CHDB A-90 Orlyonok (Eaglet) (Ekranoplan)

History

The Soviet Navy during the Cold War used several "ekranoplan" designs, ie pseudo-aircraft designs that used ground effects to fly over water. Neither a true aircraft nor a true ship, these types were valuable to Soviet war planners because of their transport capabilities and inherent fuel efficiency compared to conventional aircraft, without the drag encountered by ships. in the late 1960s.

In the late 1960s and early 1970s, a new Ekranoplan aircraft was being developed, the A-90 "Orlyonok" ("Eagle Eagle") of the Central Hydrofoil Design Bureau, the design of which was attributed to engineer Rostislav Evgenievich Alexeev.

The vehicle was designed with transport capabilities in mind, as the Soviet Army during the Cold War placed a lot of emphasis on transporting large numbers of people and machines to places that required them to cross the vast Soviet border and beyond. Such ground-effect aircraft fit the bill, and were often developed in complete secrecy from prying eyes in the Westmany of their capabilities remained a mystery until the fall of the Soviet empire in the early 1990s.

A unique feature of the A090's design is its wheeled chassis, which can be used in amphibious assaults - to the surprise of defenders, the A-90 will be carried farther inland with troop loadouts or armored personnel carriers (APCs)!

Only five of these types ended up being built, the first being reserved for static testing. The first airworthy prototype became the "S-23" and made its first flight from the surface of the Volga in 1972. It was then transferred to Caspian waters for further work until it suffered a crash in 1975. It was reborn as the "S-21" in 1978, but was also lost in a crash later in 1992. The "S-25" appeared in 1979, followed by the "S-26" in 1980.

The series officially launched in 1979, when the last units - the S-25 and S-26 - were not retired until 1993 when they were exhausted.

When completed, the A-90 has the requisite boat-like fuselage to match a conventional aircraft fuselage with monoplane wings and T-tail. The cockpit is positioned above the nose to provide an excellent view of forward action, and an internal loading ramp is built into the lower nose section for loading and unloading cargo.

The nose assembly is hinged open to the side for necessary access to the cargo area. The main wing aircraft are mounted low on either side of the midship fuselage.

Weapons were carried, but only for local defense, in the form of 2 x 12.7mm machine guns mounted on dorsal turrets behind the cockpit along the fuselage spine.

The engines are buried in the sides of the forward fuselage and consist of 2 Kuznetsov NK-8 4K turbofans, each rated at 23,155 pounds of thrust. These auxiliaries are angled, with their inlets cut into the upper nose section and their outlets emanating from the lower side of the fuselage. At the tip of the vertical stabilizer is a single Kuznetsov NK-12MK turboprop that provides 34,171 pounds of primary propulsion through a four-bladed counter-rotating propeller unit for cruise flight. Execution of the agreement includes a cruising speed of 250 miles per hour, an operating range of up to 935 miles and a service cap of 9,850 feet.

During takeoff, turbofan engines are used for the necessary lift, and landing is aided by a retractable underbelly ski system.

A typical combat crew consists of six personnel with a cargo hold for up to 150 combat-ready infantry or similar payload (including armoured vehicles, supplies, medical waste or fuel). Payload tolerance peaks at about 61,730 pounds.

The overall length of the fuselage is 190.6 feet, the wingspan is 103.3 feet, and the height is 53.4 feet. Maximum Takeoff Weight (MTOW) is 308,650 lbs.

Specification

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