58
design
by Andrea ManciniEKRANOPLANES
BOATS OR PLANES?
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I\TIVMQIRXXLIWIMRXLI½JXMIWLIRGIXLIREQIIOVERSTPERI
which is nothing more than an adaptation of the Russian term
ŝŊŐl·ōŎŏŋl·ōIOVERSTPER8LIMHIE[EWXSHIZIPSTEWXVEXIKMG
transportation vehicle which could equal the load capacity of a
ship with the speed of a plane. Despite approximately 40 years
of tests, this vehicle never made it in terms of safety, reliabili-
X]ERHIJ½GMIRG]EWLSTIH'SRWIUYIRXP]ZIV]JI[[IVIFYMPX
nearly all of the in the former USSR.
Recently though interest for these strange vehicles returned
given their potential, as perhaps service boats and tenders
to superyachts. And a Russian- Chinese concern has begun
to test two GEV prototypes, which could be deployed to
transport people with. The CY G11 as per the code name is
TVIGMWIP]QIXVIWPSRK[MXLERSXEFPI[MRKWTERSJ
metres. It can carry up to ten passengers plus two crew at
200 km/h with a range of 1,500 km. The fuel consumption is
decidedly low: 28 litres per 100 kilometres. In Germany Sea-
falcon after nearly 20 years of in depth R&D, tests and pro-
totypes is looking around for partners with whom to start
production in series of the GEV Seafalcon which is 13.7 me-
tres long with a smaller wing span in comparison to the Rus-
sian-Chinese version of only 11.50 metres with a carryingThey fly few metres above
sea level and they are strange
machines part boats part
airplanes. Technically they are
called Ekranoplanes and up until
several years ago, their use was
very limited and they were
deployed only as military
experimental vehicles. But today
someone is preparing to take
a gamble and wishes to offer
them as a means of fast
transportation on the sea.
In technical terms they are called Ekranoplanes they are
QSVIWTIGM½GEPP]LEPJ[E]FIX[IIREWIETPERIEGEXEQEVER
ERHELSZIVGVEJX8LI]MRJEGX¾]JI[QIXVIWEFSZIXLIWYV-
face thanks to a buffer or air cushion which forms below the
[MRKWI\TPSMXMRK[LEX¾]IVW[SYPHGEPP;-+MRWLSVXJSV;MRK
in Ground Effect. This is why recently they have been termed
The “Sea Monster of the Caspian Sea”, was the name
the Americans gave to the Russians’ GEVs. Among
these the 100 metre long 40 metre wide KM1 which
was the largest ever built.