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The Soviet flying beast that never really took off
The only surviving prototype of this unusual plane now sits dilapidated in a field near Moscow, but it was once the hope of the Soviet Union against US submarine attacks. The Bartini Beriev VVA-14 -- the letters are an acronym for "vertical take-off amphibious aircraft" and 14 was the number of engines -- was designed to take off from anywhere without a runway and to be capable of sustained flight just above the water surface. (www.cnn.com) Más...Sort type: [Top] [Newest]
The Zubr class LCAC (Pomornik), that is a "beast"!
The last picture is of a completely different "hovercraft" I've seen recently on the internet, not sure just where, but it was featured that it resided somewhere on the Black Sea and was fairly recently moved to another location again on the Black Sea where it is "beached" at the vertical view shown in this article. It appears to be much larger than the VVA-14 which has two turbine engines just aft of the cockpit which is a rather bulbous shape, wherein the one in the last picture has a more "normal nose section" and also has many engines arranged rather "normally" on the "wings". The one on the Black Sea looks to be many times the size of the VVA-14 as the article on it deemed it to be a cargo hauler which never really panned out. Haven't we had our share of "amazing aircraft" that didn't make it as well!
The Caspian Sea Monster, the Lun class Ekranoplan is what you are thinking of.
Thanks, you're right I missed the boat there with the Black/Caspian Seas. Seems there were about a dozen turbine engines on that monster. I'll have to keep looking for the earlier big planes from the 1920's or so. Weren't the Anatov 124/125s from the Ukraine, years ago a 124 was at OSH Airventure, about the size of a C-5 it could haul a-plenty. We've seen several big planes at AirVenture AirBus big hauler, an A-380, actually the prototype, Boeings expanded 747 used to haul 787 parts between assembly plants, 747-8, most of the new military planes, big and small, a 787, Fifi and Doc (B-29's) were there some 5 years ago, neat to see them in the air together, but compared to todays aircraft they weren't that big
From all the pictures I have ever seen of this aircraft, cnn must be using dominion voting to count the engines, as I only count and see four, and all four are in a fixed position to provide a short take off, while preventing water ingestion.
Not a single picture in a hover or VTOL, yet you are downvoted by the masses. You get my upvote based on evidence, not feelings.
Or Charlie, you could actually READ the article.
orange guy lost with or without CNN.
orange guy lost with or without CNN.