Ekranoplans in the service of Russia - to be or not to be
The ekranoplans are called dynamic-type air-cushion vessels, low-flying over the surface and having a high speed. If we compare them with airplanes, then with the same characteristics of speed and mass, the winged airplanes are much smaller. The Soviet Union in the creation and production of ekranoplans was the undisputed world leader. Until today, the production of ekranoplans in Russia was more private, and there was no talk of mass production for various military units. From the state program of armaments before 2020, it is known that the creation of ekranoplans for law enforcement agencies is not provided. Now, quite often on the pages of newspapers and magazines flashed articles about the possibility of the revival of the production of WIG in Russia. For the first time, the prospects of airplanes in Russia were discussed in connection with the support of the development of innovative technologies by the leadership of the Russian Federation. The development of ekranoplanes abroad - in the United States, Germany, South Korea, China and Iran - again raised in Russian society the question of the revival of ekranoplanes. Today, thanks to some domestic enterprises, Russia may not be left behind in the development of ekranoplanostroeniya. Strongly help in this situation can export ekranoplans abroad. It is the supply of modern ekranoplans to foreign customers that will revive the Russian market, production technologies will rise to a new level. Therefore, it is very possible that Russia will become one of the leaders in the construction of ekranoplanes.
Today, South Korea is moving at a rapid pace to create ekranoplans for the civilian population - about forty local ekranoplanes, built under license from Germany, are currently being tested. And for Russia, entry into the foreign market of ekranoplans is still closed. 5 years ago, Russia was trying to promote the project "50-ton wig" for foreign exports, but nothing came of this attempt. Now only the Nizhny Novgorod Central Design Bureau for the SEC can become the center of the revival of ekranoplans - they have retained both the specialists, the acquired experience and many production capacities.
Conditional groups of ekranoplans:
- group №3. Wreck weight no more than 10 000 kilogram, without the possibility of going to sea. Operation - calm waters up to two points. The ekranoplans of the group №3 are first of all walking and excursion ekranoplanes;
- group №2. The mass of the wig to 60 000 kilogram, with the possibility of operating on the sea. The most sought-after group in both the civil and military markets. TsKB of SEC is probably the only enterprise, the projects of the WV group No. XXUMX of which are approved for use. These projects may be quickly modified, quickly create and begin trial tests of the latest ekranoplans;
Existing projects such as Orion or Aquaglide, from other companies belonging to this group, have not yet passed the main tests.
- group №1. Ekranoplans weighing more than 60 000 kilograms, with the possibility of regular operation in marine spaces. Ekranoplans of this group meet the requirements for use in the Navy.
Vivid examples of the group №1 - Wing "Eaglet", "Lun" and "KM". The main customer of ekranoplans of group №1 should be the military department of the Russian Federation. Such ekranoplans can become a Russian joker in the fight against modern patrol ships of the type “littorial combat ship”, which are provided with speeds up to 50 nodes and can carry a couple of dozen CDs. The rest of the power units of the Russian Federation may need to use WD in the North or the Far East to perform various tasks on the high seas.
Our businessmen are ready to acquire river ground-effect vehicles with the ability to operate machines of at least 3 points — this is about the 120-ti centimeter wave. But today, the existing ekranoplans will not be able to pass instrument tests, and therefore it will not be possible to exploit them in Russian rivers any time soon. The ekranoplan market is currently chaotic. In order to regulate the submitted courts, it is necessary, like in Soviet times, to create commissions and expert examinations in areas. This will help the customer to objectively select the vessel, and not to use advertising positions. The fact is that a situation arises in which the one who has advertised his vessel the most will receive money from the state.
The possibility of building a center for the creation of ekranoplans for the needs of the FSB, without a design office, a modern production base, and most importantly specialized specialists, will require huge financial investments. It would be more profitable to announce a tender for the required vessel and allow the experimental commission to conduct a full test cycle. Another view is the creation of jobs, the use of Lake Onego water area as a base for testing and full support of the project from the leaders of the region.
The country's leadership voiced support for the development of domestic ekranoplanostroeniya. Deputy Prime Minister D. Rogozin stated a couple of months ago that today there is every reason to consider this area as promising - there are production facilities ready for the start of the production of ekranoplans, and the military department will soon determine the areas of application of ekranoplans to perform tasks for the defense of the state. Now small batches of ekranoplans come mainly to the border units of some departments, but we hope to soon find an area of their optimal use. Russia is a country with large sea, river and lake areas, therefore the use of this class of technology is a prospect for the near future.
Information sources:
http://expert.ru/2012/01/30/pripodnyavshis-nad-volnoj/
http://sdelanounas.ru/blogs/5633/
http://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%AD%D0%BA%D1%80%D0%B0%D0%BD%D0%BE%D0%BF%D0%BB%D0%B0%D0%BD
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UrxyqwBkBAI
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