The Lun-class Ekranoplan floatplane was one of the most distinct designs to emerge from the Cold War. The aircraft was designed around the idea known as "wing-in-ground" effect, which basically allowed for an increased weight aircraft to utilized the low-altitude lift over water for increased range and better fuel economy. In essence, the aircraft would skim the surface of the water after achieving take off and utilize this lift for the duration of the flight. This effect can be commonly observed in seabirds flying low, scouting for prey. The bird seems to effortlessly skim across the surface of the body of water without the need to flap its wings for some time. This same idea was brought to bear in the Lun-class flying boat, of which only one was ever produced and operated with the Soviet Navy. The primary goal of the Ekranoplan design was to submit a system that could operate under radar by staying close to the surface of the earth, where "clutter" signatures were more apparent.
The Ekranoplan was a large aircraft for its time. The design was an achievement by Rostislav Evgenievich Alexeev but was by no means a new concept. Wing-in-ground (WIG) effect aircraft were being tested as early as the 1930's, most notably by the German firm of Dornier. The Ekranoplan was unique in that it A) was a successful design attempt that was used operationally and it relied on turbojet power, something not afforded the systems of earlier attempts.
The Ekranoplan entered service with the Soviet Navy in 1987 with the designation of MD-160, operating in the Black Sea. The system was powered by no fewer than 8 turbojet engines mounted on a variable forward canard system (four per side) that would be controlled by the pilot during take off and could be leveled during flight. The fuselage was designed with the boat hull-style look common to many World War Two flying boat aircraft. Wings were mounted low at fuselage center and a V-shape high tail section rounded out the design components. The cockpit was fitted just forward of the wing roots and the entire system was crewed by fifteen personnel.
Operating as an anti-submarine variant, the MD-160 was fitted with six anti-ship missile launchers across the top of her fuselage. Each launcher was designed to fire the SS-N-22 Sunburn naval missile munition.
Additionally, a single 23mm cannon was also afforded the crew for self-defense. A floatplane flying hospital was planned from the MD-160 airframe, though the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1989 did the idea in. At present, it is believed that the Lun-class Ekranoplan is not in any type of operational service with the Russian fleet operating in the Black Sea. An impressive aircraft to say the least, the Ekranoplan was a major design challenge met and superceded by a nation that knows large aircraft quite well (see Antonov AN 225 entry).
The only aircraft of this type ever built, the MD-160, entered service with the Black Sea Fleet in 1987. Eight Kuznetsov NK-87 turbofans were mounted on forward canards, and each produced 127.4 kN (28,600 lbf) thrust. It had a flying boat hull with a large deflecting plate at the bottom to provide a "step" for takeoff.
The aircraft was equipped for anti-surface warfare, and it carried the P-270 Moskit (Mosquito) guided missile. It was equipped with six missile launchers, mounted in pairs on the dorsal surface of its fuselage, and its advanced tracking systems mounted in its nose and tail.
Another version of Lun was planned for use as a mobile field hospital for rapid deployment to any ocean or coastal location. Work was about 90% complete on this model, the Spasatel, but its military funding ended, and it was never completed. The only MD-160 completed is now sitting unused at a naval station in the town of Kaspiysk.
