Caspian Sea Monster

The “Caspian Sea Monster,” officially designated KM (Korabl‑Makety), was a Soviet ground‑effect vehicle designed in the early 1960s by Rostislav Alexeyev’s Central Hydrofoil Design Bureau. Built at the Kirov shipyard and first launched in 1965, the craft spent most of its test career skimming the surface of the Caspian Sea, with the inaugural flight on 16 September 1966. At 92 m in length and a 40 m wingspan, the KM displaced roughly 500 tons and could carry up to 100 tons of payload, making it the largest aerodynamic vehicle of its time. Propulsion came from eight turbofan engines mounted in pairs on the forward and aft sections, delivering speeds near 500 km h⁻¹ while operating within the 10‑m‑high ground‑effect cushion that afforded remarkable fuel efficiency and low radar signature.

The vehicle’s significance lies in its demonstration of a new class of high‑speed, low‑altitude transport that merged ship‑like payload capacity with aircraft‑like velocity. Although never entered full production, the Caspian Sea Monster proved the strategic utility of ekranoplans for rapid over‑water logistics and coastal defense, influencing later Soviet projects such as the Lun‑Class and inspiring modern interest in hybrid air‑sea platforms for both military and civilian use.