It all started with a serie of designs labeled SM-1 (1957) to SM-8 (1967). SM stands for Samorodnaya Model. All were jet powerd, except the SM-6 which also had a huge turbo-prop at the top of the rudder. SM-1 and SM-2 had very high take off speed. SM-3 used very very short span (Aspect ratio was 0,48) and used as first Power Augmentation Ram. This system blow jet air under the wings, so the pressure between the wing and water became higher. It resulted in a take off speed which was much lower the the previous two designs.
SM-4, SM-5, SM-2P7 and SM-8 used some kind of support in front of the wing to house the jets for the Power Augmentation Ram. The jets had nozzles which were adjustable, so they could direct the jet air under the wing at take off to decrease the take off speed.
There was a accident with the SM-5. It was a pilot error. The pilot was used to fly normal jets. His reaction to the situation in that flight was typical for a normal jet, but ... the needed reactions in a WIG are different. The WIG rised above the ground effect zone and totally lost stability. This type of accidents happened in other WIGs from other countries too. WIG pilots need to be trained to use a WIG.
The name Caspian Sea Monster came with the discovery of the KM (Korabl Maket which means "prototype ship") which had a short stubby wing and jets with adjustable nozzles on a support in front high of the wing just like the SM-series. The KM was being tested at the same time as the SM-8.
One version which is a bit different to the previous but similar to the SM-6 was the A-90 Orlenok. It had too a prop at the top of the rudder. Two large jets blow their air under the wing during the take off. Be aware that this vehicle could land on the shores to drop tanks and so on the shores.
But i am sure that the most feared ekranoplan is the Lun. It carried nucleair rockets on its top. Sure to get the attention of the USA as it could travel at high speed UNDER the radar.
Discussions on HomebuiltAirplanes forum about Russian Ekranoplans
In my favorite airplane forum HomebuiltAirplanes the following discussion canbe found:
Writer has profile name "EKRANOPLAN". He reacts to a qoute by Orion, who said: "Actually none have any real domonstratable functionality." and "Pretty much every Russian WIG has crashed and has within the last decade been proven unstable and poor in function."
Ekranoplan writes as a response: "This is not true, they all had success, only drawback was lack of funding, as I will explain later." and "Not every one crashed, and reason was not in WIG concept, rather in human errors and continuosly smaller budget for program.
All are landed and rotting only because then Soviet, and now Russian government, gave up from Ekranoplan program, and instead invested all money from Ekranoplan program, to nuclear submarine program. I have to add that, Hruščov's successor, Brežnjev, wasn't interested in program at all. So, as you see, Russian Ekranoplan program was placed a side only because of politics, and in early 1990's major political changes in ex USSR, now Russia."
All are landed and rotting only because then Soviet, and now Russian government, gave up from Ekranoplan program, and instead invested all money from Ekranoplan program, to nuclear submarine program. I have to add that, Hruščov's successor, Brežnjev, wasn't interested in program at all. So, as you see, Russian Ekranoplan program was placed a side only because of politics, and in early 1990's major political changes in ex USSR, now Russia."
A very THICK book about Ekranoplans
If you want to read a lot about these ekranoplans, go to this link. It shares a complete book about Ekranoplans.