A new river passenger ekranoplane is being developed in Russia

As noted in the special project of TASS "Flying Ships" dedicated to ekranoplanes, the new vessel will be able to carry up to 40 passengers and travel at a cruising speed of up to 200 km/ h, deliver people and cargo at a distance of up to 3 thousand km. "Such ekranoplanes are indispensable for the development of transport routes in the Arctic zone, as well as year-round high-speed transport in Siberia and the Far East," the design bureau believes.

His experts point out that during the navigation period, hydrofoils can quickly get along the rivers in these regions, but when the rivers are frozen, there is no high-speed communication. "To solve this problem, the designers have created a project of the river ekranoplan 04700. The vessel will allow you to quickly get from Yakutsk to Tiksi or from Salekhard to Khanty-Mansiysk, but it can be used year-round on other routes," the developers believe.

According to the data of the Central Design Bureau for the R. E. Alekseev SEC, the need for ekranoplanes of the 04700 project already exceeds 50 units today. "The vessels will be able to be based not only on concrete platforms and pontoons, but also on an unequipped sandy shore," the agency's special project says. According to experts, such ekranoplanes are more economical, safer and have twice the flight range compared to small aircraft. "All this will increase the availability of high-speed transportation for residents of the regions and increase passenger traffic by more than 9%," the project notes.

"Ekranoplanes should become an integral element of the transport infrastructure of Siberia and the Far East. Full-flowing rivers are the main transport arteries in the region. Now these routes are closed only by river vessels, but the navigation period is very short, so it is advisable to use ekranoplans," the chairman of the Board of Directors, the general designer of the Central Design Bureau for the SEC, told the agencyGeorgy Antsev.

The new vessel will be able to carry up to 40 passengers and travel at a cruising speed of up to 200 km / h, deliver people and cargo at a distance of up to 3 thousand km.