What Happened To Giant Ekranoplans?

In the 1960s, the leader of the Soviet Union, Nikita Khrushchev bragged that his nation had ships that could jump right over bridges. His cryptic words confused Western leaders, but he was alluding to a secret project deep within the Soviet Union.

The Soviets were developing a new class of vehicle that could move as fast as an aircraft, but lift far more payload than a conventional airplane. These machines would fly metres from the surface using an aerodynamic principle called the ground effect. They were called Ekranoplan (roughly translating to mean for “screen plane” or “low flying plane”). Beginning with experiments in the early 1960s, and headed by a pioneering hydrofoil engineer Rostislav Alexeyev, the Soviets quickly developed a series of small-scale prototypes to refine the concept. In 1966 they completed the KM (Korabl Maket) Russian for “ship-prototype”. An enormous machine, larger and heavier than any aircraft in the world. The first large scale Ekranoplan could lift an astonishing 544,000 kg (1,199,315 lb) and reach speeds of over 600 km/h (373 mph).

The KM proved that the ground effect concept could be scaled up, but it also revealed series unresolved engineering issues as well as limits to Ekranoplan operational capabilities. Despite these setbacks, Alexeyev and his engineers continued their development efforts. However, by the time the KM was completed and ready for testing, the political climate in the Soviet Union had changed entirely. Khrushchev, an enthusiastic supporter of Ekranoplans, was replaced with Leonid Brezhnev. Brezhnev, adverse to risk and uninterested in bold projects to showcase Soviet superiority, was far less interested in Ekranoplan development.

Alexeyev and his engineers abandoned the KM’s development and moved on to develop more practical applications, including a smaller troop transport (A-90 Orlyonok) and later, a larger anti-surface warfare ship (MD-160 Lun-class). After the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, the few Ekranoplans that entered service were quickly retired from Russian Navy fleets.

Special thanks to Nick Arehart for helping clean up our audio:

Thanks for watching!

[MustardChannel]

By far the most requested topic... I thought it was finally time to cover the Ekranoplan! What else would you like to see covered in the future?

[baldandbankrupt]

Fascinating. I tried visiting the Ekranoplan parked up in a dry dock in the town of Kaspiisk in Dagestan but it's now sealed off by the military.

[arsalaanzaki]

everybody gansta till the boats start flying

[StratfordWingRider]

I love the animations and presentation style of this channel. There is nothing like it. Those 3D models are stunning

[TheBaronVSP]

In America, pilots worry about the threat of bird-strike.
In Russia, pilots worry about the threat of whale-strike.

[ManofSteel]

*All of History*
Innovators: "This will revolutionize the way we do X."
Government: "But can it make people be dead?"

[lampoilropebombs]

Is this a ship or plane?

The soviets: yes

[jackyjiang]

I just love those Soviet designs. No need for beauty, pure brutal functionality

[BasicShapes]

"Is it a ship or a plane?"
Soviets: _da_

[zraiarz]

Russia: We are gonna make a ship that flies!
America: So an Aircraft?
Russia: *NO*

[TheHacknor]

Christmas has come early with extra Mustard

[gabrijelmaric]

"There are more planes in the ocean then boats in the air"
Soviet Union: Allow us to introduce ourselves

[The-Sea-Dragon-]

The International Rules for Prevention of Collisions at Sea still have sections dedicated to WiG (Wing in Ground effect) craft. Alexiev's legacy.

[AwesomeNiel]

Mustard n Chill is becoming a real thing lately

[itsjustlukeRevive]

It's a bird! It's a plane! It's a ship! No, it's Ekranoplan!

[Tom-ldvr]

Holy damn. Mustard, the production quality has gotten to the point now where I actually enjoy this more than most TV shows. I don't know how you do it, but keep it up ;)

[felixrowan]

To learn that such a huge craft that can genuinely hover has existed since the 1960s is quite something.

[aureliandentyn]

It looks like something GTA would add into their game

[johnathanmeep]

“The ekranoplans were fast, But they couldn’t outrun the soviets economic failures”

This made me die of laughter

[sauronthedarklordofmordor]

Why billionaires now spend on stupid yachts and cars when you can build an Ekranoplan and investigate its current viability with modern technology