Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
In the thick of the Cold War, the Soviet Union built an immense vessel to carry their troops across the seas and into Western Europe.
Equipped with nuclear warheads and able to blast across the sea at 340 mph, the Lun-class Ekranoplane; part plane, part boat, and part hovercraft — is a Ground Effect Vehicle (GEV).
A GEV 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.
The only complete Ekranoplane now sits on the shores of the Caspian Sea.
While there is talk of refitting the Lun-class and getting the GEV back in the fleet, it's now rusting away, and was spotted by aviation blogger Igor113 who posted these pictures to his blog.
The Lun-class Ekranoplane was used by the Soviet Navy from 1987 to the late 1990s
Image may be NSFW.Clik here to view.
Nearly 243 feet long, almost as big as the Spruce Goose, the Lun is a ground effect aircraft that can only fly near the surface of the sea
Image may be NSFW.Clik here to view.
Eight turbofans producing 28,600 pounds of thrust apiece are mounted at the nose of the aircraft
Image may be NSFW.Clik here to view.
See the rest of the story at Business Insider
Please follow Military & Defense on Twitter and Facebook.
