In the United States, a preliminary contract was signed for the creation of an ekranoplan seaplane under the Liberty Lifter program

The US Department of Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) plans to select General Atomics to develop a long-range ekranoplan seaplane.

American military researchers need a promising seaplane capable of operating in rough seas and carrying a payload of up to 45 tons over distances of up to 7500 kilometers.

DARPA officials in Arlington, Va., announced on Friday that they have awarded General Atomics an $8 million preliminary contract under the Liberty Lifter program to develop a long-range, heavy seaplane that can operate efficiently at ultra-low altitudes.

As part of the Liberty Lifter project, General Atomics will focus on the development of an ekranoplan seaplane with extended offshore operations in high seas.

The long-range Liberty Lifter seaplane will provide smooth operation in waves with a height of one and a half to two and a half meters. In addition, General Atomics will try to achieve a smooth flight over waves 2,5 to 4 meters high, with high lift at low speeds, to reduce wave shock during takeoff and landing in waves 1,5 to 2,5, XNUMX meters.

The seaplane is expected to be able to operate in high traffic areas as well as operate at sea for several weeks with long service intervals.

Placement and extraction of an amphibious payload on the water should be carried out through the bow and tail. According to the requirements of the US Department of Defense, the seaplane must be able to carry at least two Marine Corps amphibious fighting vehicles.

You can often come across the judgment that the Americans want to develop the technologies that were used in the USSR when creating the Lun missile ekranoplan of project 903. It was launched in 1986, and withdrawn from the RF Armed Forces in 2001.

Animation from DARPA TV:

Comments

[Machito]

So, in terms of ekranoplans, we are lagging behind. I won’t be surprised if minke whales also build crews.

[Nikolaevich I]

Quote: Bearded

So, according to ekranoplanes, we are becoming lagging behind

Intercontinental ekranoplan. Loads up to 500 tons for a distance of 6000 km at a speed of at least 400 km / h ...

TsAGI

[dauria]

So, according to ekranoplanes, we are becoming lagging behind

So this is not an ekranoplan - the ratio of elongation, wing area and GO, tail shoulder - everything is aircraft.
This is a plane. More precisely - a classic seaplane. And judging by the allocated money (a trifle of 8 million), they simply gave the task to calculate what could happen.
They are not boobies, they step on other people's "ekranoplan" rake.

[Egor53]

Dear Beard! Ekranoplanes were made in our country back in the USSR, but the United States still does not have them. Where is the "lag"? You do not specify at least one type of weapons in which we lag behind the Americans.

[Machito]

Quote: Egor53

Dear Beard! Ekranoplanes were made in our country back in the USSR, but the United States still does not have them. Where is the "lag"? You do not specify at least one type of weapons in which we lag behind the Americans.

For example, UAV. We are behind a lot.

[Ka-52]

a bit late, the Americans realized - 25 years ago they wouldn’t even have had to design, we would have sold them everything with giblets

[dauria]

25 years ago they wouldn’t even have had to design, we would have sold everything to them with giblets

We already sold them with giblets a really amazing thing - the An-70. The Germans, having promised a joint release, having received everything and seeing the reality of the idea already embodied, sent ours with Ukraine and made the A-400.
But the coefficient Su is more than 7 on takeoff and landing, no ekranoplan dreamed of. And that's it, you don't need to sculpt any screen monsters

[north 2]

so it seems that we have resumed work on the Lun project. But since, by definition, an ekranoplan is not like an airplane but a ship, the absence of its own air defense on it creates
big problems . Let's remember what happened to the Moskva cruiser, which even had air defense. In aviation, such incidents do not happen. And the use of such ships at the mouths of large rivers is also associated with the threat of millions of bird colonies there. In any case, a lot of problems with a rather narrow specialization.

[Leader_Barmaleev]

Firstly, accumulations of birds in the mouths of rivers occur only where the mouths are represented by deltas - the Volga and the Nile. But they don't build military bases in the deltas. Well, as for the many problems with a narrow specialization - an ordinary automatic pistol fits this definition by a wide margin from the ekranoplan. However, no one refuses pistols.

[Vladimir_2U]

Quote: north 2

But since, by definition, an ekranoplan is not like an airplane but a ship, the absence of its own air defense on it creates
big problems .

Specifically, on the "Luna" very weak air defense was generally present, but that's not the point, just the inclined launchers of the "Moskit" anti-ship missiles over almost the entire body of the EP did not leave room for something more. Vertical launchers in this regard will literally give a sea of ​​\uXNUMXb\uXNUMXbplace for anything.

[Leader_Barmaleev]

Get hurt! the Americans did everything to destroy all the developments on our ekranoplanes, and while their remnants are rotting in the Caspian, they are quietly building their own. I wonder if I will ever see the news about the resumption of the program for creating combat, transport and amphibious ekranoplanes, or will our businessmen again say that this is not necessary, not interesting and not cost-effective? Evil is missing!

[dauria]

Or will our businessmen again say that it is not necessary, not interesting and not profitable?

The Americans will say this when they see the preliminary calculations of their designers. Unless the military "blood from the nose" for some exotic tactical task will need this miracle Yudo. So they have convertiplanes and UDC. And most importantly - a balanced fleet with aircraft and a bunch of military bases.

[Leader_Barmaleev]

It seems to be all right, but the ratio of speed and carrying capacity to specific energy consumption for ekranoplanes is such that they simply have no competitors. And the paradox is that the larger the ekranoplan, the more profitable it is. And of course, you need to understand that ekranoplans are not universal devices, but there is a niche where their use is optimal. It's like with knives - there are a great many types and models, but each of them is perfectly sharpened for one function - somewhere you need a Bowie, and somewhere you need a Victorinox with a corkscrew

[APASUS]

We could become not only parents, but also the number 1 WIG manufacturers in the world, and now we will catch up again

[Kotofeich]

Was in Dagestan this year. Here he is, handsome, Lun.

[I dare to_notice_]

Nature does not tolerate emptiness. (With)
If you are not the first, then your enemy will be the first.

[solar]

You can often come across the judgment that the Americans want to develop the technologies that were used in the USSR

The Americans and Germans had their own development of ekranoplans

[Nickelium]

On the paper? Lun was real. Like the Model Ship, it is also the Caspian Monster.

[Appraiser]

It's time to resume work on ekranoplanes in the Russian Federation again ..... because everything new is well forgotten old

[traper]

It reminds me of something, probably the Soviet K-7 from the 20s
https://dzen.ru/a/Y4I48QPpnGjYOmvt