Features and prospects of using ekranoplanes in the Arctic

• Published in: IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science
• Main Authors: Nebylov, A V, Nebylov, V A
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: unknown
• Published: IOP Publishing 2020
• Subjects: Arctic
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1088/1755-1315/539/1/012133; https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1755-1315/539/1/012133/pdf; https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1755-1315/539/1/012133

Abstract The article is devoted to the problem of year-round transport service of the Arctic territories and settlements, necessary for their sustainable economic and social development, for the functioning of the units of the Ministry of defense. It is shown that the solution of this problem can contribute to the revival of construction in Russia of large Wing- in- Ground craft (WIG-craft) of the new generation, the first of which «Orlan», as stated by the heads of the relevant Russian agencies, is planned to be built before 2027. Its application can be multifunctional. The features of the organization of takeoff, cruising flight mode and landing on ice, snow or water are discussed. The advantages of using ekranoplane in the Arctic in comparison with other vehicles are estimated. The problem of ensuring safe and effective flight near the surface with ice hummocks, the problem of rough alignment of such a surface in a narrow corridor allocated for takeoff and landing of ekranoplanes is discussed. In contrast to the airfields for planes, this “strip” may be acceptable for a large airplane bumps up to half a meter tall. A special technique may be required for rough smoothing of hummocks with minimal energy consumption. Previously Arctic conditions of flight of WIG-craft were not considered. The main idea of the article: in the Arctic, in some cases, it is better to use an ekranoplane to fly over the ice, than to break the ice with an icebreaker for the wiring of ships or to build a highway for the movement of cars.