What is the aircraft, craft, ship or weapon depicted in the picture?

This is a Russian Lun ekranoplan and it is a real craft.

It is a ground effect vehicle that is designed to attain sustained flight over a level surface (usually over the sea), by making use of the ground effect, the aerodynamic interaction between the wings and the surface. Among the best known are the Soviet ekranoplans, but names like wing-in-ground-effect , flare craft, sea skimmer, or wing-in-surface-effect ship are also used. This was the profile designed by Rostislav Alexeyev. The wings are significantly shorter than comparable aircraft, and this configuration requires a high aft-placed horizontal tail to maintain stability. The pitch and altitude stability comes from the lift slope difference between a front low wing in ground effect and an aft, higher-located the second wing nearly out of ground effect.

More Info: en.wikipedia.org

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31 Comments

Carl Belken

Even though I got it wrong I like this question. I'm especially impressed by the author managing to add a video. It's harder than you'd think just to add a picture that fits QC's restrictions. I learned something here tonight.

Beverley

Well done for insert8ng the video in the answer! Great Q&A

Ken Putnam

Lynne Zeman, No skirts, so not a hovercraft If IS a ground effect vehicle, tho, as stated in the Explanation

Ken Putnam

Patricia Hawes, It is not a airplane in the strictest sense It is a ground effect vehicle

Patricia Hawes

weirdest plane I've ever seen a picture of.

Mark L Thomas

Got it

Lynne Zeman

I assume that the apparatus on the top in addition to the down turned wing tips would create too much drag to be an effective aircraft. The clip was very helpful. The plane was essentially a hovercraft.