Spasatel ( "Rescuer", "Lifesaver", Project 9038) is a ground-effect vehicle, originally planned by the Soviet Ministry of Defense. The vehicle was intended to serve as the missile carrier of the project Lun-class ekranoplan, but was then converted into an ambulance craft. Following the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, construction was halted and the vehicle was never completed.
By 2018, Russia had revived the project, with plans to use it for search and rescue operations in the Arctic and Pacific, as well as cargo and troop delivery (up to 550 troops) to remote military bases.
Goals
A military advantage of ground-effect vehicles over
ships and
submarines was that they did not have draft during operation, and therefore could not be detected by
sonar and could not be hit by torpedoes. Advantages over
aircraft include operation at low
altitude, which makes
radar acquisition difficult, and a larger
payload. This was particularly interesting during the
Cold War as a way to inconspicuously and quickly transport many people or large cargo over long distances.
History
The
Spasatel was originally built as a second
Lun-class anti-ship missile-carrying ekranoplan. After the Soviet nuclear submarine
K-278 Komsomolets sank in 1989, killing 42 people, the
Spasatel was repurposed to be deployed in the maritime search and rescue mission, and seating for up to 500 passengers was planned.
[ Ekranoplane «Spasatel» presentation iiaat.guap.ru (English)]
After the disintegration of the Soviet Union, the project was cancelled for financial reasons. Military operations at sea were also greatly reduced, so the intended use became less important. The unfinished Spasatel is stored in an old industrial complex in Nizhny Novgorod as of 2020.
Potential resumption
According to press reports in December 2017, the development of the
Spasatel might be resumed, for use mainly in Arctic waters, with production beginning as early as 2025.
According to Russian media, , the project was included in the arms budget for the years 2018 to 2025.
See also
External links
