AN EVALUATION OF THE WING-IN-GROUND EFFECT (WIG) TRANSPORT AIRCRAFT CONCEPT.

Abstract : An evaluation was made of the 'wing in ground effect' (WIG) interface vehicle as a cargo transport. The WIG aircraft designs, with high lift/drag ratios, showed significant increases in payload-range over current and proposed cargo aircraft (specifically, the c-141 and the C-5A). However,results indicate that the C-5A cargo aircraft would have a somewhat higher productivity than the WIG cargo transport. The large differences in cruise speed between these aircraft negated the excellent payload-range capabilities of the WIG aircraft concept. The unique qualities of the WIG may be more effectively utilized in other specialized military aircraft applications.