OMG, it's full of ekranoplanes...

[ffutures]

Pointed out by ps238principal on livejournal

Lots of VERY strange ekranoplane stuff.

http://www.darkroastedblend.com/2007/05/ekranoplans-showcase.html

http://www.darkroastedblend.com/2009/06/ekranoplans-showcase-part-2.html

I can only assume that some Russian engineers were on serious drugs...

Comments

[ffutures.livejournal.com]

If you think of them as a missile boat, patrol boat, or landing craft they make a lot of sense. Faster than many planes, longer range, big cargo capacity, and not vulnerable to torpedoes, mines, etc.

[gonzo21.livejournal.com]

They would have been really useful assets, I'm surprised they abandoned them. But I guess money was tight and something had to be ditched somewhere.

But then I suppose if they were as good as all that the Americans would have designed some too.