File this under Hopefully Shelved Tech, and turn up the volume as you bask in Cold War aviation ideas.
During the Cold War, ekranoplans (Russian: экранопла́н, literally “screen plane”) were sighted for years on the Caspian Sea as huge, fast-moving objects. The name Caspian Sea Monster was given by US intelligence operatives who had spotted the huge vehicle, which looked like an airplane with the outer halves of the wings removed. After the end of the Cold War, the “monster” was revealed to be one of several Soviet military designs meant to fly only a few meters above water, saving energy and staying below enemy radar.
Seriously, the soundtrack is awesome. And the plane at the end seems to be smirking.
Good call Johnnycat; it really does look like it’s smirking at the end. Nice blog, keep up the good work.