Decades after the Ekranoplan: China is working on new ground effect vehicles
Ground effect vehicles combine the characteristics of ships and airplanes and have advantages over both. China's military may now want to take advantage of this
A giant Soviet ground effect vehicle on the Caspian Sea
(Image: J_K/Shutterstock.com)
China is apparently making progress in reviving a futuristic transportation concept from the Soviet Union, while it is unclear how parallel efforts in the USA are progressing. In both cases, it is about so-called ground effect vehicles, which can race at low altitude over flat surfaces, - especially along still waters – and make use of the effect of the same name. Photographs of a vehicle in China's Bohai Bay have recently caused quite a stir: According to the specialist magazine Naval News, the "Bohai Sea Monster" is the largest ground effect vehicle to be built in decades. At the same time, however, it is significantly smaller than the gigantic "umbrella gliders" ("Ekranoplan") from the Soviet Union, the most famous of which is rusting away on the Caspian Sea.
Faster than a ship, more economical than an airplane
Ground effect is the term used to describe the effect that air flowing around a vehicle forms a kind of cushion the closer it gets to the ground, providing significantly more lift for the same performance. Ground effect vehicles are designed to take advantage of this and transport large loads quickly over long distances, especially over calm waters. Another advantage for military use is that ground effect vehicles speeding just a few meters above the surface of the water are much more difficult for radar systems and cannot be detected by active sonar. However, the vehicles are dependent on flat surfaces and are difficult to maneuver, among other things. The concept, which was mainly promoted in the Soviet Union, never really caught on.
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Not much more is known about the ground effect vehicle built in China than two photos that have been circulated on social networks. One shows a gray vehicle with short wings, a long wing at the rear and four engines mounted on top. How these work is not known. According to Naval News, such a vehicle could be used for the rapid dispatch of supplies to islands or to support amphibious landings. This refers to the Taiwan conflict; the People's Republic regards the island as part of its own state and also threatens it militarily. Ground effect vehicles could be used in the event of an invasion. According to a report in the New York Times, China is currently trying to recruit experts for ground effect vehicles from the former Soviet Union.
(Image:Â DARPA)
The photos of the Chinese ground effect vehicle have now become public almost at the same time as the completion of a research project in the USA. There, the military research organization DARPA has also developed a ground effect vehicle, the "Liberty Lifter". This was intended to perform transportation tasks for the US military and also for industry, and be much faster than ships. In a concept drawing, the "Liberty Lifter" looks like a low-flying aircraft. A prototype was actually supposed to be built. In June, however, it was announced that this was no longer the aim. Instead, the findings are to be quickly transferred from industry to other platforms. Nevertheless, it is not only China that is working on new ground effect vehicles; there are also a number of private sector projects.
(mho)
