Alekseyev Design Bureau Ready to Revive Russian Ekranoplans

12.03.2012 The Alekseyev Central Hydrofoil Design Bureau (Nizhny Novgorod) is ready to revive construction of Russian ground effect vehicles (GEV) also know as ekranoplans, said Vladimir Kirillovykh, chief designer of strike ekranoplan Lun.

According to him, the bureau is the only organization in Russia experienced in designing, testing, and construction of GEV vessels.

Since 50's the Alekseyev bureau had conducted full-scale tests of all ground effect vehicles, including strike ekranoplan Lun, troop-carrying ekranoplan Orlenok, and test ekranoplan KM.

"Experimental base created at the bureau since that time allows to conduct all tests needed for development of new ekranoplans and prove their designed characteristics. In addition, through over a half-century period of ekranoplan testing and building, the design bureau has accumulated unique history of experiments supplementing theoretical calculations", noted the scientist.

Unfortunately, due to some reasons designing companies avoid holding such tests and prefer only to declare performance capabilities of their products often overestimating them, emphasized Vladimir Kirillovykh.

"In such conditions, a customer has nothing to do but believe on bare words. Vessels obtained as a result of such cooperation often cannot be used even on rivers. Ekranoplans as any other sophisticated vehicles can not be created without proper cycle of experiments", he stressed.