BIG freighter

[Konkordski]

Any of you freighter folk fancy getting your hands on one of these?

Twice as big as the An-225 and uses ground-effect aerodynamics to skim its way around the world. :D



http://www.boeing.com/news/frontiers/photos/Sept-Frontiers0050lg.jpg

[Low-Pass]

I Believe the Soviet Union had/has something similar to transport its troops about. Ceiling of about 300'.

[Nopax,thanx]

I hope Saunders-Roe have got their legal team ready.... :rolleyes:

[spanner-do]

Low-Pass

Caspian Sea Monsters

"Caspian Sea Monsters" are WIGs (wing in the ground effect) vehicles designed by a number of Soviet experimental design bureaus. The WIG vehicles take advantage of an additional lift provided by cushion of dense air trapped between large wing of the craft and the surface. Induced drag (drag due to the lift) of wing is considerably reduced if the altitude of the aircraft is similar to the chord of the wing. Ground effect provides a considerable fuel economy and increase of range than convenient flight. WIG can operate over water, flat surfaces of Earth (shallows and wetlands), ice and snow. The major application of WIGs is anti-submarine warfare (ASW), search and rescue, sealift, amphibious assault and coastal defense.

Started off somewhere around 1960's more info (http://aeroweb.lucia.it/~agretch/RAFAQ/WIG.html)

[Low-Pass]

Spanner-do -Thanks for the details, I knew it was something like that.

Nopax,thanx - Can you elighten the uneducated?

[BRISTOLRE]

Looks like an Antonov 22 revived
:)

[Low-Pass]

Or the SpruceGoose :D

[OVERTALK]

I can appreciate why WIG is designed to fly low and take advantage of ground effect, but why would its ceiling be limited to 300ft? Is the wing section and loading totally inappropriate to wing-borne flight?

Seems to me that voluntarily cruising down there in CFIT country you are just asking for a hiccup, autopilot, rad alt and/or systems failure and you're into the drink (or swamps, marshes etc). You'd also need ahead radar cover for IMC protection against flying into the sides of ships, masts, guy-wires, ice-floes etc. In addition it would need an autozoom-up capability for any steepish turns.

Seems to be little tactical or strategic stealth adavantage as an AWACS is going to paint it OK at 100 nms.... and it would be an easy kill for any fighter....

Seems to me (also) that it would be spending a lot of time down there in the high threat-hazard area.... and with limited LOS comms abilities. Troops might be better off than in an Osprey though:rolleyes:

[ETOPS773]

An Ekranoplan as the russians called them.

I can just imagine that being efficient over the stormy atlantic waters,with gigantic waves giving it a nice "float" effect.

Boeing seem to be getting very desperate...There are some things that need delivering quickly..and that won`t keep up with a B777-300 freighter will it??? (hint:mad: )

[Nopax,thanx]

Low-Pass

Saunders-Roe Princess flying boat of the 1950's - rather similar in a lot of respects; sadly, Saunders-Roe have long since departed.

[Newsboy]

The Russian Ekranoplan:

http://www.vlewis.net/myimages11/ekranoplan-1x.jpg

July-August 2000 Military Review Article on WIG aircraft, including the "Caspian Sea Monster", PDF format (very informative!):

http://www-cgsc.army.mil/milrev/download/english/JulAug00/grau.pdf

[Techman]

Must be one hell of a noisy cockpit.

[steamchicken]

These have been discussed on PPRuNE quite frequently - a search for Ekranoplans or Sea Monsters will turn up quite a lot of pix.