One of the most unusual strands in aviation history has been the development of wing-in-ground effect (WIG) vehicles, or as they are more commonly known by their Russian name, Ekranploans. Beginning with a brief outline of the concept from the theory to viable technical solutions, this new, expanded edition of Soviet and Russian Ekranploans gives a historical survey of the development of WIG research and construction in Russia. A large part of the book focuses on a type-by-type description of specific designs of ekranoplans developed in the Soviet Union and Russia in the course of half a century. Special emphasis is given to the activities of Rostislav Alekseyev, who has played an enormous role in the development of this new technology. Ekranoplans developed by several other major design bureaus, notably those led by Sukhoi, Bartini and Beriyev, are also considered. Economic and political transformations following the break-up of the Soviet Union led to the emergence of privately-owned design bureaus and firms that are now pursuing the development of WIG aircraft in Russia, given the lack of interest on the part of the military and the state in this branch of transport technology. This new edition has been fully updated to include unpublished photos and diagrams and examples of similar technology being developed in countries outside of Russian, including the USA, Germany and China. This is a welcome update to a book regarded as the definitive work on these unusual and exciting aircraft.

81/2 x 11 128 pgs 150 color & b&w photos For decades the Soviet Union and now Russia have held leading positions in the development of a special class of vehicles that are neither aircraft nor ships or both at once. Known as wing-in-ground effect (WIGE) craft or by their Russian name of ekranoplan, these vehicles combined the best of both worlds, operating on the borderline between the sky and the sea, offering the speed of an aircraft coupled with better operating economics and the ability to operate pretty much anywhere on the world's waterways. As such they promptly attracted the attention of the military and thus have been veiled in secrecy until recently.The book describes in detail the many series of WIGE vehicles developed by various design bureaus, including the Orlyonok, the only ekranoplan to see squadron service, the missile-armed Loon and the famous and awesome KM, or Caspian Sea Monster, which first attracted the attention of the West to these developments.

In the last half-century, high-speed water transportation has developed rapidly. Novel high-performance marine vehicles, such as the air cushion vehicle (ACV), surface effect ship (SES), high-speed monohull craft (MHC), catamaran (CAT), hydrofoil craft (HYC), wave-piercing craft (WPC) and small water area twin hull craft (SWATH) have all developed as concepts, achieving varying degrees of commercial and military success. Prototype ACV and SES have achieved speeds of 100 knots in at calm con- tions; however, the normal cruising speed for commercial operations has remained around 35–50 knots. This is partly due to increased drag in an average coastal s- way where such craft operate services and partly due to limitations of the propulsion systems for such craft. Water jets and water propellers face limitations due to c- itation at high speed, for example. SWATH are designed for reduced motions in a seaway, but the hull form is not a low drag form suitable for high-speed operation. So that seems to lead to a problem – maintain water contact and either water propulsion systems run out of power or craft motions and speed loss are a problem in higher seastates. The only way to higher speed would appear to be to disconnect completely from the water surface. You, the reader, might respond with a question about racing hydroplanes, which manage speeds of above 200 kph. Yes, true, but the power-to-weight ratio is extremely high on such racing machines and not economic if translated into a useful commercial vessel.

Early in the 20th century, shortly after military aviation came on the scene, Imperialist Russia started using aircraft to support the operations of the Russian Navy. Rapid development of naval aviation continued after the October Revolution of 1917 and Soviet naval airmen flying fighters and torpedo-bombers made a significant contribution to the defeat of Nazi Germany in the Great Patriotic War. Yet the heyday of Soviet Naval Aviation (or AVMF) was in the post-war years. While in the late 1940s the AVMF relied largely on indigenous and American propeller-driven aircraft that had survived the fray, in the 1950s the naval airmen began mastering jets. The AVMF units started re-equipping with Il'yushin IL-28 Beagle twinjet bombers and were the sole operator of the Tupolev Tu-14 Bosun torpedo-bomber. In the 1960s the AVMF kept a close watch on the world's oceans with the help of its Tu-95RTs Bear-D long-range maritime reconnaissance/over-the-horizon targeting aircraft which transmitted the coordinates of NATO warships not only to the General Staff in Moscow but also to Soviet submarines armed with torpedoes. The AVMF's fighter element's primary mission was to protect Soviet Navy bases and naval task forces at sea and as technology progressed, the 1950s-vintage Mikoyan MiG-15bis Fagot-B and MiG-17F Fresco-C subsonic fighters were superseded by various versions of the supersonic MiG-21 Fishbed, MiG-29 Fulcrum and Sukhoi Su-27 Flanker fourth-generation fighters in the final years of the Soviet era. Along with a chapter devoted to the Soviet aircraft carriers, Soviet Naval Aviation is the definitive reference book of the Soviet maritime presence, both on the sea and in the air.

Master's Thesis from the year 2008 in the subject Engineering - Aerospace Technology, grade: A, University of Southampton, course: Computational Aerodynamics, language: English, abstract: Wing-in-ground effect (WIG) vehicles offer an exciting capability to fill the enormous void between speed of an aircraft and the payload capacity of a ship. WIG vehicles would be able to move cargo and passengers faster than a ship and more economical than an aircraft. Ground effect is a phenomenon that occurs on all wings flying close to the ground or a surface. The aim of this project is to investigate the behavior of wings (NACA/DHMTU series) in ground effect (on a fixed/variable terrain) using Fluent CFD package. The NACA 0012 and DHMTU series used in this project are designed specifically to fly in close proximity to the ground. The performance of the NACA/ DHMTU airfoils is examined for the lift and the drag coefficients at different altitudes with varying angle of attack. The results are compared to experimental data that is available to assess the accuracy of the CFD simulation.

The prevailing Western view of Russia’s Cold War strategic nuclear weapons policy is that it resulted from a two-part interplay between the leaders of the Communist Party and the military. Steven J. Zaloga has found that a third contributor—the Russian defense industry—also played a vital role. Drawing from elusive Russian source material and interviews with many proud Russian and Ukrainian engineers, Zaloga presents a definitive account of Russia’s strategic forces, who built them, and why. The book is the first in English to refer to the weapons by their actual Soviet names, providing the bedrock for future works. Helpful appendices list U.S., NATO, and other designations, and the illustrations provide clear visual references.

Devoted to advances in the field of computer simulation of aerospace equipment, this study is the most up-to-date coverage of the state-of-the-art on coastal and passenger aircraft, drones, and other recent developments in this constantly changing field. This book is devoted to unique developments in the field of computer modeling in aerospace engineering. The book describes the original conceptual models of amphibious aircraft, ground-effect vehicles, hydrofoil vessels, and others, from theory to the full implementation in industrial applications. The developed models are presented with the design of passenger compartments and are actually ready for implementation in the aircraft industry. The originality of the concepts are based on biological prototypes, which are ergonomic, multifunctional and aesthetically pleasing. The aerodynamic layout of prospective convertible land and ship-based aircrafts of vertical and short takeoff-landing is presented, as well as the development of the original model of the unmanned aerial vehicle, or drone. The results of full-scale experiments are presented, including the technology of modeling aerospace simulators based on the virtual reality environment with technical vision devices. Whether for the practicing engineer in the field, the engineering student, or the scientist interested in new aerospace developments, this volume is a must-have. This groundbreaking new volume: Presents unique developments of coastal aircraft concepts based on biological prototypes, from the idea to the finished model Gives the process of modeling the original unmanned aerial vehicle Investigates aerospace simulators based on virtual reality environment with technical vision devices Covers the original ideas of creating carrier-based aviation for sea ships and the results of field experiments simulating an unmanned aerial vehicle Provides many useful illustrations of naval aviation Audience: The book is intended for aerospace engineers, mechanical engineers, structural engineers, researchers and developers in the field of aerospace industry, for aircraft designers and engineering students. It will be useful for scientists, students, graduate students and engineers in the field of naval aviation and space simulators.