User:The Bushranger/BRG

The Lun-class ekranoplan (Лунь, "Harrier") (NATO reporting name: Duck), also known as Project 903, was a wing-in-ground-effect (WIG) aircraft, built by the Soviet Union in the late 1980s for service in the Soviet Navy. Intended for anti-ship and anti-submarine missions, technical difficulties meant the single example of the type never entered full service, and it was retired in 1992 following the fall of the Soviet Union.

Design and development
Designed by Rostislav Evgenievich Alexeev, and based on the successful 'KM' experimental type, the Lun class is an ekranoplan, a type of aircraft that is designed to fly at an altitude of only a few meters above the surface of a body of water, using ground effect to boost the lift provided by their wings. One of the largest aircraft ever built, the Lun class has a length of 73 m, rivaling the Hughes H-4 Hercules ("Spruce Goose") and many modern jumbo jets.

Powered by eight Kuznetsov Kuznetsov NK-87 turbojets mounted on a canards wing, each delivering 127.4 kN (28,600 lbf) of thrust, the Lun class has a flying boat-like hull, with a large deflecting plate at the bottom of the hull to provide a "step" for takeoff, and a massive horizontal stabiliser essentially made the craft a tandem wing aircraft]]

Equipped for anti-surface warfare, MD-160 carried six launchers for P-270 Moskit (Москит, "Mosquito") missiles, mounted in pairs on the dorsal surface of the fuselage, with the associated search and guidance radars being mounted in the nose and in the front of the vertical stabiliser.

Operational history
The protype of the Lun class, designated MD-160 and the only example of the type to be completed, first flew in 1987. The type proved to be moderately successful, but was plagued by several continuing issues. These included stability and control difficulties, poor maneuverability, and high pilot workload.

MD-160 entered service with the Soviet Black Sea Fleet in 1989, however, due to the technical problems encountered in testing, the craft had not entered full operational service by the time of the fall of the Soviet Union in 1992. The resulting economic crisis resulted in their being a lack of funds available for continued development, and the decision was made to cancel the project, MD-160 being retired.

Spasatel
Following the loss of the submarine K-278 Komsomolets in 1989, it was decided that the second Lun class vessel, which was at the time under construction, as a search and rescue vessel, to serve as, essentially, a flying hospital ship. It was intended that the craft would be capable of reaching any part of the coast of the Soviet Union at high speed, and to carry between 150 and 500 passengers in an emergency.

Named Spasatel, this vessel differed from MD-160 in being fitted with only six engines instead of eight, and the missile launchers were removed in favour of the craft being fitted with a field hospital in its interior.

In 1992, the financial difficulties following the collapse of the Soviet Union led to the cancellation of the project, despite the fact that Spasatel was, at the time, approximately 90% complete.

Operators

 * Soviet Navy
 * Russian Navy
 * Russian Navy
 * Russian Navy