The Caspian Sea Monster

55starchief · September 07, 2006, 06:41:54 PM

Well after a little google research this is what we were talking about last night.

During the Cold War military analysts at the Pentagon were routinely tasked with studying various reconnaisance photographs taken over the Soviet Union by American spy satellites and Francis Gary Powers and his mates. One such set of photographs taken over the Caspian Sea stunned the Pentagon analysts. The photographs showed a giant high speed unidentified object over the Caspian Sea. The analysts were unable to immediately identify the UFO.

The Americans aptly nicknamed the object The Caspian Sea Monster. In later years further details about this extraordinary machine began to emerge.

Designed and built in the 1960s under a veil of secrecy by the Alexeiev Central Hydrofoil Design Bureau in the Soviet Union the KM Ekranoplan was a flying machine like no other. Weighing in at 540 tons, 300 ft from nose to tail and powered by 10 turbo jets it was capable of flying at close to 350 mph just a few feet above the surface of the sea. Its unique design enabled it to fly low enough to avoid conventional radar detection and high enough to avoid submarine sonar detection making it ideal for the Soviet Navy.

The Ekranoplan made use of an aerodynamic principle known as Ground Effect. When an aircraft flies close to the ground the efficiency of the wing or the lift generated is greatly enhanced. This is due partly due to the creation of a cushion of air between the wing and the ground and also a reduction in the wing tip vortices which in turn reduces induced drag. A vehicle purely designed to fly in the ground effect regime is called a GEV or a WIG (wing in ground effect). The Ekranoplans in spite of their massive weight were able to fly in this regime due to the reduced lift requirements. Not quite a ship, not quite a hovercraft and not quite an aircraft either.

Incursus · September 07, 2006, 07:11:32 PM

Yeah thats the one

FUBAR · September 07, 2006, 07:19:16 PM

thats cool

F Body · September 08, 2006, 12:38:46 AM

Wey Hey so it was the Russians who invented the Chav

FUBAR · September 08, 2006, 04:56:57 AM

Quoting: F Body

so it was the Russians who invented the Chav

Huh?...

F Body · September 08, 2006, 07:41:39 AM

Quoting: FUBAR

Huh?...

Well because it looks like a Max Power plane with all those extra engines and fins, I'm sure I've seen outside Halfrauds !

FUBAR · September 08, 2006, 08:57:52 AM

Its probably bigger than Halfords...

Roadkill · September 08, 2006, 12:33:03 PM

Indeed, very cool.

How many were produced ?

Incursus · September 08, 2006, 12:37:38 PM

Quoting: Roadkill

How many were produced

Just the one prototype if I remember correctly, and they never really finished that. Pretty sure It never saw service.

cba to look it up atm

FUBAR · September 08, 2006, 02:13:01 PM

well judging by the photos above and the fact that one has "01" on the side and one has "04" i'd guess they made at least 4 of them...

55starchief · September 08, 2006, 02:14:16 PM

Quoting: FUBAR

well judging by the photos above and the fact that one has "01" on the side and one has "04" i'd guess they made at least 4 of them...

No just the 1 the numbers indicated what phase or prototype version it was

ianjpage · September 08, 2006, 04:58:55 PM

ahh thats the one kewl!!

Mustangus · September 08, 2006, 06:01:03 PM

damn that thing's cool. But surely it can only fly over calm water as big waves would mess with the 'air cushion' that it rides on

Rob · September 09, 2006, 01:50:36 AM

Quoting: FUBAR

the fact that one has "01" on the side

Were the doors welded up and the pilot had to slide in through the window...

Yeeeeee Haaaaaah

Incursus · September 09, 2006, 06:05:58 AM

Quoting: Rob

Were the doors welded up and the pilot had to slide in through the window...

Yeeeeee Haaaaaah