16-579: The Lun -class ekranoplan ( Soviet classification : Project 903 ) is the only ground effect vehicle (GEV) to ever be operationally deployed as a warship , deploying in the Caspian Flotilla . It was designed by Rostislav Alexeyev in 1975 and used by the Soviet and later Russian navies from 1987 until sometime in the late 1990s. It flew using lift generated by the ground effect acting on its large wings when within about four metres (13 ft) above
32-423: A shore , they interact with the bottom, get taller and steeper , and break, forming the foamy surface called surf . The region of breaking waves defines the surf zone . After breaking in the surf zone, the waves (now reduced in height) continue to move in, and they run up onto the sloping front of the beach , forming an uprush of water called swash . The water then runs back again as backwash . The water in
48-488: Is a suspension feeder that eats by capturing zooplankton with its antennae. All of these creatures burrow down into the sand to escape from being pulled into the ocean from the tides and waves. They also burrow themselves in the sand to protect themselves from predators. The surf zone is full of nutrients, oxygen, and sunlight which leaves the zone very productive with animal life. The surf zone can contain dangerous rip currents: strong local currents which flow offshore and pose
64-695: The P-270 Moskit (Mosquito) guided missile . Six missile launchers were mounted in pairs on the dorsal surface of its fuselage with advanced tracking systems mounted in its nose and tail. The only model of this class ever built to completion, the MD-160 , entered service with the Soviet Navy Caspian Flotilla in 1987. It was retired in the late 1990s and sat unused at a Caspian Sea naval base in Kaspiysk until 2020. The second Lun -class ekranoplan
80-452: The Volga river in an old industrial complex within the central Russian city of Nizhny Novgorod . The Lun design had several drawbacks. One was that although the ground effect enabled it to fly at low altitude, in order to utilize the effect it had to fly as low as 1.5–3.0 m (5–10 ft) off the water due to its short wingspan, so it could not fly when seas were even mildly rough. Another
96-477: The basis of the experimental KM ekranoplan, which was nicknamed the " Caspian Sea Monster ". The Lun was powered with eight Kuznetsov NK-87 turbofans , mounted on forward canards , each producing 127.4 kN (28,600 lbf) of thrust. It had a flying boat hull with a large deflecting plate at the bottom to provide a "step" for takeoff. It had a maximum cruising speed of 550 kilometres per hour (340 mph). Equipped for anti-surface warfare , it carried
112-550: The cognate "project" or as "design". Warsaw Pact states and Post-Soviet states also used an equivalent term to classify their ships, such as the Polish Project 664 torpedo boat or the Ukrainian Project 58155 Hyurza-M armoured gunboat. Surf zone The surf zone or breaker zone is the nearshore part of a body of open water between the line at which the waves break and the shore. As ocean surface waves approach
128-413: The hull, exposed to the waves in the surf zone, was taking on water. Moving the craft to dry land beyond the surf zone would eliminate the possibility that increased wave action during storms could damage the hull further. In December 2020 a successful recovery operation resulted in the ekranoplan being hauled out of the water, nose-first, with the tail ending up about 20–30 m (65–100 ft) from
144-439: The planned Patriot Park , a combination museum and theme park that will display Soviet and Russian military equipment. The towing operation involved the use of rubber pontoons, three tugboats and two escort vessels, and would have covered approximately 100 km (62 miles) had it been completed. However, during the tow the ekranoplan became stuck just offshore of a sandy beach, short of the intended destination. The team managing
160-610: The sea, as seen from satellite imagery. The ekranoplan was towed ashore on 30 December 2021. Data from General characteristics Performance Armament 41°56′25″N 48°22′43″E / 41.94028°N 48.37861°E / 41.94028; 48.37861 List of ships of Russia by project number The list of ships of Russia by project number includes all Soviet and Russian ships by known assigned project numbers. Ship descriptions are Russian assigned classifications when known. The Russian term проект ( tr. proyekt ) can be translated either as
176-505: The surf zone is relatively shallow, depending on the height and period of the waves. The animals that often are found living in the surf zone are crabs , clams , and snails . Surf clams and mole crabs are two species that stand out as inhabitants of the surf zone. Both of these animals are very fast burrowers. The surf clam, also known as the variable coquina, is a filter feeder that uses its gills to filter microalgae, tiny zooplankton , and small particulates out of seawater. The mole crab
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#1732870064227192-525: The surface of the water. Although they might look similar to traditional aircraft, ekranoplans like the Lun are not classified as aircraft, seaplanes , hovercraft , or hydrofoils . Rather, craft like the Lun -class ekranoplan are classified as maritime ships by the International Maritime Organization due to their use of the ground effect, in which the craft glides just above the surface of
208-458: The towing operation was unable to free the massive vehicle, so the ekranoplan was secured and remained beached in the surf zone while plans were drawn up on how to continue the move to Patriot Park. In the meantime, the unusual craft began attracting attention from the media, onlookers, and trespassing "urban explorers" , even before the park was built. One report published in August 2020 stated that
224-464: The water. The ground effect occurs when flying at an altitude of only a few metres above the ocean or ground; drag is greatly reduced by the proximity of the ground preventing the formation of wingtip vortices, thus increasing the efficiency of the wing. This effect does not occur at high altitude. The name Lun comes from the Russian word for the harrier . The Lun -class ekranoplan was developed on
240-519: Was partially built in the late 1980s. While its construction was underway, it was redesigned as a mobile field hospital for rapid deployment to any ocean or coastal location. It was named the Spasatel ("Rescuer"). Following the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 and cancellation of military funding, construction of the second craft was halted. As of 2021, the uncompleted Spasatel is stored adjacent to
256-555: Was that the craft was only designed to use the ground effect principle, so it could not ascend to higher cruising altitudes. The requirement for calm seas to operate and inability to fly above them if they weren't greatly limited where it was able to deploy. On 31 July 2020, the completed MD-160 Lun -class ekranoplan was towed out of the naval base in Kaspiysk, with the intention of being eventually put on public display in Derbent, Dagestan , at
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