TOP SECRET: Lun-Class Ekranoplan (The Caspian Sea Monster)

Today we are going to explore the origins of the strange Lun-Class Ekranoplan, the Caspian Sea Monster ! From a top secret concept, to an abandoned craft, this is the crazy story of the Lun-Class Ekranoplan built secretly by the Soviet Union !

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Kaspian Sea Monster

Ground Effect Vehicle

Sooo, what exactly was this so called Caspian Sea Monster ?

It was in fact, a ground effect vehicle. Ground Effect Vehicles are able to move over the surface by gaining support from the reactions of the air against the surface of the earth or water.

For the most part, they are designed to glide over a level surface like the sea, by making use of the aerodynamic interaction between the moving wing and the surface below. SOME models can operate over any flat area such as frozen lakes or flat plains similar to a hovercraft.

Sorry, I mentioned hovercrafts and now I can’t help myself. I have to show you the LCAC. The US Navy utilizes the Landing Craft Air Cushion hovercraft to transport weapons, equipment and even personnel. And guess what ? Concept designs for this bad boy began in the early 1970s. Could the discovery of the KM have had anything to do with that ?

K, back to the Caspian Sea Monster.

The GEV was designed by Rostislav Alexeyev, while he worked at the Central Hydrofoil Design Bureau. The design and construction period of 2 years was relatively short.

The KM had a wingspan of 123ft (37.6M), a length of 302ft (92M) and a massive, maximum take off weight of 535 tons. It was designed to fly at altitudes of 16 to 33 ft ( 5 - 10 M). With specifications like that, the KM held the title of the largest and heaviest aircraft in the world until 1988. When, and don’t quote me on this, the strategic airlift cargo aircraft AN-225 Mriya was launched.

So, I know you are probably asking yourself, how fast could this baby go? During testing, it was shown that the KM had an optimum fuel efficient cruising speed of 267mph (232knots, 430km/h) with maximum operating speed of 311mph (270knots, 500km/h). Yeah but that still doesn’t answer the question does it. HOW FAST COULD THIS BABY GO. There are 2 sources on this information, one claims that the maximum speed achieved was 404 mph (350knots, 650km/h) while the latter claims 460mph (400knots, 740km/h).

The KM was at first seen as a promising vehicle specialized for use by military and rescue workers but its design caused many difficulties; progress slowed and Alexeyev moved on to other ekranoplan projects. It was tested on the Caspian Sea for an extensive 15 years until 1980. During a test, the KM was damaged and absolutely no attempts to save it were made. It was left to float in the Caspian Sea until it sank, about a week later. It is believed that the KM is still at the bottom of the sea, considering it weighed like 500 tons.

Lun-Class Ekranoplan

As I mentioned, Rotislav Alexeyev moved onto different projects, one of which was the MD-160. The sole completed lun-class ekranoplan.

At this point, I feel like I have to mention that the International Maritime Organization are bunch of no fun having nerds that classify this marvel of technology as a maritime ship.

The MD - 160 was completed in 1975 and boasted a length of 242 ft (73.8M) and a wingspan of 144ft (44M). It had a measly, comparatively speaking, capacity of 100 tons and an operational speed of 342 mph (550kmh/h). The source of propulsion were the 8 Kuznetsov NK-87 Turbojet engines, which are featured prominently at the front of the craft. It is clear as day the sheer size and magnitude of the original KM design was simply too much for steady operations.

The Lun Class had a range of 1000 nautical miles (1,200mi, 1900km), which at top speeds, was about 3 and half hours. It would take six officers and nine subordinates to operate the craft.

It’s worth mentioning that the Soviets did want to build a 2nd Lun-Class Ekranoplan, after some maritime disasters, it was meant to be deployed in future maritime search and rescue missions with seating for up to 500 passengers. At that point, it was called the Spasatel, literally rescuer.

The 1990s and beyond

It's unclear exactly when the MD-160 was retired, but the late 1990s is as good a guess as any. The craft rusted away at the Kaspiysk naval base for over 20 years. On July 31,2020, the MD-160 was moved for the first time in years, with the intention of being put on public display at the planned Patriot Park in Derbent, Dagestan.

In December 2020, the ekranoplan was successfully hauled out of the water, protecting it from taking on water or being destroyed entirely. As of right now, there isn’t much development in the story. I scoured social media to find some clues if the ekranoplan is still on the same beach. Judging by the most recent posts, it seems very likely.