In the 80s of the last century, an amazing creature appeared near the Caspian Sea: it had wings, but instead of flying high in the sky like ordinary airplanes, it often flew near the surface of the water, as if it were about to stick to the water.
Little is known about this creature, which resembles both an airplane and a ship, and is known as the "Caspian Sea monster". In fact, the "Caspian Sea Monster" is not some terrifying **, but a "flying machine" made on the principle of the "wing-ground effect".
Strictly speaking, we should name it "ground effect aircraft".
The "wing-to-ground effect" is a peculiar physical phenomenon in which the ground causes dynamic disturbances when a flying object is close to the ground. The ground effect aircraft is designed for this purpose, and its wing area is much larger than that of ordinary aircraft to increase aerodynamics.
When the wing is flying close to the water or the ground, the airflow pressure in the lower part of the wing increases rapidly, while the airflow velocity in the upper part is too fast, and the airflow pressure is relatively low. In this case, there will be a difference in airflow between the upper and lower parts of the wing, and the lower part will form a force in the opposite direction to lift the aircraft.
As a result, ground-effect aircraft have greater lift than ordinary aircraft. The Soviet Union was the first country in the world to manufacture a modern ground-effect aircraft, and in the 80s, the first ground-effect aircraft flew in the Caspian Sea, which became a peculiar phenomenon in the Caspian Sea region during that period.
Before the Soviet Union, many countries tried to develop it"Ground effect aircraft"。As early as the end of the 19th century, the French scientist Ander had conceived the use of it"Ground effect"Modification of the submarine, but without success.
In 1930, the Finnish engineer Kallio stumbled upon Andrew's idea while researching materials and decided to redevelop it"Ground effect aircraft"。Two years later, Cario made the world's first"Ground effect aircraft"。
The first generation"Ground effect aircraft"Towing tools are still required to glide on the water. Later, Cario continued to refine the design of the aircraft, and finally succeeded in creating one that could fly independently in 1935"Ground effect aircraft"。
But due to the limited level of technology at that time,"Ground effect aircraft"The landing system is imperfect and the stability is poor. So until the end of World War II, this new aircraft was not mass-produced and used.
During the Cold War, the world situation remained unstable, the United States and the Soviet Union continued to confront each other, and local hot wars occurred from time to time. In this period,"Ground effect aircraft"has been refined.
In the early 60s, Germany created three models with high stability based on the principle of development of hovercraft"Ground effect aircraft", further pushing"Ground effect aircraft"R&D process.
In the mid-70s, American scholars proposed the principle of power increase. After this principle was applied to the aircraft manufacturing, the problem of the lift-off and landing system was successfully solved.
The "ground-effect aircraft" developed by the Soviet Union is the only one among all countries**, and although it is economically inferior to the United States, it is not inferior militarily. In order to maintain military superiority in the Cold War, the Soviet Union accelerated the pace of research and development of new **.
At the end of the 70s, Soviet scientists successfully developed the world's first high-speed "ground effect vehicle" by using the air lift generated by the ground effect - the KM Eagle, which is what we called the "Caspian Sea Monster" earlier.
This aircraft is 106 years long1 meter, the width of the wing when the wing is spread is 40 meters, and it weighs 495 tons, which is very large. Originally, Akleshev designed the aircraft for military operations, such as missile launches, anti-submarine and surprise landings.
Later, the Soviet Navy demanded an increase in the carrying capacity of the aircraft, so the factory added several storage silos on the original basis, making the original Eagle very large.
Compared to ordinary aircraft and ships, the "Caspian Sea Monster" has a significant performance advantage. It can fly completely out of the water, overcoming only 1 800 times the air resistance, so it can be 10 times faster than an average ship and reach speeds of more than 800 kilometers per hour.
In addition, it uses technologies such as power cushion hyperplasia, which can take off and land safely even in wind and waves, and even has a certain landing and climbing ability, which is not possible for ordinary aircraft.
The Caspian Monster "is known as the "Aircraft Carrier Killer" due to its superior performance. It is equipped with advanced aero engines, navigation systems and on-board equipment, as well as advanced fire control systems and anti-missile systems.
In battle, it is able to quickly and accurately locate surface targets, quickly launching an attack like a long-range torpedo. The missile is faster than a speedboat and has a lot of maneuverability, so the strike speed is faster.
Even if the enemy reacts, it will be difficult to escape the attack. It was also equipped with the most advanced anti-missile system in the world at the time, which was difficult to detect by enemy tracking radar. Although the German Federal Intelligence Service was already aware of the existence of the Caspian Monster, it was unable to trace its whereabouts.
This makes the "Caspian Sea monster" a secret that NATO countries are afraid of**. In addition, the Caspian Monster has 8 engines and can carry 6 missiles, so you don't have to worry about running out of ammunition even if you encounter a multi-target attack.
In general, the "Caspian Sea Monster" is a very combat-capable ground-effect aircraft.
Provocative planes and aircraft carriers, be prepared for the psychological pressure that is coming, because this behemoth will bring you a lot of pressure. In contrast,"Caspian Sea monsters"is more cost-effective.
Whether it is carrying capacity or sailing speed, ground effect aircraft can compete with modern aircraft. The carrying capacity of the average Boeing aircraft is only 20% of its own weight"Caspian Sea monsters"It can carry more than half of its own weight at a time.
The fuel consumption of ground-effect aircraft is also much lower than that of aircraft, and there is no need for a special runway for lifting and preparation, which can save the country a lot of money for the construction of runways.
In addition,"Caspian Sea monsters"The cost is much lower than that of aircraft carriers, but their combat capabilities are no less than those of aircraft carriers. For a country, it is undoubtedly very cost-effective to spend less money to have combat power comparable to that of an aircraft carrier.
As mentioned earlier, the "Caspian Sea Monster" is a more cost-effective new style** with many advantages. However, in practical use, the USSR chose to abandon this **.
The reason lies in the fact that the "Caspian monster" has an insurmountable flaw - fear of the waves. Ground-effect aircraft rely on the "wing-to-ground effect", which makes the "Caspian Sea Monster" need to maintain a certain distance from the water surface when flying, otherwise it will lose its upward momentum.
If the distance is too far, the flight speed will drop again, and it will become a live target for the enemy. In addition, the "Caspian monster" itself is bulky and easy to detect by enemy troops. If it is too close to the surface of the water, it will cause a huge splash and affect its flight effect.
As a result, the "Caspian Monster" did not show up to expectations in real flight and was eventually abandoned by the USSR.
The Soviet Union made many attempts and efforts in the field of ground-effect aircraft, but due to the limitations of the technical level and materials at that time, it was ultimately unable to solve the problems of the "Caspian Sea Monster", and could only regrettably terminate the project, making it disappear into the long river ......of historyHowever, many years later, Russian engineers announced that they would restart the development of ground-effect vehicles.
They said that the development of the first "Caspian Monster" has accumulated valuable data for Russia, and they will transform and upgrade the "Caspian Monster" on the basis of the original.
Russia firmly believes that the upgraded version of the "Caspian Sea Monster" will become the most lethal new ** in the future, and it is even possible to replace aircraft carriers. All this fills us with anticipation and imagination!
Of course, this is just a guess. In any case, we look forward to the emergence of a new generation of ground effect aircraft in the near future, bringing more possibilities to our future.