Soviet Wing-in-Ground-Effectew Player in Naval Surface Warfare
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Soviet Wing-in-Ground-Effectew Player in Naval Surface Warfare
n lalrtlitttDCt Assessment
Thit paper wai ptQjt'cd b)
jOIHce oi Scientific aodwiihlionsof Soviet Analysis
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Soviet Wing-in -Ground-WTcclew Player in Natal -Surface Watfan
Judgments
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believe lhai the Soviei wine-in-ground-etToa vehicle (or WIG)which began in lhc earlywill culminate in deployment in theChi. WIGs willew dimension to naval surface warfare when they become operational. They are designed to fly at spoodsnotsoeters above the water's surface (tlie ground-effect zone)
Two classes of WIGs arc being developed for the Soviet Navy:
The Orlan-class WIG is an amphibious assault vehicle for the Soviet naval infantry. It can carry two armored personnel carriersully equipped combat soldiers across seas and along coastal and inland waterways The Orlan is about the sire2 bomber and flies ainots. The Soviets have three Orlan-class WIGs.
The Utka-class WIGactical strike and coastal defense vehicle for the Soviei Navy It carries sis supersonicniiship cruise missiles. The Utka can engage enemy ships out lo its radar horizon (about JS kilometers) but can fire theut to thei-lomctei taugc with over-Ihe-horizon targeting data. The Utka is largerSei airplane and flics atnots One Utla has been built
The Orlan has sufficient range to reach any beach in the Baltic Sea. Black Sea. or Ihe Sea of Japan from the USSR. However, the Orlan's relatively small carrying capacity will require il to operate in squadrons ol si* or more to be cflcciivc. Wc believe that an Utka strike force or coasial defense force would give theuick reaction capability against surfaceowever, unless the Utka can pop up out of groundto extend its radar horizon, it will require citcrnal sources of targeting informaiior
The Orlan and Use Utka will be vulnerable to aitack from enemyWIG. fly close to the water, they cannol maneuver quickly,engines arc susceptible to scawaler ingestion andThe effectiveness of lhc WIGs may also be degraded bythai ihey can take off and
land in waves as higheter-
S"S( (WM.t
w
As yet, we bave tceri oo evidence that any Soviet shipyard is prepared toproduce the Orlan- or UUca-class WIG. Because WIGs are producu of the Soviet Ministry of Shipbuilding Industry, they will be built at aand Dot at an airframe plant, as ooc might expect.
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We believe that tbe Soviets intend to deploy the Orlan and the Utka to the Baltic, Northern, Pacific, and Black Sea Fleets. Two or throe Utkas and five or so Orlans could be assigned! to each fleet by the. If higher numbers of WIGs are to be deployed, the Soviets will probably need afacility larser than the one they use now
In addition to the Orlan's amphibious operations and the Utka's tacticaland coastal defense missions, Soviet WIGs could be configured to perform other missions. These include antisubmarine warfare, minclaying. and search and rescue
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SoviM AVing-ound -Effectew Player ^ -in Naval Surface Warfare
Laily In (hb century, flight researchers discoveredthe induced draging operating neat (he (round it reduced, resulting ia an ioercaaod lift-to-drac ratio (tec inieti Daijoors ten* ad'aatagc ol thit wing-ia-grownd rfioct to bcild hybridlhai cornbinc lhc iabcrrnt idiclira of Mrfaot ships and aircraft. Wing in-ground-effect vehicles, or WIGt. arc capable of flying at TOOnoll just above (he turf ace of (he waier
Soviei WIG* are the resultescaicharn itartcd in thehe researchide variety of WIG design* and rnodrtt ranging in site fromilograms lotOO metric tons. The laigeil WIG built br the Soviet' C
o grace-named Ibe Caspian ita Moassei ia Ike Wear
Two da sacs of
WIGt. designated by NATO at Ihe Orlan-clssiC
^Jandarc
curiently oeingdexlopcd for ihe boviei rtavy (tee figuie I*
Table I
Ortan-Class WIG:od Estimated Perfo
th fawrml
1
i
nitacc ami-nrn)
surface aem liaron miwi!
J
(in"'
WWdf'iWIJ
side-hinged nose section allows easy
on- anu oit-lending of esouipment. but it could cause clearance problems if the nose were opened on an irregular landing surface Our analytic suggests lhat the Orlan is able toully equipped HOOps and Iwo armored personnel earnersully eonipped troops
WIC
I
7
t
Tlte first fulji aisembled
4pecial research facilitysa. on ihe Caspian Sea The Orlan is appraai-matety lhc sire2 bomber (see figurel
weighsraetrac tons (sec ia We IV The Sovscss have ihree Orlans
The Orlan is an amphibious assault vehicle for-ii-i! infantry. Theerewcomrsirlmenl anda id engines are contained in the noteis hinged on tbe starboard
Performance
The Orlan it powered by ihree engines. Twoarc an integral pari of (he nose structure,contra rotatingounted on top ofThe nose engines noi only provide asialigh-pressure region under lhc wingpower-augmented-rani
c
indicatemuclieaplane (see
s innc exhaust is forced under the wines and held stagnant by the cndplates and trailing-cdge flaps, the vehicle lifts partially out of (he water. This reduces the drag on the hull of the craft, and its speed increases. The hull of the vehicle probably breaks contact with the surface
the Orlan transitions into wing-in-ground-efleet flight- When this happens, the pilot will probably be able to cut buck on power, or possibly even shut clown the two turbofans in the nose, and maintain wing-in-ground effect flight
Jwith tbe tail-mounted turboprop, The Orlan probably cannot fly out of groond effect like an airplane oo the turboprop engine alone, but it probably can with the nose-mounted turbofan engines engagct
Because WIGs fly close to the surface, they cannot maneuver quickly. To turn, they must either pop up out of ground effect to bank oeide,tuen I *
]
Mission
The Orlan is well suited fot both strategic and tacticaln strategic operations, it can deliver men and equipmentlanking maneuverimes taster
* Srraiettodlv. >mr*ibwo<aneuver .lib ihe Uuniaw ufnto ihe enemyand"Mb ihc soviei 'o<vet mactUic the
-iie-mmenti.il
in itn-id1
Wing-in-Gtoini Effect and
tated-RiiPhenomenon
In ihe. researchers discoveredlnt Operating near ihe groundeduction in Induced drat, which Increases lis llft-io-drag ratio. Thli wing-ln-ground effect has been studied fordecades because It complicates the lakeoff and landing of low-wing aircrafl. The wlng-in-ground effect was initially seen as Utile moreut-saner, and efforts to understand Ii were stimulated onlyesire to eliminate ir.
lassic study on ihe wing-in-ground tfftci correctly proposed ihat It wot an increase In the overall lifi-io-drag ratio causededuction In the Induced draging at it neared the ground Utcnduced drag is caused by downwath vortices coming off the (railing edge of the wing. By flying close to ihe surface, the amount of downwaih it reduced. The closer ihe wing is to ihe surface, iht triattr ihe reduction in induced drag The distance from the ground it normally given in wing chord lengths (the distance from the leading edge of the wing io ihe trollingtng-in-ground-effect flight occurs when the wing is approximately one-half chord length obove ihe Surface. The ocean represents the largest, flattest surface on earth, but it still contains surface Irregularities. Therefore, io achieve the stability and performance reauieedfor open-ocean Operation, very large vehiclei Ore needed toeasonable flying altitude above ihr hitheti wave.
Duringhenomenon was discovered ihat significantly enhanced the performance of WIGs. The power-augmented-ram phenomenon results when ihe eihautt from forward-mounted propulilon engines is directed under ihe wings, where Ii ii held nearly stagnant by endplaiesrailingedge flap. At lowialic pressure rise occurs under ihe wings and lifts thr vehicle out of ihr water, llydrodynamie drag at takeoff is therefore drastically reduced, allowing operation with lower thrust engines. The power-augmented-ram phenomenon reduces water Impact on ihe wings during landing, permitting re dated wing Sfutiural weight and heavier vehitlr:
' it*'i i.
conventional Soviei landing; ships. In tactical operaiioni, ihe Olan olfera an caira dement of surprise and speed.hows Ihe following areas where Ihe Orian-clata WIG eould possibly
An aiucfc behind lh< NATO fresutlitsc into Wesl Germany or Denmark.
Secnrinc aitnelda In northern Norway.
landing! across theSea, lb* Caspian Sea. or ibe Sea of Japan
Tbe (Man has sufficient, iinec lo reach any beach in tbe Ba!nc Sea, ibc Black Sea. or lhc Sea of Japan from the USSR. The Orlan can also reach areas in northern Norway and Iceland from ihe Kolabut il will probablyea capability in order lo relurn lo baitj
The Orlan will not be used to attack heavily defended beaches because il haa leu armor protection than conventional landing and assiuli ships Its hither speed, however, will allow it to operate in smaller assaults on lightly defended or alreadyrian's relatively small capacity lo carry equipmeni will also require ilperate in squadrons of all or more, or as an elementriphibious assault, to be elle. livf
The Utka-Classaaractcrisrics
"The Utka was fustin
t Uie special rcseatcn lacilliy in Kaspiysk, on the Caspian SeotjThe UlkuC
JOnly one
has beentne Orlan. Ihe tall
of the Utkaayor lilting surface^
ur analysis indicates that the vehicle weighsetric ions (see table?"
The Utkaactical strike and coastal defense vehklc. It carriesnliship cruise missiles mounted on top of its fuselage in three sets of launch lubes (see table
We do not know if ihe missiles can be launctscd Irom the Utka whilelying in ground effect. If missile launches occur while Utka is dead in the water or
Higher Mas and
inclement weather, however, will probably cause lhc enginesea water, limiting the vehicles opcraiior
Mission
Our analysis suggests that an Utka strike force or coastal defense force would be capable ofurprise attack against surfaceingle Utka couldarget to just beyond theadar search range and then pass Its targeting
to other Utka* located beyond ihe target's radar horizon. These Utkas could make the final strike.
hand-over capability would also permittargeting fornilshlp missile attacks wiih minimum risk to tbe action group
Dying ai its expected cruise altitudeoeters above ihe water's surface, ihe Utka'sC
could probablyhip sired target out to its horizon-1imiicd range of about i$ kilometers (sec. Lftkcs thean nop up oui of ground clfcci lo est end ils radar horizon, il will require external nOuiccs of targeting information lo exploit the Ifift.km elfceiivc range of iuissiles.
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The cflcctivcncsssurvivability ol" the Uika will be limited against surface combatants thai haveand tighter aiceraft protection.;
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The Se>det WIGong-Term Cornell trocut lo System Procurement
The Orlin and Utaa WlOa. Me sh.pi andaie producti of Ibc Soviet Ministry of Sanp-buiMing Indaiity They are designed by ibe Central Design Bureau for Hydrofoil Ship* al ibe Kcasnoychipyard in Cor aly The attarMfor ihese WIGs arc produced al ihe shipyard and ihen transferred by river bargehe Caspian Sea for final assembly, filling oui. and tea Iriaft
(NIR| advsnoed Ihc denclopcnent of Orlan- and Ulfca-daaa WIG. NIR is the procedure by which (he Soultivate new aod emerging technologies NIR it removed from actual wcapeam system devcaeectent to proovXe captorsloej research and lo eaaeourace aggressive testing free of military program deadlines and industrial resource commitments. When new loehciiou, it proved in MIR and demoiunaied at producible, il Is available forjasexn weapons lystcm developmenl (see
Soviei directions in WIG research began lo take shape ineiodyoaniit modelina and mrficeitalics on different WKi bulls were conducted during they aviatiou-eelatod research centers aad naval teacaeiae icseaich ieasti-tuieshe WIG protect had rnoved into Ibc final phase of NIR (appliedhere the most premising system concepts were developed and lested.
Alekseyev. chief
designer at Ihe CciiiTbT Design Bureau for Hydrofoil Ships, designed piloted subseale WIGs and tested themublic reservoir in Gor'kiy ii C
"ere
assembled ai ibe design bureau io demonstrate the feasibility ofefTecis in flying heavy caieo at high speeds, jusiheurface.
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More than IS years of scientific researchand eipcrimenial design work were needed In produce the first WIG for lhc SovieiMuch ol that timeconsumed in building and dying WIGs toechnology level luihcicni to support weaponsf_
Tccliriology Bate
We have learned by reconstructing the hittory of ihe Soviet WIG program that scientific research work
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^uus lesttenoca Monster In theasone-ofe kind fuTI-tcalc, tipcrimcnul research vehicle for it least Iycati before it embed in the Caspian Seabet ween0 endbis WIG. first seen on satellite photography ofu built inGoctiy arid transferred in pieces by barge via tbe Volga River to tbe Caspian"
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Dutll sorelycsi fuoasternoiics and components fnr WIGs that were lo be produced serially for the Soviet
in testint and production (lowed consider ably4 because of faulty components and subas-'scmbties and pilot ci roi/
System Deeelopoieeit
Sullicient progress in NIR testing bado per mil AleiJeycv to begindeveUipnvcnt of tlie Orlan andUtkn This is ilie stage in Sovieticallcd eiperimental design -ork.technology developmenl is halied OKR.
designs aie hualiccd. osiiiractt an let for com pone nt| <
production, aiil prototypes Hr assembled for ICSiing
and produciion. Prototype* in the Ministry ofIndustry (unlike vn the iiinn*ir-ci fivand giound forces)considered lead units ofap! ^pasyslcm classes and aie almost always rttplpycd
Oila* Oryilaftrn Aboui four yeses were needed la design assemble ibe tint Orlan
innmf aboui
i wsis waa mm on diftVcni WIGat ike Central ScwnmV Re teaich laaiwoee of thearSasiey Swiss ihipSviMtngfarads ids OViasc thai all prditnmaiy designs generatedlha draft duign phase of OKR be model tested by ibe institute
3
(like Ofttvpme't Wc are not sure -hentfhnoloev developmenthenns syslem development beganikaystems developmenl wilb the.Orlan_
would have eipcetedlls' to lnvc ucrii (null sometime during theiih technology comparable to thatl OrlanC
3.
Normally aboutoears aie needed to deveki new classes of naval weapons systems like the Uikj Out. if pioulemspoor flighti performance and pilot trior thai prolonged Or Uii class teaiincbe moret
Oultook
brdicve (hat the Soviets intend to deploy the Orlan aad Ibe Utka lo (heir Baltic. Northern. Pacific, and Black Seanitial riepseyrneot could box in in the earlyy tbe. rw or three Utkai and torlan* ondd be assigned to tact Seel. Wc espect ibe Black Sea and Baltic Reel* lo receive mote Orlant lhan lhc other fleets because their arena of ope ration areo include more amphibious asm tilts than the Pacific and Northern Fleet/ w
We are not rntrc hcrar rapidly the Or baa and Uikn* ill be deployed to the fourG rrabasseenb-ia are barged from Gor"kry to (he Brett for bul aiaemNy <aa ihey arc bob to Knspiys* for the Caspian Seahe Soviet* probably intend lo ckepioy
4.
I
ew WIG* per year. Wc believe one Orlan and erne Utka, or twohree units of the tame WIG class, can be deployedear using this procedure. If bigber numbers of WIGs are lo be deployed, for eiample threeach class, the Soviets will probablyacility larger than the one they use in Goraiy to prod ace the nbastsrmbliea la addiecause of tbe unique nature of WlOa. special basing facilities- such as floating diydocks- would beprior lo the deployment of WIGs to the fleet*.
The Sovieu may develop (heir WIGs as platforms Tot antuubasarine warfare (ASW) operations. WIGt can dash io an ASW prosecution area alunes (he ipeed of coorenlioonl ASW thins and loiter for hours before moving quickly to another area. ASW. equipped WIGs would be likely toariable depthowed cable sonar array and depth chartcs, or ASW missiles and torpedoej".
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In additionoastal defense, amphibious asaauli operations, ana ASW missions, Soviet WIGs could be used for otherinelaying WIG. for eiampie. could be develceied to carry aad emptace seat would operate ai several timet (he speed of ccetvealiona) Soviet mtnetaying ships WIGs could also be used at priority cargo carriers io build up stockpiles of equipment, ammunition, and fuel and as search and rescue platform:
Original document.
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