed, and are apparently being refitted for use were eventually built and flown in the mid-1970s. The
as passenger transports. A third, still under construction, aircraft used two dorsal-mounted turbofans for cruise
is now up for sale since the Russian navy cannot afford flight and two ventral turbofans to create an air cushion
it. beneath. Final versions were to have added two nose-
mounted turbofans to enhance the ekran effect. After
Of the five Orlenoks built, only three remain. The Bartini's death a few years later, work was discontinued.
Russian navy originally planned to build some 120 for At least one of the aircraft is now rusting in a Beriev
troops transport and assault. The first has been scrapped boneyard (see photo).
while the second crashed during a flight last year in
preparation for a display, killing one crew member.
Damage was heavy and it is now scheduled to be
scrapped. The crash was ascribed to pilot error and this
appears to be a major concern in WIG operations.
Because WIG craft are typically flown only 3-4m above
the water's surface, at cruising speeds of 190kt or more,
they require a deft hand and a unique training regime. In
the latest crash, a WIG-inexperienced navy pilot
apparently sensed he had lost ground-effect (which was
not the case) and pulled up hard, resulting in a tail strike
and subsequent impact. Operational safety is one area
that the US ARPA study plans to assess, perhaps looking
at the feasibility of applying sophisticated control
systems. Figure 11 An unfortunate end for the world’s most
unusual aircraft – the remains of the Bartini VVA-14.

Will wingship technology find its way into US service as

the sealift of the future? According to a USAF source
knowledgeable of WIGs, history could end up repeating
itself. He says that WIGs didn't get off the ground in the
US 15 years ago because industry convinced the navy
and air force that conventional aircraft such as the C-141
and C-5 could do most of the job at less cost and with
existing service infrastructure. Industry also expressed
confidence that if more payload capability was needed it
would be possible to build a heavy-lifter twice the size
of the C-5. This, the source believes, could still happen.
Moreover, he indicated that the current ARPA study was
Figure 10 A search-and-rescue version of the Lun pressed on to ARPA by WIG enthusiasts in Congress
ekranoplan at a factory in Nizhny Novgorod.
and he is doubtful about the existence of sincere WIG
enthusiasm at the Pentagon. However, the navy's
The three surviving Orlenoks may be modified as Captain Pope told IDR that there was a possibility of a
civilian transports carrying up to 150 passengers and US government purchase of a wingship from Russia --
goods. Ukrainian bureau Antonov has developed a eventually.
concept for an open-ocean search-and-rescue package _________________
utilizing an An-225 Mriya carrying an Orlenok piggy-
back to the rescue zone. Such a system would combine Krylov Shipbuilding Research Institute
the rapid transit time of a jet transport with the
touchdown/retrieval capability of a WIG aircraft.
Jane's High-Speed Marine Transportation 1998-99, p.
The smaller Utka, of which several exist, is essentially a 249
scaled-down version of the Orlenok and is primarily
designed for search-and-rescue and as a 20-passenger SDVPs
transport. The final large Russian WIG craft, the curious
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SDVP is a Russian abbreviation for Dynamic Air This craft can overcome uneven surfaces and obstacles
Cushion Vehicles. up to 0.4 m in height. The engines for Volga-2 are two
In 1990 first details were published in the USSR, on a VAZ-413 `rotor-piston' engines, believed to be rotary
series of designs of wing-in-ground-effect craft engines. Experimental data gained during trials of
developed under the direction of Dr R Ye Alekseev of Volga-2 show propulsion economics to be on a level
the Central Design Bureau of Hydrofoils. The need for with existing hydrofoils. Further details of this craft are
these craft arises from the speed limitations of hydrofoils given in the table that follows.
and the appreciable draught and limited speed of An interesting aspect of the SDVP designs is the use
catamarans in long-distance river operations. The type of of soft balloon-type structures to give the craft
wing-in-ground-effect craft under development employ amphibious capabilities; the main structures are built in
the power-assisted-lift principle, or PAR WIG (Power- light alloys.
Assisted Ram-Wing-In-Ground-effect) as it is The Gorky Institute of Water Transportation
sometimes known. The designs have over hard surface Engineers (GIIVTOM), together with the Scientific
as well as over water capability. Industrial Society (NPO) of the Central Design Bureau
of Hydrofoils and the United Volga River Shipping Line
STRIZH (VORP), have carried out research appraising the
technical possibilities and economic expediency of using
these wing-in-ground-effect craft. As an example it was
found that the route Nizhni Novgorod to Kazan, a
distance of 432 km, could show positive economic
results if wing-in-ground-effect craft were to be used for
passenger-carrying services. This craft was awarded the
Gold medal at the World Invention Exhibition in
Brussels in 1995.
In the accompanying table the Raketa, Meteor,
Kometa and Vykhr craft are design studies; Volga-2 has
been built.

A.90.150 EKRANOPLAN ORLYONOK

This vessel was designed as a WIG pilot training craft

for the Russian Navy in 1989.

Specifications
Length overall 11.4 m
Width 6.7 m
Speed 150 kt
Range 300 n miles

VOLGA-2

It is understood that only three of these craft were built.

Working prototypes of cargo versions have also been
built enabling the economics of future passenger-
carrying versions to be predicted. The fuselage is of a
relatively simple girder and stringer design and, like the
wings, is divided into watertight compartments so that
the craft will float while at rest. The fuselage is divided
into three parts; the nose section with the flight deck and
crew service area, a middle section containing the cargo
or passenger area and the tail section which houses
auxiliary machinery.
The nose-mounted jet engines have pivoted exhaust
nozzles; during take-off the jet exhaust streams are
6
directed beneath the wing to boost the ram-air pressure 8 50 90 120 150
RF River
beneath the wing. On changing to cruising flight the Register class
nozzles are redirected to provide horizontal thrust, R O O O M
accelerating the craft until cruising speed is reached; the Weight
take-off jet units are then shut down. The same 2.9 t 16 t 31 t 32 t 42 t
procedure is used when landing the craft to reduce
Length
hydrodynamic loading. The fuselage nose location of the 11.6 m 26.2 m 34.8 m 36 m 25 m
jet units allows their intakes to be positioned in the Width
contours of the nose in such a way as to minimise 7.7 m 14.9 m 19.8 m 20 m n/a
aerodynamic resistance. Draught
In cruising flight the craft is propelled by the NK-12 0.3 m 0.35 m 0.5 m 0.45 m 0.5 m
turboprop installation mounted high at the fin and Engine
2 2 3 2 2
tailplane intersection in order to keep the intake away
from sea spray as far as it is feasible. VAZ-413 TVD-10 TB7- AP-24 D-36
117C
Pitching stability is more difficult to achieve for a RPD
craft operating in ground-effect mode than in normal Type M60 turboprop turboprop turbofan turbofan
free flight, because it is influenced by the flight altitude
turboprop
as well as the angle of attack. The Ekranoplan has a very Propulsive
large tailplane to counter this problem, which is greater power
increased in efficiency by the propeller slipstream. 2 x 100 kW 2 x 662 3 x 1,795 2x ,840 kW
kW kW
Speed
120 km/h 150 km/h 150-180 170 185 km/h
km/h km/h
Specifications
Length overall 58.0 m 65 kt 80 kt 80-97 kt 92 kt 100 kt
Span 31.5 m Range
500 km 500 km 800 km 800 km 930 km
Height 15.0 m
Weight, normal 110 t (270 n miles) (270 n (432 n (432 n (500 n miles)
miles) miles) miles)
take-off Seaworthiness
Weight, max 125 t (wave height)
Passengers 100-150 (single-deck version); 0.5 m 1.25 m 1.25 m 1.5 m Beaufort 4
Crew watch
350 (twin-deck version) 1 3 3 4 4
Fuel capacity (max) 33,000 litres total aboard
(normal) 17,650 litres 2 6 6 8 8
Propulsive power 11,000 kW
Operational speed 216 kt
Range 1,080 nm A.90.150 EKRANOPLAN, CARGO
Operational limitation
Beaufort 4-5
Propulsion: Main engines are two Kuznetsov NK-8
turbofan engines, up to 10.5 t thrust, for take-off, and
one Kuznetsov NK-12, 11,000 kW, turboprop for
sustained cruising.

Outfit:
Passenger cabin 25 m
length:
width: 3.3 m
height: 3m
volume: 240 m^3

Craft Type VERSION

Volga-2 Raketa-2 Raketa- Meteor- Kometa-2 During the development of the cargo model, a version
2.2 2 was designed to have the fuselage split in two vertically,
Characteristics
Passenger in order to facilitate loading. It is a unique project, with
capacity no equivalent known of anywhere else.
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Specifications
Payload 30 t
Range 540 n miles
Outfit
Cargo section length 25 m
width 3.3 m
height 3m

CASPIAN MONSTER
A development of the Caspian Monster, the LUN design
apparently went into military service in 1989, but this
craft is now reported to have been withdrawn from
military activities.
The craft is propelled by eight NK-87 turbofan
engines, and the craft is armed with six anti-ship
missiles.

Specifications
Length overall 75.0 m
Span 41.0 m
Weight 400 t
Flight altitude 4.0 m
Max speed 300 kt
Range 1,620 n miles
The Russians built the first large-scale WIG craft in the
1960s. The 500 tonne, so called, Caspian Monster,
remained secret to the West until the late 1980s. There
have been at least eight modifications to the single craft
built, the number on the tail indicating the modification
number. The Caspian Monster prototype is reported to
have crashed and sunk in the Caspian Sea in 1980 after
14 years of service.
The craft design is ideally suited for rapid
transportation of forces, with a greater payload capacity,
greater range and less fuel consumption than
conventional aircraft, whilst operating at a comparable
speed.

Specifications
Length overall 92.4 m A number of non-military versions of the LUN craft are
Beam (span) 37.8 m currently proposed. It is understood that the LUN craft
Max weight 544 t currently under construction was originally conceived as
Max speed 270 kt a military craft but is being converted to a rescue craft
Operational speed 230 kt named the Spasatel-2. This has similar performance
Range 1,000 n miles characteristics to the original LUN craft with a
displacement of 400 tonnes, a cruising speed of 450 to
LUN 550 km/h and a range of 4,500 km. The carrying
capacity of this craft is up to 600 people. Other versions
of the Spastel-2 are also proposed - a passenger-carrying
craft, the LUN-P, and a cargo carrying craft, the MTER.

* * *
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