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Originally Posted by Apex Chase
Great photos!
That is some really old Soviet tech right there. The idea is that it is part plane, part boat. You can move faster than the opposing naval forces. The Soviets intended to use it to move troops and equipment quickly and stealthily but I guess the Iranians think they are going to sink our navy in the Gulf with those things.
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I saw that on TV once. It was dubbed "The Caspian Sea Monster". Like you said, it was intended to be a big, fast transport. One other advantage that was touted was fuel economy. It might have been a good idea for WWII to avoid U-boats (Can anyone say "Spruce Goose"?), but even the Russians realized the vulnerabilities and scrapped the project.
From what I see from the Iranians: Since this design looks unlikely to be capable of carrying any weapons systems, I think the higher ups are thinking of the "Kamakaze" potential of these things to skim across the water loaded with explosives, and ram ships. Considering our ships are armed with Phalanx systems that can nail an incoming object the size of a fence post end-on, moving at supersonic speed; I don't think these throw-backs to the twenties will be much of a challenge. At best they will provide an entertaining fireworks show for our sailors.
"Ooooooh"