A twin boom heavy-lift launcher Ekranoplane

hesham

hesham

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Hi,

http://www.spaceagepub.com/calendar/SCarchive/SC-20060320.html
 

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from: "Technology and arms/Техника и вооружение" magazine
 

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I wonder about the economics of a big jet seaplane as a booster as they are calling it an Ekranoplan but talking about 10,000-12,000 m launch altitude. If you're going to bringing it to that kind of alitude then why use a sea-based solution?

On the other hand, a wing-in-ground-effect vehicle might well be a good way bring a single-stage-to-orbit spaceplane up to high subsonic speed. Ground effect over the water allows great flexibility and launch sites--almost any major port will do.

The bonus is not only in the "free" speed at take-off, since as long as the orbiter could jettison fuel in a hurry in an aborted takeoff, then its landing gear (perhaps just skids) could be designed for the light landing weight only not the heavy take-off weight.
 
The advantages, I suspect, are geography (launch near the equator / with no restrictions on direction) and a reduction in weather delays (high transit speed, unlike the semi-sub platforms, then launch above the weather if it can't be avoided). IIRC these, rather than height or altitude, are usually the given advantages for air-launch. The use of a WIG launch platform just increases the size of the rocket usable, in comparison to an airliner derived system.

RP1
 
This twin boom ekranoplan reminds me on the "Три Богатыря" (three hulks [or so]). I hope it was not posted somewhere else... This russian ekranoplan (concept of the 1980´s) would have been a real monster: 5000 tons TOM. Designed to carry the whole energiya/Buran system (fast to any point). The great Jozef Gatial did some drawings for avicopress.
Greetings
Athpilot
 

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athpilot said:
This twin boom ekranoplan reminds me on the "Три Богатыря" (three hulks [or so]). I hope it was not posted somewhere else... This russian ekranoplan (concept of the 1980´s) would have been a real monster: 5000 tons TOM. Designed to carry the whole energiya/Buran system (fast to any point). The great Jozef Gatial did some drawings for avicopress.
Click to expand...

Beriev OKB I guess?
 
Skyblazer said:
athpilot said:
This twin boom ekranoplan reminds me on the "Три Богатыря" (three hulks [or so]). I hope it was not posted somewhere else... This russian ekranoplan (concept of the 1980´s) would have been a real monster: 5000 tons TOM. Designed to carry the whole energiya/Buran system (fast to any point). The great Jozef Gatial did some drawings for avicopress.
Click to expand...

Beriev OKB I guess?
Click to expand...

Oh I don´t know. I don´t have much informations about it. I found it together by doing research on the Energiya rocket. So it could be that this design study was done by NPO Energiya. Because the vessel ha to be designed for the payload (the rocket system) and not vice versa. Does anyone know here?
 
Nice find my dear Borovik,


and they said,the work is done with American company called Aerokon.
 
The Text says it was done with help of Aerocon, but not that it was a Aerocon-WIG. So I believe it is not the same projekt (even the names are different). The pictures, models and drawings shows different vessels!
 
No, of course it's not, Aerocon WIG is different beast. Aerocon was a proponent of joint US-USSR cooperation on the large WIG designs as mentioned in this paper.
The Wingship's Potential. For Strategic Lift
http://goo.gl/w4vzbH
 

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