Lethe
Captain
I am wondering if there has been any consideration in China of the utility of amphibious wing-in-ground effect vehicles for rapid transport of troops and materiel throughout the asia-pacific region, particularly China's island holdings, as an alternative or complement to traditional transport aircraft and amphibious vessels.
Of course the most famous of these types of vessels are the Soviet ekranoplans, with the A-90 Orlyonok perhaps coming closest to what I am envisioning. More recently we have seen Boeing's Pelican and Beriev's Be-2500 concepts, although these are very large/extreme renditions of the concept. In terms of actual Chinese activity in the realm of WIGs, my Google efforts turned up only the very small Xiang Zhou 1 craft.
One thing I would note before kicking off any discussion is that the linked aircraft are all Type-B WIGs, capable of flying at higher altitudes (at reduced efficiency) to avoid ships, obstacles, waves, etc. -- one of the more common objections to the concept.
Of course the most famous of these types of vessels are the Soviet ekranoplans, with the A-90 Orlyonok perhaps coming closest to what I am envisioning. More recently we have seen Boeing's Pelican and Beriev's Be-2500 concepts, although these are very large/extreme renditions of the concept. In terms of actual Chinese activity in the realm of WIGs, my Google efforts turned up only the very small Xiang Zhou 1 craft.
One thing I would note before kicking off any discussion is that the linked aircraft are all Type-B WIGs, capable of flying at higher altitudes (at reduced efficiency) to avoid ships, obstacles, waves, etc. -- one of the more common objections to the concept.
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