Video: Project 903 "Lun": a unique Soviet ekranoplan
2024 Author: Seth Attwood | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 15:55
New types of weapons were constantly being developed in the Soviet Union. When the United States began to pay more and more attention to aircraft carriers, the USSR tried to do what would become their undertaker in a possible Third World War. The project was named "Lun" and, despite all the ambitions of the designers, it could not justify the hopes of the creators.
The main feature of the ekranoplan was how it was kept in the air. This is due to the so-called "screen effect". When driving, a dynamic air cushion is generated over the underlying surface. This, in turn, increases the lift that acts on the wing of the aircraft. Interestingly, people first encountered this phenomenon only in the 1920s. Then it became the cause of numerous plane crashes. No one then can think that this phenomenon can be used for good.
The idea of using the "screen effect" for the movement of a car in the USSR was in the 1930s. The pioneer in this area was Rostislav Alekseev, who spent most of his life creating hydrofoils. Despite the existing developments, the first operational ekranoplan appeared in the USSR only in the 1960s. The navy immediately became interested in the model. The first thing that the admirals appreciated in the new car was its stealth for radars. This feature opened up great tactical potential.
The first military ekranoplan of the USSR was a ship called "Lun". It was developed at the Central Hydrofoil Design Bureau in Nizhny Novgorod. The ship was built for three years. The vessel weighed 544 tons. The wingspan was 44 meters. The vessel was supposed to carry 8 Mosquito anti-ship missiles and reach a speed at full load of 463 km / h. This is about 10 times more than that of warships. The Lun made its first flight in 1987.
It was assumed that Project 903 "Lun" would give the Soviet Union a powerful weapon against enemy aircraft carriers. However, this never happened. The ekranoplan was created in a single copy. The collapse of the USSR happened and there was no money left for the development of the project. Initially, they wanted to convert the Lun into a medical rescue ship for 900 people, but this idea was not further developed due to lack of funds.
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