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China's Mystery Sea-Skimmer Spotted
20 Mar
Summary
- A radar-evading ekranoplan vehicle was seen at Nanshan Port on Hainan Island.
- The craft exploits ground effect for high-speed water skimming.
- Such vehicles could rapidly transport troops during amphibious operations.
A potential new military development has emerged in China with the sighting of a radar-evading craft at Nanshan Port on Hainan Island. Satellite imagery revealed a gray, T-tail vehicle with four engines, strongly suggesting an experimental military aircraft rather than a civilian one.
The design closely resembles an ekranoplan, a Soviet-era vehicle that skims over water at high speeds by exploiting ground effect. This aerodynamic principle increases lift by compressing air between the wings and the surface below.
Military analysts believe such craft could be invaluable for rapidly transporting troops and cargo during amphibious operations, particularly across the Taiwan Strait. The People's Liberation Army may be testing underwater drones from this port as well.
While China has developed smaller ground-effect vehicles for commercial and patrol use, this appears to be a more advanced, military-oriented project. The US had a similar program, Liberty Lifter, launched in 2022, but shelved it last year without fielding an operational ekranoplan.
Despite potential advantages, experts note that challenges in rough sea operations, which plagued Soviet ekranoplans, might limit the large-scale production of the Chinese version. However, the craft's design suggests it may be optimized to overcome some of these issues.
