# How manoeuvrable is an ekranoplan?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-manoeuvrable-is-an-ekranoplan/543571
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [June 17, 2010, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-manoeuvrable-is-an-ekranoplan/543571 "2010-06-17T17:16:58Z")
**Posts on this page:** 6
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)
#### Post date: [June 17, 2010, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-manoeuvrable-is-an-ekranoplan/543571/1 "2010-06-17T17:16:58Z")
As someone who’s enjoyed both the Red Bull Air Race contest and Formula 1, I’m thinking that watching a race between ekranoplans might be quite fun. Sort of the F1 of power boat racing. But they’d have to be manoeuvrable, able to go around corners easily. And that I cannot seem to find.
So ejumakate me. 😃
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### Author:  [@DanBlather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DanBlather)
#### Post date: [June 17, 2010, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-manoeuvrable-is-an-ekranoplan/543571/2 "2010-06-17T17:50:59Z")
I thought they went extinct when faster and more nimble mammals evolved.
But seriously, thanks for helping me learn a new word. They look neat.
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### Author:  [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)
#### Post date: [June 17, 2010, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-manoeuvrable-is-an-ekranoplan/543571/3 "2010-06-17T18:19:14Z")
I assume you mean ground-effect planes in general? This one looks reasonably maneuverable, but the wingtip is hitting the water during tight turns:
[ ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kwC8MP6uOiQ)
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### Author:  [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)
#### Post date: [June 17, 2010, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-manoeuvrable-is-an-ekranoplan/543571/4 "2010-06-17T18:48:33Z")
> [@](#):
>
> I assume you mean ground-effect planes in general?
i suspect he’s asking about the ekranoplans that look like airplanes with partial amputations. These were seriously proposed (and to some drgree used) for rapid transportation of people and supplies across large lakes, and their wings sit much higher than the ground effect machine in your video. You’d expect that the limitation wasn’t how far they could tip before the wings hit the water, but how far until they became unstable.
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### Author:  [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)
#### Post date: [June 17, 2010, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-manoeuvrable-is-an-ekranoplan/543571/5 "2010-06-17T18:50:56Z")
Ekranoplan basically means a ground effect boat-plane kinda thing. If you are talking about something like a Lun-class ekranoplan (which is typical when people mention this sort of thing), then they aren’t very maneuverable at all.
> [@](#):
>
> The plane can’t risk turning sharply as banking could dig one of the wings into the water, resulting in a crash.
>
> …
>
> Because the Ekranoplan can’t turn to avoid obstacles, it relies on spotting boats or other obstructions while they’re a ways off, then lifting to a higher altitude to clear them.
From here:
> **[The Nuclear Warhead-Equipped Ekranoplan Soviet Invasion Machine - Jalopnik](https://www.jalopnik.com/5490236/the-nuclear-warhead+equipped-ekranoplan-soviet-invasion-machine/)**
>
> Powered by 228,800 Lb-Ft of thrust, this Lun-class Ekranoplan was designed to carry two-million pounds of Europe-invading soldiers and vehicles and six nuclear missiles at speeds up to 340 MPH. Thank God Reagan defeated the Soviet Union.
I wouldn’t describe something that can’t turn to avoid obstacles as being maneuverable.
Smaller ekranoplans would be much more maneuverable.
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### Author:  [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)
#### Post date: [June 17, 2010, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-manoeuvrable-is-an-ekranoplan/543571/6 "2010-06-17T21:35:19Z")
> [@engineer\_comp\_geek](#):
>
> Ekranoplan basically means a ground effect boat-plane kinda thing. If you are talking about something like a Lun-class ekranoplan (which is typical when people mention this sort of thing), then they aren’t very maneuverable at all.
I wasn’t really thinking of the Caspian Sea Monster; a race of those would be rather boring.