Transporting Soviet tanks across the Baltic and Black seas. There are a small number of them in civilian service (unfortunately they're smaller civilian models rather than the Caspian Monster) in the Black Sea and East Asia. They're also a maintenance nightmare, and the models the Soviets were testing basically couldn't turn.
That being said the one in pic related was built to hunt NATO bomber subs across the Arctic, but stalled out because the various subcontractors weren't able to build the components to anything vaguely connected to reasonable standards/reliability.
They are very limited in the conditions they can operate and are only really viable as a rapid harbor interceptor for point defense in a calm sea, which is why Russia made the Lun.
They're limited to stable seas meaning your opportunistic window is small, it's legacy lives on in longer range sea skimming missiles though.
They're also expensive to produce and maintain due to being sea faring, rust etc. Larger sea long range sea skimming missiles are just cheaper.
>Russian Empire >Surface Naval Asset
What were they planning to use Ekranoplans for?
High Speed Low drag delivery of Naval Infantry across the Caspian to heroically suppress a workers strike in the Socialist Turkmen Republic?
They need to be HUGE to handle high seas and no one is willing to spend the time and money building a HUGE one.
They might eventually be used as fast cargo ships but there is going to need to be a lot of demand for faster than sea but too heavy / bulky for air cargo before anyone will do it.
Same reason thet failed everywhere.
They promised better propulusion effeciency than planes but failed to deliver promise. Planes fly further, faster, burning less fuel than ekranoplan.
DARPA is currently holding a competition for American heavy lift ground effect planes with mega long range and envelope up to 10k feet, there are 2 prototypes currently competing. Mostly designed to replace LPD17 and naval resupply of Marine Corps units in island defense scenario around Asia
No they are obv not in ground effect at that height. Point being it's capable of regular flight up to 10k, like it won't insta-stall if it leaves ground effect. Design specifies it should be able to refuel off regular DDGs etc using a modified HIFR system. So might be serving as a new tender class as well to bring reloads etc to ships. Don't know why it's an AF project, seems pretty exclusively Navy in orientation to me. I mean the thing is a fuckimg flying boat that carries marines how is that an air force mission
I love the fact that you could show them to someone who has never seen them and knows nothing whatsoever about military vehicles and they would still unerringly and immediately identify them as Soviet designs.
Besides all the other issues the fuel consumption of that thing was allegedly so outrageous that not even the Russians could have afforded to deploy a fleet of them on a regular basis, not even a small fleet.
Because they aren't very versatile.
They had one mission and that mission became obsolete.
What mission is that?
lighting strike on Norway
Transporting Soviet tanks across the Baltic and Black seas. There are a small number of them in civilian service (unfortunately they're smaller civilian models rather than the Caspian Monster) in the Black Sea and East Asia. They're also a maintenance nightmare, and the models the Soviets were testing basically couldn't turn.
That being said the one in pic related was built to hunt NATO bomber subs across the Arctic, but stalled out because the various subcontractors weren't able to build the components to anything vaguely connected to reasonable standards/reliability.
because waves exist
They are very limited in the conditions they can operate and are only really viable as a rapid harbor interceptor for point defense in a calm sea, which is why Russia made the Lun.
They're limited to stable seas meaning your opportunistic window is small, it's legacy lives on in longer range sea skimming missiles though.
They're also expensive to produce and maintain due to being sea faring, rust etc. Larger sea long range sea skimming missiles are just cheaper.
>Russian Empire
>Surface Naval Asset
What were they planning to use Ekranoplans for?
High Speed Low drag delivery of Naval Infantry across the Caspian to heroically suppress a workers strike in the Socialist Turkmen Republic?
Operations in the Caspian, Black, Baltic, and Mediterranean Seas primarily.
They need to be HUGE to handle high seas and no one is willing to spend the time and money building a HUGE one.
They might eventually be used as fast cargo ships but there is going to need to be a lot of demand for faster than sea but too heavy / bulky for air cargo before anyone will do it.
Same reason thet failed everywhere.
They promised better propulusion effeciency than planes but failed to deliver promise. Planes fly further, faster, burning less fuel than ekranoplan.
DARPA is currently holding a competition for American heavy lift ground effect planes with mega long range and envelope up to 10k feet, there are 2 prototypes currently competing. Mostly designed to replace LPD17 and naval resupply of Marine Corps units in island defense scenario around Asia
10,000 feet? how do they get the ground effect, with a comically long bungee cord?
No they are obv not in ground effect at that height. Point being it's capable of regular flight up to 10k, like it won't insta-stall if it leaves ground effect. Design specifies it should be able to refuel off regular DDGs etc using a modified HIFR system. So might be serving as a new tender class as well to bring reloads etc to ships. Don't know why it's an AF project, seems pretty exclusively Navy in orientation to me. I mean the thing is a fuckimg flying boat that carries marines how is that an air force mission
impressive. now lets see it sail/fly trough high waves
Cucked by seaplanes
You know what I love about Soviet GEVs?
I love the fact that you could show them to someone who has never seen them and knows nothing whatsoever about military vehicles and they would still unerringly and immediately identify them as Soviet designs.
Besides all the other issues the fuel consumption of that thing was allegedly so outrageous that not even the Russians could have afforded to deploy a fleet of them on a regular basis, not even a small fleet.
There's a really small niche where they are useful.