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Soviet and Russian Ekranoplans Hardcover – November 4, 2010

by Yefim Gordon (Author), Sergey Komissarov (Author)
4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 19 ratings
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Soviet and Russian Ekranoplans is a thoroughly revised and expanded version of Sergey Komissarov€™s book Red Star: Russia€™s Ekranoplans published over 10 years ago. In the years that have elapsed since then new developments have taken place in this field both in Russia and in other countries. New projects have emerged; some of them have been built and tested in prototype form, while others represent prospective studies awaiting their implementation. The book will take into account these new projects, as well as provide new information of historical character that has become available in the recent years. The book presents a brief outline of the basic concept of wing-in-ground effect (WIG) vehicles, or ekranoplans, followed by a short review of the development of this concept from theory to viable technical solutions. The major part of the book will be devoted to the type-by-type description of specific designs of ekranoplans developed in the Soviet Union and present-day R
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Previous page
  1. Print length
    336 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Crecy Publishing
  4. Publication date
    November 4, 2010
  5. Dimensions
    8.75 x 0.88 x 11.4 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    1857803329
  7. ISBN-13
    978-1857803327
  8. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"Doctor’s orders: pull out this excellent book at least once a week and marvel at what all is possible. And say “Ekranoplan” a few times in a row!" (Sabu Advani SpeedReaders.info 2015-02-02)

About the Author

Yefim Gordon is one of Russia's leading aviation writers and publishers. He is the author of many books on Soviet aviation and currently lives in Moscow.

In 1956 Sergey Komissarov started collecting photographs and books on the history of Soviet aviation, accumulating a considerable archive. In retirement, he devoted himself entirely to his hobby and embarked on the career of an aviation journalist. At present he is Deputy Chief Editor of the Moscow-based Krylya Rodiny (Wings of Motherland) magazine. He has published a number of articles on the history of Yakovlev aircraft, notably the Yak-18, Yak-11, Yak-12, Yak-23 and Yak-40. He is also the author or (mostly) co-author of a dozen of books on the history of Soviet aviation, published in English, in cooperation with Yefim Gordon and Dmitriy Komissarov.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Crecy Publishing (November 4, 2010)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 336 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1857803329
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1857803327
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 3.6 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 8.75 x 0.88 x 11.4 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 19 ratings

Customer reviews

4.7 out of 5 stars
4.7 out of 5
19 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

JCAL
5.0 out of 5 stars Fills a Gap in Soviet and Russian Aviation History
Reviewed in the United States on December 18, 2011
Verified Purchase
Well illustrated and written, Yefim Gordon and Sergey Komissarov are two authors that I will purchase sight unseen.
As more Soviet and Russian aviation histories are published, I hope they will meet the standards of Soviet & Russian Ekranoplans and the other titles they have authored.

As DoD looks at Sea-Basing, I can wish they would open the pages of this book for inspiration.

Highly recommended as an introduction to a species of aircraft that is almost completely unknown within the US.
5 people found this helpful
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kcfiddler
5.0 out of 5 stars AIRPLANES
Reviewed in the United States on November 10, 2011
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This review is for "Amazon," and the service we receive. We shop and purchase fequently, and are completely satisfied with your promptness and care of service.
One critique: Since we ask you to ship to a couple of different addresses, it would be good if you would make our history of shippiing address available for our selection available from your "One Step Purchase" option.

Thanks for your good service.

Marvin Bredemeier
Fiddler@prodigy.net
One person found this helpful
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Carsten Breiting
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent
Reviewed in the United States on December 8, 2012
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The detailed development history and all the fine 3 site drawings. A must for aviation entusiasts and modellers as well.
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Christopher Garcia
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United States on October 5, 2015
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The most complete book on ekranoplans
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Stone Dog
3.0 out of 5 stars The Ekranoplan: aircraft or ship?
Reviewed in the United States on April 21, 2012
Verified Purchase
The Ekranoplan (or, Wing-In-Ground-Effect craft) is neither fish not fowl, as they say. This volume focuses on this little-known technology of WIG craft which uses the cushion of air when flying at low altitudes to cancel out drag, theoretically at least making them more efficient than conventional aircraft.

The authors spend some time explaining the concept of WIG craft as well as spotlighting Rostislav Alekseyev, perhaps the foremost designer of this type of craft. The book duly spends some time on the developmental history of Soviet ekranoplans and their subsequent development in larger and larger craft - culminating in the KM - the infamous "Caspian Sea Monster".

There are chapters on experimental designs and prototypes as well as enthusiast designed and built craft.

The problem, for me, was that I bought this book to learn more about the largest and most well-known of these craft - the KM - and it got all of 10 of 336 pages. Something over a football-field long and skims over the waves at 300 mph get 10 pages?

The book is very well illustrated. It is a little light on text and almost falls in the catagory of "coffee table book".

There are good things about the book such as it's ability to introduce the reader to the concept of WIG and a little of its history as a technology, but the last half of the book seemed more like "filler" to me.

A so-so book and gets three stars.
4 people found this helpful
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richard koehnen
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United States on December 25, 2014
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as advertised, on time
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Vahe Demirjian
5.0 out of 5 stars A well-detailed and illustrated book on ekranoplans
Reviewed in the United States on April 22, 2018
The authors did an awesome describing and illustrating ground effect craft (known in Russia as ekranoplans) built in the former Soviet Union, providing 3-dimensional drawings of certain ekranoplans. As highlighted in this book, Rotislav Alekseev was certainly the crown prince of ekranoplan technology, having improvised on his hovercraft by combining the strengths of a plane with the strengths of a ship to create an unorthodox vehicle that could fly over water and sea on a cushion of air, as exemplified by the KM (Caspian Sea Monster), Lun, Orlyonok, and pocket-sized Volga-class ekranoplans. However, it is also noteworthy that the Beriev Design Bureau, but also the Italian-born aircraft designer Roberto Bartini got involved in design and construction of ekranoplans for purposes like anti-submarine warfare, passenger transport, and freight; the VVA-14 represented Bartini's effort to build a flying battleship to deter ballistic missile submarines, and the Be-750, Be-1200, Be-2500, and Be-5000 embody the potential of ekranoplans to be used for carrying oversized loads over water like conventional cargo ships. It's also ironic that Sukhoi entered the ekranoplan field with designs for passenger ekranoplans, like the twin-fuselage S-90-200. Although Russia has been at the forefront of ekranoplan development for decades, other countries have designed and built ekranoplans, including Germany, China, and the US.
One person found this helpful
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anonymous
5.0 out of 5 stars Nice review of ekranoplans
Reviewed in the United States on April 22, 2011
I recieved this book just today so I would not comment much on the details of the book. I will however, provide some first impressions here.

Af first glance, this is a fairly colorful mid sized book (bright red hardcover no less!). Having read other Gordon's books (OKB Sukhoi, Mig etc), this books 'feels' a little different from his typical stoic style. The chapters are more colorful, with plenty of good quality color photos and drawings mixed with B&W ones. Photos and drawings are pretty high quality, there are also quite a few concept art and some cutaways. Technical descriptions are available in small tables.

Chapters are organized by designer/bureau: Aleksayev, Bartini, Beriyev, Sukhoi, Enthusiast, Free enterprises and ekranoplans outside Russia. I did not count, but from the pictures it appears the number of designs covered are in the 50 design range. Descriptions of each machine is relatively short, typical pages has two or three pictures and a third text. In a roughly 330 page book, this translates to about 10-20 pages for a major design and about half a page for those on the drawing board. This might not be the fault of the writers as information on these machines are hard to come by.

Overall, I think this is a good book for those interested in WIG aircraft and their general history and development. There are a lot of excellent pictures and sufficient descriptions to satisfy most readers. The price at $35 is a little on the high side though.

4 to 4.5 stars.
8 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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No BS
5.0 out of 5 stars Great book for a very peculiar subject
Reviewed in Canada on June 3, 2014
Verified Purchase
I bought this book to have a broad knowledge of the WIG craft development.

It shows very detailed information and tributes to the long research (multiple editions of the authors).

The book came in great condition.

Considering the amount of information and quality of the work, the book is a bargain. A must for enthusiasts of specialized and unusual aircraft.
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redcarracer
5.0 out of 5 stars Biography of "The Caspian Sea Monster"
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 26, 2011
Verified Purchase
My interest in Ekranoplan's started in 1998 when Channel 4 first broadcast "Equinox: Ekranoplan". The short film and accompanying book (ISBN: 1851442243) was the first time I and probably everyone else had ever heard of these strange planes. Their nickname, 'Caspian Sea Monster' further added to the mystery.

There are not many publications around on this subject. So although there is no competition the authors have not allowed this to effect the end result, which is a comprehensive and well researched book.

Worth every penny of the asking price.
5 people found this helpful
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JH
5.0 out of 5 stars Ekranoplans
Reviewed in France on June 26, 2011
Verified Purchase
Cet ouvrage fait le tour d'un sujet méconnu, les Ekranoplans ou avions utilisant l'effet de sol. Yefim Gordon et Sergei Komissarov font le tour du sujet : histoire, développement et projets. Ce livre est la référence en la matière sur un sujet lisssé de coté par les experts. La richesse de l'iconographie est à la hauteurs des attentes du lecteur. Les aspects prototypes/essais/propestive sont très bien mis en avant.
4 people found this helpful
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nori
4.0 out of 5 stars 唯一無二の決定的資料
Reviewed in Japan on February 15, 2012
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ソ連崩壊前後の２０年ほど前、ＮＡＴＯ発表の簡単な想像図でイメージを膨らませていた自分には決定的と言ってもいいくらい資料性は高いです。但しエクラノプランについての書籍がこれくらいしか無いのも残念ですが…。写真も多く大満足、早く和訳版が出るといいですね。
後はこの資料を生かせるキットが出ることを切望します！
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Steve Tottle
5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating stuff!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 12, 2013
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This has to be one of the most fascinating books I have ever read on the subject of aviation. The concept behind these phenomenal craft was groundbreaking, and perhaps something that should be reconsidered.

The information is well researched, with lots of explanations and provenances for it. Masses of wonderful pictures also help convey how wonderful these beasties were.

I will leave it at that, and urge anyone who has the slightest interest in the unusual, to buy this book and indulge themselves!
3 people found this helpful
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