Russian ekranoplans

[lakeroadster]

Some renewed interest in this technology although I cannot find any real images of the actual proposed planes (just brief descriptions and artist renditions).

DARPA Awards Contracts for Long-Range ‘Liberty Lifter’ Flying Boat Design - USNI News

This post has been updated with additional contract information. The Pentagon’s emerging technologies research arm awarded two aviation companies contracts to develop seaplanes that would fly less than 100 feet off the ground and carry 90 tons of cargo more than 6,500 nautical miles, the...

news.usni.org

In the great beyond... Howard Hughes is smiling.

 

[rharshberger]

Yes its a thread necro, but the Boeing Pelican is a similar land based "aircraft".

 

[Rex R]

IIRC popular science mag featured one of those planes on a cover

 

[Voyhager3]

I should probably get around to building the one I designed almost 4 years ago to be R/C, I even had little hand-chucked versions. But I've also been saying that for 3 years now...