EKRANOPLAN / Caspian Sea Monster / Thủy Phi Cơ - Chương Trình Chế Tạo Vũ Khí Bí Mật của Nga Sô

http://www.theblaze.com/stories/want-to-see-the-soviet-unions-massive-nuclear-equipped-super-plane/

The article linked above has numerous photos, and a story, of a huge Soviet military aircraft, which was limitedly operational in the Baltic Sea and Mediterranean.

It was designed to use ground effect and skim over the ocean, about sixteen feet above the surface.  Consequently, it can haul large payloads.
It has a series of big missile launch tubes incorporated into the top of the aircraft.
You’ve got to see it to believe it.
By the way, the Russian Minister of Defense says they want to build more …

The one you see in photos here is the Lun-class Ekranoplan. The most unique aspect of the “part plane, part boat, and part hovercraft” ekranoplan was its propulsion method, which is why it was also called a Ground Effect Vehicle (GEV) or “Sea Skimmer.”
As Johnson puts it, the GEV’s aerodynamic feat:
“takes advantage of an aeronautical effect that allows it to lift off with an immense amount of weight, but limits its flight to 16 feet above the waves. Its altitude can never be greater than the length of the wings. Think of a large seabird, like a pelican, cruising inches from the water and not needing to flap its wings.”
This allowed Ground Effect Vehicles like the ekranoplan to be twice as efficient as regular airplanes. The “wing in ground” effect let the Soviet war-bird swoop low over the water and even get decent fuel economy while maxing out at a weight of around 2 million pounds.
But these aren’t just low-flying rip-offs of the American C-5 cargo plane. Ekranoplans were designed to be absolutely stacked with weaponry as well, including nuclear missiles.
The plane was capable of carrying six P-270 Moskit guided missiles armed with nuclear warheads which were mounted in dual configurations on top of the hull. An anti-submarine variant fitted with six anti-ship missile launchers was also planned for production, as was a field hospital cabin variation.

At about 240 feet long, the Lun-class Ekranoplan can carry 15 officers, flying 340 mph for about 1,240 miles, but always remained stuck with a ceiling altitude of 16 feet above the ocean’s surface

The Soviet Navy’s Lun-class Ekranoplan was in limited use from 1987 to the late 1990s. The only finished model now rusts away on the edge of the Caspian Sea. Some Russian military brass have discussed refitting GEVs or building new ones for their modern fleet.
In fact, the Russian Defense Minister in 2007 said production of this particular model Ekranoplan would be resumed at some point in the future.
The ekranoplans were conceptualized at the start of the 1970s, though not deployed until decades later. The first ekranoplans were built in the mid-1980′s, and the Lun operated in the Black Sea and the Mediterranean before being spotted by NATO forces.
Had it ever faced combat, the ekranoplan would have likely needed a fighter escort, as its size and lack of maneuverability would have made it a tempting and easy target for U.S. and NATO forces. Above, you can see where a tailgunner would have tried to fend off incoming fighter planes.