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[Maggarg - Eater of chicke]

Well, no. But really, I'd much prefer something that wouldn't make an uninhabitable wasteland for several miles around any place it crashed at. Especially if I was ever going to pilot one.

The terrible danger is half the fun!

[ILikePie]

You can scare the shit out of people if you fly past them. I don't know about you, but it's good enough of a reason for me to spend (a very large number) of rubles on it.

Buy one? Yes. But what use does it have in the military, it looks like a huge speed boat with two or three guns and some missiles.

[Il Palazzo]

Well, it's faster than any boat, and heavier than any plane could be. Not good enough?

[Virex]

What's the point though? Except as a precision-guided dirty bomb? I'd much prefer a fusion-powered Ekranoplan.

Good luck flying an ekranoplan the size of a city block

[Sean Mirrsen]

You can scare the shit out of people if you fly past them. I don't know about you, but it's good enough of a reason for me to spend (a very large number) of rubles on it.

Buy one? Yes. But what use does it have in the military, it looks like a huge speed boat with two or three guns and some missiles.

I think I outlined the chief benefits of using an ekranoplan. As a super-speedboat, it produces very little noise (the Caspian Sea Monster's eight engines are only used on takeoff, it uses just two or four in normal flight), is obviously very fast, does not trigger minefields, doesn't easily show up on the radar, and still has enough lifting force and carrying capacity to either drop off a sizeable strike team (with tanks) or simply pack a good punch with a cluster of anti-surface missiles. Basically, it can operate as any frigate or missile cruiser - while travelling at 500 kph and not caring about such trivial things as reefs or shallow waters/flat islands. It still can cross land, especially if it's a type B like the Orlyonok (The Lun is a type A, unfortunately) - the same limits apply to normal hovercraft. But if hovercraft WILL be stopped by any construction over a meter or two high, ekranoplans can clear ten to twenty meters at speed, even the Type A ones.

(to clarify - Type A is a strictly surface-bound craft with no ability to change altitude, Type B is a "jumper" that can temporarily lift off but cannot fly by itself, and Type C is just a plane that's also an ekranoplan)

And, btw -

Soviet Hrenot'en would beat both Obyekt and Thingie:)

QFT. I'd sig it, but I need everything I got there.

[Zironic]

Holy shit. Crazy awesome.

I guess Russia's finally found a way to fight America. By being far more awesome than it.

Yes, Because it's not we don't have 12 aircraft carriers, which have a support fleet of over 24 ships each... oh wait we do. I used to think America was this poor little weak country that I lived in. Then I found out we pretty much have the most powerful navy in the world, with no close rivals. While they skim the water with some large airplanes, We have 12 boats, each so incredibly powerful and expensive most countries that have a navy and can afford to make them, could only maintain one, full of extremely powerful aircraft with smart missiles, smart bombs, advanced IFF programs, and these boats are covered with some of the most effective anti-missile technologies. If anything, Russia can be awesome, but in world politics everyone is yelling America is imba/OP.

[Dwarf]

Bah. Army supportist capitalistic christian conservative imperialistic American!

No, really. American technology is so high-tech, it's lame, really. Unspectacular. Killing well outside of sight range.

However, Russian technology is full of adventure and surprise. I mean, did the USA ever construct a flying artillery base?

[Phantom]

However, Russian technology is full of adventure and surprise. I mean, did the USA ever construct a flying artillery base?

AC-130 Gunship.

And Russia was the country begging america and britain for shit during WW2! Except tanks, they didn't need more tanks.

[Cthulhu]

Bah. Army supportist capitalistic christian conservative imperialistic American!

No, really. American technology is so high-tech, it's lame, really. Unspectacular. Killing well outside of sight range.

However, Russian technology is full of adventure and surprise. I mean, did the USA ever construct a flying artillery base?

There's nothing lame about killing well outside of sight range.  If I ever get drafted I'm going to pray for the Navy or Air Force.

Funny story, two of my dad's friends joined the Army during Vietnam.  They both joined the Navy thinking it'd be a cushy job and they'd be avoiding the risk of getting drafted as a marine or something almost certain to get killed.  One spent the war on a naval base putting together big metal things, and the other ended up a search and rescue paratrooper.  Whoops.

[Zironic]

I am not a super religious christian fundamentalist nazi freak. Pretty much only 10% of Americans are. Most of us just want to drink our coffee and watch Lost on TV.

The reason why American's have very little interesting/adventurous technology - is the amount of money that is spent in research and upgrading current technologies. We'd rather find and solve weakness in our vessels and design new ships to account for these and future weaknesses, than just try to create extremely experimental and ineffective craft. Now what is really going to freak you out, is every new naval vessel of a new design (So the new supercarrier design or the new destroyer design, both of which are being built) has a focus on being able to integrate electric weaponry -rail guns and free electron lasers. That's right, while soviets may be chargin' with low flying missile launchers, we'll be chargin' our lasers. If that is not badass, I don't know what impress you guys. (Also, the rail launched by the rail gun would be heated to magma like temperatures!).

[Dwarf]

A rail gun does not launch rails. Although train rails are interesting ammunition.

You just responded too seriously to a humorous comment, IMO.

[Cthulhu]

Yeah, railguns are so hot they ignite the air.  How is your ridiculous one-of-a-kind waste of money skimmer going to deal with that?

It's kind of crazy though, how the Soviets worked.  You've got this marvel of engineering, a plane bigger than the Spruce Goose that skims over the water like a hovercraft, the only one of its kind in the entire world, and it's sitting in the middle of an abandoned industrial park, rusting away like an old car in a scrapyard.

[Zironic]

I'm just saying, I would not want to mess with the American Navy. And the AC-130 gunship scares me. A 105 howitzer, flying through the air, with all-light-level view finders. And apparently, Rail Guns can fire faster than any projectile gun (but it causes a ton of wear and tear)

[Dwarf]

Yeah, railguns are so hot they ignite the air.  How is your ridiculous one-of-a-kind waste of money skimmer going to deal with that?

They do, somehow. Money works wonders
I think I read something about swapping rails to prevent overheating, but whatever they're gonna do, they will be worn out fast.

EDIT: Zironic...

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Sorry, but in an awesomeness contest, massive grouped artillery > 105 mm howitzer. An AC-130, whilst having respectable destructive power, is not a flying artillery base.

[Zironic]

If you fire them constantly. The fact is, the rail gun can hit _moving_ targets, 5 meters in size, from miles away. You are only going to need maybe 2 shots.