The “Monster of the Caspian Sea” rises from the grave

(CNN) – Stranded on the west coast of the Caspian Sea, it looks like a colossal aquatic beast, a strange creation that feels more comfortable in the depths than on the waves. It certainly doesn’t look like something that can fly.

But it flew, albeit a long time ago.

In July 2020, after lying dormant for more than three decades, the ‘Monster of the Caspian Sea’ was on the move again. This is one of the most striking flying machines ever built, and it was completing what may have been its final journey.

For 14 hours a flotilla of three tugs and two escort vessels slowly maneuvered along the shores of the Caspian Sea to bring this large special cargo to its destination, a stretch of coastline near Russia’s southernmost point.

It is here, next to the ancient city of Derbent, in the Russian republic of Dagestan, that the 380-ton “Lun-class Ekranoplano” has found its new and probably permanent home.

“Mon”, the last of its kind to navigate the Caspian waters, was abandoned after the collapse of the Soviet Union in the 1990s, condemned to rust at the Kaspiysk naval base, some 100 kilometers up the coast of Derbent. .

But before it could fade into oblivion, it has been rescued thanks to plans to turn it into a tourist attraction just at a time when this unusual travel concept might be ready to make a comeback.

Speed ​​and stealth

Ground Effect Vehicles, also known as “ekranoplanes”, are a kind of hybrid between airplanes and ships. They move on the water without touching it.

The International Maritime Organization classifies them as ships. However, in fact, their unique abilities to reach high speeds derive from the fact that they skim the surface of the water at a height of between one and five meters.

They take advantage of an aerodynamic principle called “ground effect”.

This combination of speed and stealth (their proximity to the surface while flying makes them difficult to detect by radars) caught the attention of the Soviet military, which experimented with various variants of the concept during the Cold War.

Their deployment in the vast inland body of water between the Soviet Union and Iran led them to acquire the nickname “Monster of the Caspian Sea.”

The “Lun” ekranoplane was one of the last designs in the Soviet ground effect vehicle program. It is longer than an Airbus A380 superjumbo and almost as tall. Despite its size and weight, the “Lun” was capable of speeds of up to 550 km. per hour thanks to eight powerful turbofans located on its stubby wings.

This formidable machine was even capable of taking off and landing in stormy conditions, with waves of up to 2.5 meters. Its intended mission was to carry out lightning strikes by sea with the six anti-ship missiles it carried in launch tubes attached to the top of its hull.

The Monster of the Caspian Sea, star attraction

The ekranoplane that has been moved to Derbent is the only one of its kind that was completed and entered service in 1987.

A second Lun, decommissioned and assigned to rescue and supply missions, was in an advanced state of construction when, in the early 1990s, the entire program was canceled and the existing “Lun” was withdrawn from service.

After more than 30 years of inaction, getting this sea beast moving again was no easy task. It required the help of rubber pontoons and carefully coordinated choreography that involved several boats.

“Mon” will be the star of the Patriot Park planned by Derbent, a military museum and theme park that will display different types of Soviet and Russian military equipment.

Construction of the park is expected to begin later in 2020. For now, “Lun” will remain only on the beach.

It looks like it will become a new highlight for visitors to Derbent. The city claims to be the oldest continuously inhabited settlement on Russian territory. Its citadel and historic center have been designated by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site.

Second wave of ekranoplanes

The “Monster of the Caspian Sea” will add to the attractions of a region that, until the coronavirus pandemic, had registered a number of initiatives to open it up to tourism, including the launch of cruise itineraries in the Caspian Sea.

When it opens, Derbent’s Patriot Park won’t be the only Russian museum to display an ekranoplane. A much smaller Orlyonok-class ekranoplane can be found in the Museum of the Russian Navy in Moscow.

While ground-effect vehicles fell out of favor in recent decades, the concept has seen a resurgence of late.

Developers in Singapore, the United States, China and Russia are working on different projects that aim to bring ekranoplanes back to life. Although with much more peaceful purposes.

One of them is Singapore-based Wigetworks, whose AirFish 8 prototype is based on preliminary work done by German engineers Hanno Fischer and Alexander Lippisch during the Cold War.

Wigetworks acquired the patents and intellectual property rights and has set out to improve and update those earlier designs to create a modern ground effect vehicle.

Also in Asia, the Chinese Xiangzhou 1 ekranoplane first flew in 2017, although little is known about this project.

Delivery drones

In the United States, The Flying Ship Company, a venture backed by private investors, is working on an unmanned ground effect vehicle to move cargo at high speed. Think of drones to make deliveries, but on the water.

The project is in its early stages. However, founder and CEO Bill Peterson told CNN that his team plans to bring the project to fruition within seven years.

And Russia, home of the ekranoplane, hasn’t given up on the concept.

In recent years, several projects have been promoted, although none have made it past the design stage yet.

Beriev, a manufacturer of jet-powered amphibians, came up with the Be-2500 concept. More recently, Russian media reported that a new generation military ekranoplane, provisionally named “Orlan”, was being considered.

Another privately funded project has emerged from Nizhny Novgorod, an industrial city on the banks of the Volga River closely related to the origins of ekranoplane technology. RDC Aqualines, which also has offices in Singapore, is developing its own line of commercial ekranoplanes capable of carrying three, eight and 12 passengers. And it could possibly expand to more.

His designs have caught the attention of a group of entrepreneurs who aim to establish a quick connection across the Gulf of Finland. The goal is for a Helsinki to the Estonian capital, Tallinn, in about 30 minutes.

You may not need to visit a museum to see an ekranoplane soon after all.