KM (Ekranoplan)

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
KM
Экраноплан КМ.jpg
Type: Ground effect vehicle
Design country:

Soviet UnionSoviet Union Soviet Union

Manufacturer:

Central development office for hydrofoil vehicles Alexejew

First flight:

October 18, 1966

Commissioning:

never

Production time:

1964-1965

Number of pieces:

at least 1

The KM (for корабль-макет, Russian for "ship demonstration model "), also known under the name "Caspian Sea Monster" or "Monster of the Caspian Sea", was a ground-effect vehicle type made by the Soviet ship and aircraft designer Rostislav Evgenjewitsch Alexejew designed and promoted by Nikita Khrushchev .

history

The KM was developed and built in Gorky in 1964 and 1965 . Launched on June 22nd, the hull was only transported at night on the Volga to Caspisk on the Caspian Sea within a month due to secrecy . Its first flight took place on October 18, 1966 (according to other information on October 11). In the following almost one and a half decades it was used for testing purposes. Since this was also its original purpose, it was not specially designed for any application. Basically, however, two types of missions were conceivable: that as a troop transport and that as a carrier of medium-range missiles . Detection by enemy radar would have been difficult at that time due to the low altitude, and detection by sonar would even have been impossible due to the lack of water contact.

During one of its flights, the KM reached a total mass of 544 tons - a record that was only exceeded by the Antonov An-225 "Mrija" . In 1980 one copy was lost in an accident. The pilot apparently tried to take off with insufficient thrust, whereupon the Ekranoplan hit the surface of the water and sank; There were no victims. Apparently, a rescue was also considered, which then failed due to the immense weight of the KM.

There is no reliable information about the number of copies built, it varies between one and eight. It is noticeable, however, that in contrast to the Lun and the A-90 Orljonok there are no current photos or satellite images, which suggests that only the above-mentioned example was built. The fact that the different numbers 01, 02, 04, 07 and 08 can be seen on photos could have caused the different information.

construction

The KM had a length of about 100 m, a span of about 40 m and had a weight of about 550 tons with maximum payload. The propulsion was provided by a total of ten jet engines , eight of which were mounted above the cockpit and two at the stern. The front eight were mainly used for take-off, while the rear two served as cruise engines. The KM usually reached speeds of a good 400 km / h.

"Caspian Sea Monster"

The KM was nicknamed "Caspian Sea Monster" in 1967 by US intelligence analysts who discovered it on satellite photos and initially did not know what to do with the vehicle.

Technical specifications

Parameter Data (KM-1)
length 92.00 m
Wingspan 37.60 m
Span of the horizontal stabilizer 37.00 m
height 21.80 m
Wing area 662.50 m²
Empty mass 240 t
Max. Takeoff mass 544 t
Engine ten Dobrynin WD-7 jet engines
Max. thrust 10 × 13,000 kp
Top speed 500 km / h
Cruising speed 430 km / h
Altitude 4-14 m
Range 1500 km

The information to be found on the Internet varies greatly, as the KM has been modified several times and therefore dimensions between 92 and 106 meters in terms of length and between 32 and 40 meters in terms of width were achieved.

Web links

Commons : KM (Ekranoplan)  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ "Monster of the Caspian Sea" is exposed - article in Welt online , from November 10, 1995
  2. ^ Rainer Göpfert: Soviet Ekranoplane . In: Fliegerrevue . No. 5 , 2017, p. 43 .
  3. ↑ a b c airwar.ru : Каспийский Монстр (Russian), accessed on March 10, 2011
  4. ↑ a b c theregister.co.uk : In search of the Caspian Sea Monster , accessed March 10, 2011
  5. ↑ airwar.ru : Illustration of the Ekranoplans with the number 01, accessed on March 27, 2020
  6. ↑ airwar.ru : Illustration of the Ekranoplans with the number 02, accessed on March 27, 2020
  7. ↑ airwar.ru : Illustration of the Ekranoplans with the number 04, accessed on March 27, 2020
  8. ↑ airwar.ru : Illustration of the Ekranoplans with the number 07, accessed on March 27, 2020
  9. ↑ jpcolliat.free.fr : Illustration of the Ekranoplans with the number 08, accessed on March 27, 2020