Conceptual bases of WIG craft building : ideas, reality and outlooks

WIG craft (ekranoplans) building has sufficiently long history but till now there is no any established view on their technical appearance and place in the system of transport means. It was assumed that technical and economical characteristics of WIG craft wittingly exceeded those of competitive transport means - aircraft (and hydroaeroplanes) because of the high lift-to-drag ratio value (aerodynamic efficiency). However in reality they don't a priori provide the superiority over the aircraft (hydroaeroplanes). Now it is necessary to revise the conceptual base of WIG craft building. The idea of creation of second generation ekranoplans on the base of the A-conception, suggested by the author in 1977, assumes that they are created as marine transport means with high ship features when sailing (air transport means, including hydroaeroplanes, doesn't possess such features), i. e. as two-mode vehicles. Realization of this conception puts the ekranoplans out of competition as compared with other classes of engineering in the cases when it is necessary to stay at sea for a long time