1966?1980 Soviet ground-effect aircraft
41°56′27″N
48°22′47″E
/
41.9408511°N 48.3796207°E
/
41.9408511; 48.3796207
The
KM
(
Korabl Maket
) (Russian: Корабль-Макет, literally "Ship-maquette" or "Model-Ship"), known colloquially as the
Caspian Sea Monster
, was an experimental
ground effect vehicle
developed in the
Soviet Union
in the 1960s by the
Central Hydrofoil Design Bureau
. The KM began operation in 1966, and was continuously tested by the
Soviet Navy
until 1980 when it crashed into the
Caspian Sea
.
The KM was the
largest and heaviest aircraft in the world
from 1966 to 1988, and its surprise discovery by the United States and the subsequent attempts to determine its purpose became a distinctive event of
espionage
during the
Cold War
.
Design and development
[
edit
]
The KM was an
experimental aircraft
developed from 1964 to 1966, during a time when the
Soviet Union
saw interest in
ground effect vehicles
?airplane-like vehicles that use
ground effect
to fly several meters above surfaces, primarily bodies of water (such as the Caspian Sea). It was designed at the
Central Hydrofoil Design Bureau
, by the chief designer
Rostislav Alexeyev
and the lead engineer V. Efimov, and manufactured at the
Red Sormovo
plant in Gorky (now
Nizhny Novgorod
).
[1]
[2]
[3]
[4]
The KM was among the earliest major
ekranoplan
(English: "screen plane") projects and was notable for its massive size and payload, becoming the
largest aircraft in the world
when it was completed in 1966. The KM had a
wingspan
of 37.6 metres (123 ft); a length of 92 m (302 ft); a
maximum take-off weight
of 544 metric tonnes; and was designed to fly at an
altitude
of 5?10 metres (16?33 ft) to use the ground effect. The craft had ten
Dobrynin RD-7
turbojets, with two tail-mounted and eight canard-mounted; the eight canard-mounted engines would shut off after takeoff, leaving the two tail-mounted engines to power the craft during normal travel.
[5]
The KM was undetectable to many
radar
systems, as it flew below the
minimum altitude of detection
. Despite technically being an
aircraft
, it was considered by the authorities to be closer to a boat and was assigned to the
Soviet Navy
, but operated by
test pilots
of the
Soviet Air Forces
. The KM was documented as a marine vessel and prior to the first flight a bottle of
champagne
was broken against its nose, a tradition for the first voyage of a watercraft.
[
citation needed
]
Operational history
[
edit
]
On June 22, 1966, the completed KM began transportation along the
Volga River
to the testing grounds on the
Caspian Sea
near the town of
Kaspiysk
. It was transported from Gorky along the river in secret, covered in
camouflage
and moving only at night. The aircraft's first flight was on October 16, 1966, performed by Vladimir Loginov and Rostislav Alexeyev himself, which was very unusual as most Soviet aircraft designers never piloted their own creations. All the work was conducted under patronage of the Ministry of Shipbuilding Industry. Testing showed the KM to have an optimum (
fuel efficient
) cruising speed of 430 km/h (267 mph, 232 knots), and a maximum operational speed of 500 km/h (311 mph, 270 knots). The maximum speed achieved was 650 km/h (404 mph, 350 knots), although some sources claim up to 740 km/h (460 mph, 400 knots).
[2]
[6]
The KM was at first seen as a promising vehicle specialized for use by military and rescue workers but its design caused many difficulties; progress slowed and Alexeyev moved on to other ekranoplan projects. It was tested on the Caspian Sea for 15 years until 1980, when it was destroyed following a crash caused by
pilot error
. There were no human casualties, but the KM was damaged and no attempts were made to save it, it being left to float before eventually sinking a week later. The KM was deemed too heavy to recover and has remained underwater at the crash site ever since, with no plans to build a second ever made.
[7]
However, the KM later became the basis for the
Lun
-class ekranoplan
developed by the Central Hydrofoil Design Bureau in the 1980s, which saw one example, the
MD-160
, enter service with the Soviet Navy and later the
Russian Navy
before being decommissioned in the late 1990s.
The KM remained the largest aircraft in the world during the entirety of its existence and is the second-largest aircraft ever built, behind the
Antonov An-225
Mriya
that flew for the first time in 1988, eight years after the KM's destruction.
In media
[
edit
]
- The 2006 video game
Microsoft Flight Simulator X
features the KM in a mission. The Deluxe Edition contains additional missions, one of which also depicts the KM.
- Episode 1 of the 2008 series
James May's Big Ideas
, entitled "Come Fly With Me", features the story of the KM.
- The 2007 Japanese animated film
Evangelion: 1.0 You Are (Not) Alone
features a version of the KM.
- The 2016 PC game
Soviet Monsters: Ekranoplans
features several ekranoplans, including the KM.
[8]
- In the
James Bond
continuation novel
Devil May Care
published in 2008, the KM is used by the villain for smuggling.
- In the
007: Blood Stone
video game the villain also uses an ekranoplan in an effort to escape from James Bond, but the latter gets onboard and throws the villain off the vehicle, killing him. Later the ekranoplan can be seen docked and cleaned.
- In the Video Game World In Conflict In the Soviet Mission 11 Lightning Strike
Specifications (KM)
[
edit
]
Data from
The Osprey Encyclopedia of Russian Aircraft 1875?1995,
[9]
Russia's Ekranoplans: The Caspian Sea Monster and other WiG Craft
[1]
General characteristics
- Crew:
5
- Capacity:
50 people
- Length:
92.00 m (301 ft 10 in)
- Wingspan:
37.60 m (123 ft 4 in) *
Tail stabilizer span:
37 m (121 ft 5 in)
- Height:
21.80 m (71 ft 6 in)
- Wing area:
662.50 m
2
(7,131.1 sq ft)
- Empty weight:
240,000 kg (529,109 lb)
- Max takeoff weight:
544,000 kg (1,199,315 lb)
- Powerplant:
10 ×
Dobrynin VD-7
turbojets (two tail-mounted, eight canard-mounted), 127.53 kN (28,670 lbf) thrust each
Performance
- Maximum speed:
500 km/h (310 mph, 270 kn)
- Cruise speed:
430 km/h (270 mph, 230 kn)
- Range:
1,500 km (930 mi, 810 nmi)
- Ground effect altitude:
4?14 m (13 ft 1 in ? 45 ft 11 in)
- Maximum
sea state
:
1.2 m (3 ft 11 in) (? sea state 3)
See also
[
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]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
a
b
Komissarov, Sergey (2002).
Russia's Ekranoplans:The Caspian Sea Monster and other WiG Craft
. Hinkley: Midland Publishing.
ISBN
978-1857801460
.
- ^
a
b
National Research Council Committee to Perform a Technology Assessment Focused on Logistics Support Requirements for Future Army Combat Systems;
Reducing the Logistics Burden for the Army After Next
, 1999, Washington, DC: The National Academies Press, p. 68
- ^
Liang Yun, Alan Bliault;
High Performance Marine Vessels
; p. 89 (2012)
- ^
Anne H. Cahn;
Killing Detente: The Right Attacks the CIA
; p. 65 (1998)
- ^
"Why The Giant Soviet Ekranoplans Sank Before They Could Swim"
. HotCars, March 24, 2023 (accessed on MSN.com)
. Retrieved
March 25,
2023
.
- ^
"Caspian Sea Monster"
. Archived from
the original
on 16 January 2014
. Retrieved
16 January
2014
.
- ^
The Register;
In search of the Caspian Sea Monster
; Lester Haines; 22 September 2006
- ^
Soviet Monsters: Ekranoplans
- ^
Gunston, Bill (1995).
The Osprey Encyclopedia of Russian Aircraft 1875?1995
. London: Osprey Aerospace. pp. 512?513.
ISBN
978-1855324053
.
External links
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]
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Type numbers
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Research/prototype
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Research/prototype
missiles
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1
Listed in contemporary sources •
2
Bergander list (
details
) •
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Unknown/no details •
4
Possible error •
5
Unconfirmed
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