In the thick of the Cold War, the Soviet Union built a revolutionary transport vessel that was bigger than any plane and faster than any ship. It was also capable of carrying nuclear warheads.
Classified as a ground effect vehicle, the 300-foot-long Lun-class Ekranoplane flew just four meters or so off the surface of water through the ground effect generated by its large wings.
It theoretically represented a new threat against the West, though the ship did not enter wide production and it never saw action.
The only model ever produced, the MD-160, was retired in the late 1990s and now sits rusting at a naval station in Kaspiysk. Aviation blogger Igor113 captured some awesome pictures of the Ekranoplane and shared them here.
At the pinnacle of the Cold War, when the Soviets were realizing they had few options left in defeating the West, the Lun-class Ekranoplane likely held high hopes for many Kremlin officials.
Larger than a football field, the Lun was a technological innovation the likes of which the world had never seen.
Eight powerful turbofans producing 28,600 pounds of thrust apiece — as much as the new F-35 engines — are mounted at the nose of the craft.
Source: BGA Aeroweb
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