Re: GEVs (WIG)

kaladorn@fox.nstn.ca wrote:
> 
> WIGs (GEVs) used by the Russians are quite amazing. 

Agree, the Ekranoplan and Ekranokhod are fascinating vehicles. Anyone
who's seen pictures of the "Caspian Sea Monster" firing off multi-tonne
anti-shipping missiles normally found only on cruiser-sized warships can
tell you that.
A mate of mine in the DIA wrote a number of monographs on the subject,
way back when. Some of them should be de-classified by now, and I've
seen some footage on the TV that at one time was "burn before reading."

Useful URLs:
http://www.aero.cst.nihon-u.ac.jp/WWWmiya/foreignData/ekuranoplane.htm
http://aeroweb.lucia.it/~agretch/RAFAQ/WIG.html
http://www.io.tudelft.nl/~twaio/edwin/html/hstry.htm

A bit about the theory, commercial applications, and US
reverse-engineering (with a picture of a ship that I did some work for)
http://www.aloha.com/%7Edharma/pacrim/sea2000.htm

As regards conventional GEVs, the Russians had a corvette-sized landing
craft (Lebed IIRC) that had a decent defensive armament, and the ability
to carry a complete company at high speed over long distances.
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