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In the 1960s, the leader of the Soviet Union, Nikita Khrushchev bragged that his nation had ships that could jump right over bridges. His cryptic words confused Western leaders, but he was alluding to a secret project deep within the Soviet Union.
The Soviets were developing a new class of vehicle that could move as fast as an aircraft, but lift far more payload than a conventional airplane. These machines would fly meters from the surface using an aerodynamic principle called the ground effect. They were called Ekranoplan (roughly translating to mean for "screen plane" or "low flying plane"). Beginning with experiments in the early 1960s, and headed by a pioneering hydrofoil engineer Rostislav Alexeyev, the Soviets quickly developed a series of small-scale prototypes to refine the concept. In 1966 they completed the KM (Korabl Maket) Russian for "ship-prototype". An enormous machine, larger and heavier than any aircraft in the world. The first large scale Ekranoplan could lift an astonishing 544,000 kg (1,199,315 lb) and reach speeds of over 600 km / h (373 mph).
The KM proved that the ground effect concept could be scaled up, but it also revealed a series of unresolved engineering issues as well as limits to Ekranoplan operational capabilities. Despite these setbacks, Alexeyev and his engineers continued their development efforts. However, by the time the KM was completed and ready for testing, the political climate in the Soviet Union had changed entirely. Khrushchev, an enthusiastic supporter of Ekranoplans, was replaced with Leonid Brezhnev. Brezhnev, adverse to risk and uninterested in bold projects to showcase Soviet superiority, was far less interested in Ekranoplan development.
This video was made possible by Curiosity Stream. Watch thousands of high-quality documentaries and get access to Nebula by using the link in the description. In the 1960s the leader of the Soviet Union bragged about having ships that could jump over bridges. His cryptic words confused Western leaders. What he was talking about was a machine unlike anything the world had ever seen. A ship that could move as fast as an aircraft by lifting right out of the water. And for decades the Soviets developed a unique technology under a shroud of secrecy. But these giant, otherworldly machines all but disappeared along with the Soviet Union.
In the 1950s, the fastest boats in the world were hydrofoils. A type of boat with wings attached to its hull. And they were an ingenious innovation. Because at speed, the wings would lift the boat out of the water to reduce drag. Allowing for much higher speeds. But even the fastest hydrofoils could reach no more than 110 km/h. Held back by a phenomenon known as cavitation, which disturbed the lift generated by a hydrofoils wings. It was a problem that engineers would never solve. But a pioneering Soviet hydrofoil designer by the name of Rostislav Alexeyev had a radical idea. What if he moved the wings out of the water entirely? Doing so would mean a shift from hydrodynamics to aerodynamics. But it would allow for previously unimaginable speeds.
Once Alexeyevs ships were moving fast enough, they would lift right out of the water. But they wouldn’t fly like aircraft. Instead, they’d ride on a cushion of air just above the surface. Pilots had long noticed when landing or flying very close to the ground, their planes would seem to gain extra lift. Almost as if they didn’t want to land. This phenomenon was the ground effect. And Alexeyev would use it to revolutionize ships. To prove his idea Alexeyev built scale models and small prototypes. But had need access to a lot more resources to fully develop the concept. And the only way that was going to happen in 1960s Soviet Union, was if he could demonstrate the military potential of his idea.
Alexeyev ships were called Ekranoplan. And they could fly at aircraft-like speeds, low to the surface where they’d be virtually invisible to radar. Being completely out of the water, they’d also be invisible to sonar. And pass right over sea mines. With her small draft, Ekranoplans could access shallow coastlines and beaches inaccessible to conventional ships. And they promised to be relatively cheap and simple to build.
Mixing aircraft and shipbuilding construction. Alexeyev got the attention of top military brass and even Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev. Easily swayed by big, bold projects, Khrushchev immediately saw potential in a technology that the Americans didn’t have. So the floodgates of military funding blew open. And Alexeyev and his team went to work scaling up the idea. Over a period of just five years, they went from small prototypes weighing no more than a few tons, to this. A 265 ton monster they called the KM.
It was a machine that looked straight out of another dimension. The KM could travel at over 500 kilometers an hour and lift 600 tones. When it was completed in 1966, it was by far the largest flying machine, and had an impressive lift-to-drag ratio unmatched by any aircraft. To get this enormous machine into ground effect, eight forward mounted jet engines directed thrust underneath the wings, creating a temporary hovercraft .Once in ground effect, the forward jet engines were shut off, and only two engines were enough to keep 600 tons of machine moving at aircraft-like speeds.
A giant tail, five stories high, was used to counter the inherent instability of flying within the ground effect and to provide control at higher speeds. First tested in 1966, the KM proved that Ekranoplans could be scaled way up. But it also revealed some serious flaws. Far from robust, the KM demanded careful maintenance. Its ten jet engines were at constant risk of damage from saltwater and foreign objects. It was also notoriously difficult to operate. Flying safely within the ground effect was an exhausting experience for pilots.
And the KM needed enormous distances to turn. Which meant that spotters up ahead had to give advanced warning about other ships and obstacles. Another challenge was the weather. Supposedly that KM could operate in waves of up to a meter and a half. Not bad. But you’ll never find a photo or video of it in anything but calm water. And getting this enormous machine moving in high seas? Next to impossible. So the KM could only operate when conditions were calm and on smaller inland seas like the Caspian. Travelling on the open ocean was out of the question.
These were the kind of challenges facing an engineering team developing an entirely new kind of vehicle, from the ground up. With further development maybe Alexeyev and his engineers could have resolved many, if not all of the KMs issues. But it was already too late. By the time the KM made its first flight, the Soviet Union had a new leader. And the entire mood had shifted. Brezhnev was neither patient nor a risk-taker. He saw Ekranoplan development as an unnecessary gamble. Instead preferring more conventional military projects. And it was bad news for Alexeyev. In 1968, he was demoted from director of the Hydrofoil Bureau, to merely head of a dwindling Ekranoplan program.
With many technical hurdles and fewer resources, Alexeyev and his engineers shifted their focus from the KM to developing a smaller, more practical Ekranoplan. One that could transport about 150 troops, roll onto beaches, and even fly out of the ground effect. But these added capabilities came with compromises. Like reduced lifting capacity largely in line with a similarly sized seaplane. But with many in Soviet leadership skeptical about Ekranoplans, only three entered service with the Soviet Navy. Alexeyevs Ekranoplans were fast, but they couldn’t outrun the Soviet Union’s economic failures. With dwindling resources Alexeyev butted heads with Soviet leadership. And in 1975, his impatience with Soviet bureaucracy finally caught up to him, He was demoted again.
This time down to the position of an ordinary employee. It was the beginning of the end, but not before a final a Ekranoplan was developed for the 1980s. Not quite as large as the KM, it carried six anti-ship cruise missiles and could strike targets over 100 kilometers away. But only a single example was ever built. And Alexeyev would never see it fly.
In 1980, he passed away at the age of just 63, having never fully realized his vision. Funding for Ekranoplan development wound down by the mid-1980s. And after the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, the few Ekranoplans built were quickly pulled from service, putting an end to nearly 40 years of development. But a belief in the potential of Ekranoplans lives on within the former Soviet Union and elsewhere in the world, with continued development focused on smaller ground effect vehicles. And that leaves an intriguing question still unanswered. With the KM, Alexeyev and his team demonstrated that the more massive an Ekranoplan got, the better it flew.
Becoming more stable, flying higher, and operating with greater efficiency. Could a machine much larger than even the KM be the key to unlocking the technology’s potential? A machine that would fly 10 or 20 meters above waves could transverse oceans. And potentially carry passengers and cargo far more efficiently than any aircraft. But thus far, efforts to build such a machine have failed to attract the immense resources needed for development. And that means at least for the time being, giant Ekranoplan will remain a relic of the Cold War.
I have a fascination with all things Soviet. Not so much this. But this. Which is why I just finished watching The Spying Game. A fantastic three-part series that chronicles the extraordinary lengths that the Soviet Union and the West went to learn each other’s Cold War secrets. And it’s just one of thousands of full-length documentaries you can enjoy now on Curiosity Stream. At just $19.99 for an entire year, Curiosity Stream has always been an incredible deal. But sign up using the link below, and you’ll also get access to Nebula, where you can watch Mustard videos before they’re released on YouTube. Without ads or sponsor messages.
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