Spruce Goose rides again

[Dana381]

DARPA's revolutionary seaplane wants to change how the Pentagon hauls cargo - Breaking Defense

For it's Liberty Lifter project, the research agency is betting on a concept called the "wing-in-ground effect," an aerodynamic principle that's well-known but proven difficult to master, a DARPA official told Breaking Defense.

breakingdefense.com

So DARPA is trying to build a new plane to do what the Spruce Goose was built to do. History may not repeat itself but it sure rhymes.

 

[lenaitch]

I think what the article is referring to is the Soviet 'Ekranoplan'.

I wonder what kind of sea states a 'wings in ground effect' craft could handle and how much it would replace/compliment heavy lift aircraft in terms of strategic movement.

 

[kev994]

I think what the article is referring to is the Soviet 'Ekranoplan'.

I wonder what kind of sea states a 'wings in ground effect' craft could handle and how much it would replace/compliment heavy lift aircraft in terms of strategic movement.

The article said up to sea state 5

 

[daftandbarmy]

The article said up to sea state 5

Especially if it's 'uncrewed'

 

[Dana381]

I think what the article is referring to is the Soviet 'Ekranoplan'.

I wonder what kind of sea states a 'wings in ground effect' craft could handle and how much it would replace/compliment heavy lift aircraft in terms of strategic movement.

The article was talking about the soviet ground effect planes but DARPA's idea is more similar to the H-4 Hercules (Spruce Goose). The H-4 never flew out of ground effect and some people wonder if it could have when fully loaded.

The soviet Lun was a missiles truck and not a heavy transport like the H-4.