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Lun (Ekranoplan)

1987 COLD WAR MODERN AIRCRAFT X-PLANE

History of Ekranoplan

One of the most interesting aircraft developments of the Cold War was the massive Soviet Lun Ekranoplan (NATO codename "duck"), a design based on an airship fuselage that used turbojet propulsion, ground-effect physics, and boat-like. The design intent was to provide the Soviet Navy with a sea-glide transport, equipped with anti-ship missiles and artillery, to counter the threat of invasion by Western surface fleets.

The Lun entered service in 1987 - shortly before the collapse of the Soviet Empire in 1991 - with only one example built in serial quality, like the "MD-160". The MD-160 is in service with the Black Sea Fleet and its design is credited to engineer Rostislav Evgenievich Alexseev.

Ground effects allow designers to take advantage of the inherent response of a winged fuselage and the forces of nature found near the Earth's surface. In fact, the plane is designed to cover the ground like a hovercraft, although it can reach higher altitudes. Ground effect allows the aircraft to utilize less lift-related drag and, in theory, provide greater forward power efficiency.

Lun Ekranoplan becomes a good example of this achievable principle, although its kind is not yet widely used.

From the outside, the "Lun" is a hybrid of a boat and an aircraft, with a bow-shaped fuselage with straight wing attachments (covered by pontoons) mounted in the middle, a vertical tail, a pair of swept-wing horizontal aircraft with "T" configuration and forward flight deck connection. No less than eight Kuznetsov NK-87 series turbojets were installed, arranged in the forward fuselage behind the cockpit, and as two groups of four engines each. As a result, the engine can be sucked in cleanly from the front and exhausted from the rear through the main wing assembly in the usual way. Each thruster assembly achieves 28,000 pounds of thrust, propelling Lun over water at 342 miles per hour.

The range is 1,200 miles (1,000 nautical miles) and is piloted by a crew of 15, including 6 officers. The Lun is designed to carry up to 220,000 pounds to 300,000 pounds of cargo in its boat-like deep hull. The nose is fitted with a Puluchas search radar kit.

The Lun Ekranoplan has an overall length of 242 feet, a wingspan of 144 feet and a tail height of 63 feet - making it one of the largest "aircraft" ever built. When empty, the system weighs 630,500 pounds and has a maximum takeoff weight of 837,700 pounds. Cruising speed is close to 280 miles per hour.

Moving on, Lun Ekranoplan reached an altitude of 16 feet above the waterline and measured a reported total operating altitude of 24,600 feet.

The Lun, when built as a transport aircraft, is armed with 6 x SS-N-22 "Sunburn" serial anti-ship missiles, mounted on six launchers inclined and arranged in three pairs at fixed positions above the fuselage (The Sunburn missile was eventually adopted in time by the Chinese, Indian and Iranian navies). The nose section and tail are equipped with tracking and engagement facilities. The crew can also deploy 2 x 23mm PI-23 powered turrets (4 guns in total) for direct fire support to incoming air and surface threats.

One turret was placed in front of the rocket launcher and the other was placed aft.

In addition to the only MD-160, a second Lun Ekranoplan is under construction (as a fast, mobile field hospital, also serving the Soviet Navy). Although the unit was almost complete, it was never put into service before the fall of the Soviet Empire. It was partially restored after a 2007 review.

Therefore, this second unit could see light in the coming years. The original MD-160 remains operational, although it remains inactive at the Kaspisk naval base in the Caspian Sea.