Lun-class ekranoplan
Beached Ekranoplan | |
| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Name | Lun |
| Operators | |
| In service | 1987–late 1990s |
| Planned | 2 |
| Completed | 1 |
| Cancelled | 1 |
| Retired | 1 |
| Preserved | 1 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Attack/transport ground effect vehicle |
| Displacement | Displacement n/a, weight 286 tonnes unloaded |
| Length | 73.8 m (242 ft 2 in) |
| Beam | (Wingspan) 44 m (144 ft 4 in) |
| Height | 19.2 m (63 ft 0 in) |
| Draught | (2.5 m (8 ft 2 in) |
| Propulsion | 8 × Kuznetsov NK-87 turbojet engines, 127.4 kN (28,600 lbf) thrust |
| Speed | 297 knots (550 km/h; 342 mph) |
| Range | 1,000 nmi (1,900 km; 1,200 mi) |
| Capacity | 100 tonnes (220,000 pounds) |
| Complement | six officers and nine enlisted men |
| Sensors and processing systems | Puluchas search radar |
| Armament |
|
The Lun-class ekranoplan (Soviet classification: Project 903) is the only ground effect vehicle (GEV) to ever be operationally deployed as a warship, deploying in the Caspian Flotilla. It was designed by Rostislav Alexeyev in 1975 and used by the Soviet and later Russian navies from 1987 until sometime in the late 1990s.
It flew using lift generated by the ground effect acting on its large wings when within about four metres (13 ft) above the surface of the water. Although they might look similar to traditional aircraft, ekranoplans like the Lun are not classified as aircraft, seaplanes, hovercraft, or hydrofoils. Rather, craft like the Lun-class ekranoplan are classified as maritime ships by the International Maritime Organization due to their use of the ground effect, in which the craft glides just above the surface of the water.
The ground effect occurs when flying at an altitude of only a few metres above the ocean or ground; drag is greatly reduced by the proximity of the ground preventing the formation of wingtip vortices, thus increasing the efficiency of the wing. This effect does not occur at high altitude.