LiveJournal user Igor113 has posted a series of remarkably detailed photographs of a relic of the Cold War: the Lun-class Ekranoplan, only one of which was ever built. It carried six P-270 Moskit supersonic anti-shipping missiles (NATO reporting name SS-N-22 Sunburn) in tubes above its hull, and was equipped with special targeting radars in the nose and tail to provide guidance to them.
In its heyday it skimmed the waves at well over 300 mph. Today it sits in a floating drydock, rusting away in obscurity.
There are dozens more photographs at the link, all much larger than the small reproductions I've included here to whet your appetite.
Igor113 has posted a second series of photographs of the interior, a couple of which are reproduced below.
There are many more at the link.
Both articles are very highly recommended for naval and aviation buffs.
Peter
2 comments:
That things is AMAZING!
Well worth putting in a museum somewhere.
I wonder how it would fare in an attack on an American carrier group? I mean, would it be able to hide in the ground clutter long enough to get off a volley of missiles? Would six missiles alone be enough to cause any major damage? I'm sure both sides came up with guesses, and I'd be curious to see how different they are.
Jim
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