Soviet Ekranoplanes then and now

[F-14D]

Экраноплан "Лунь" проект 903

Вот у меня и дошли руки до экраноплана.Я разобью рассказ о нем на 3 или 4 части: 1-экраноплан снаружи(1 или 2 части) 2-экраноплан изнутри, 3-док экраноплана. В 1987 г. на воду сошел "Лунь" первый корабль серии боевых ракетоносных экранопланов весом 400 т. Главным конструктором был В.Кирилловых.…

igor113.livejournal.com

How the mighty have fallen

 

[mz]

Nice. Although it's the third time Igor's livejournal pics have been posted...

 

[flateric]

there's no such thing as 'now' for KM, as it crashed in 1980

 

[F-14D]

Nice. Although it's the third time Igor's livejournal pics have been posted...

I did try and search the forums before posting, but couldn't come up with any search term that revealed these pics elsewhere. Oh well...


Hmmm--- I wonder if this will show up as a surprise bid for KC-X? Receiving aircraft better be really good on altitude control!!

 

[yasotay]

Even better a solution for the JFTL. :

Enough turbofan engines to keep the USAF happy.

 

[F-14D]

Even better a solution for the JFTL. :

Enough turbofan engines to keep the USAF happy.

That's a great idea! Plus, it'll be big enough to carry its own golf course, so USAF can consider it capable of self-deployment!

 

[JFC Fuller]

If you really want a laugh, flick through that site and find the bit about Kuznetzov, the photos are very telling and the description of conditions on board is even better. Basically in 1999/2000 the ship was little more than a hulk.

 

[quellish]

Even better a solution for the JFTL. :

Enough turbofan engines to keep the USAF happy.

That's a great idea! Plus, it'll be big enough to carry its own golf course, so USAF can consider it capable of self-deployment!

Lun would be the world's awesomest yacht with a little conversion work

 

[Vahe Demirjian]

This thread should be moved to "Aerospace", because the KM Ekranoplan doesn't qualify as a secret project.

 

[TomS]

This thread should be moved to "Aerospace", because the KM Ekranoplan doesn't qualify as a secret project.

It fits because only one was built and it remained a prototype or test vehicle for it's whole life.

 

[overscan (PaulMM)]

The original post mixed up two different projects.