What happened to the Ekranoplan? - The Caspian Sea Monster

What happened to the Ekranoplan, the huge ground effect vehicle the Soviets developed in the cold from the 1960's to the 1980's. This was a part plane, part boat that could fly just above the above the sea surface and carry huge loads of personnel or weapons at high speed.
We look at its development, its inventor and its ultimate demise.

Sponsors :
Luke, Muhammad Tauha Ali, Pascal Hausammann,
Florian Hesse.
Space Ventures Investors, Katy, Joal Rehmann, Pyloric,
Blair Leduc, Laszia Antal, Chad Mellor, Michael Douglas,
Bjorn Nyblad, Giacomo Catenazzi, AMIR BLACHMAN,
Larry Ackerman, Ara Kirakosyan, Bernt-Olov Hellstram,Tayar Jundi,
Johan Rombaut, Tobias Pettersson, Kevin Hinnen,
Mitchel J. Mullin II, Lucius Kwok, Hunter Schwisow,
Peter Cote, Cody Belichesky, Mogoreanu Daniel, Douglas Gustafson, Marcus Chiado, Jorn Magnus Karlsen.

Presented by
Paul Shillito

Written and Researched by
Andy Munzer

Additional Material by
Paul Shillito

[kaspernielsen]

I like your voice... its calm and collected and not like 99% of youtube trying to hype the shit out of everything. THANK YOU!

[apetrenko_ai]

I got my Master's at Nizhny Novgorod State Technical University named after Rostislav Alekseev. Proud of our legacy. Thank you for this amazing video!

[reinplat]

Just imagine what this ingenious designer could have achieved if he had had access to the right resources.

[valuedhumanoid]

In the Microsoft Flight Simulator there is a scenario in the game where if you follow the correct route, you will see the Caspian Sea Monster skimming across the surface of the ocean. There are vague references with the Air Traffic Control about a mysterious craft having been seen in the area. I found it and followed it as far as I could. It looks just like the original Ekranoplan. Very cool Easter Egg.

[Andy.Morgan]

I saw the Caspian monster test. It was awesome! I was about 15 years old.
He could fly at a height of 10-15 meters. The most lifting aerial vehicle with a lifting force of 1000 tons!

[norwegiantechnolover]

Wow, that "Lun" ekranoplan truly is a monster! One of the most bad ass machines I've seen!

[devinfaux]

"Although the giant tail and stabilizer protruded above the water for a time, the first Ekranoplan was simply too massive to be recovered, and it remains in the Caspian sea to this day, lurking just beneath the waves." A poetic fate for such a sea monster.

[chorogon]

"do you want a boat or a plane?"
"yes"

[jamesgerard]

In one of William Gibson's books, a wealthy businessman rehabilitates a Ekranoplan. The descriptions are of huge size and luxury. He flies it from England to Iceland with a large number of passengers. Like large airships, I hope the Ekranoplan makes a comeback.

[bosede-nage]

It seems that one of the big issues was piloting these things. Now that there are advanced autopilots with laser distance measures also capable of scanning the water surface these card might be ready to return - especially as they use a lot less fuel than other aircraft

[gregbrockway]

Thanks Paul that was outstanding! Just learned about that beast recently and have only seen still pics, your clips were true eye candy. Sounds like you did some very intense research and for that kudos to you and your team!

[NOOBIFIER]

Thumbs UP for Awesome and Informational Videos!

[josephwarra]

A very interesting and ingenious design that deserves further research and development.

[johnsrabe]

I just stumbled across this video, and I know this is 2 years late! But: Nicely produced! Paul has a really strong on-screen presence and a great presentation style, and the info was all new to me.

[eEDW]

Another great video, so glad this guy exists

[taofledermaus]

It looks like the jet engines were blowing over the TOP of the wings which would also induce lift.

[DiscoDashco]

That Lun would’ve absolutely been a major threat to carrier groups, if the technology was practical in ALL conditions.

[AnMuiren]

You are such a great storyteller. Thank you for sharing this remarkable history and hope for a possible future.

[samovarmaker]

Just when I started discovering this topic... Curious Droid uploads everything I need to know about it.

[CybranM]

Your videos are great, I'm always happy when I see a new curious droid video. Keep it up! :D