Ekranoplan

An ekranoplan is a type of vehicle that can fly but also glide just above the surface of the water. It is like a big airplane that is designed to glide on the water like a boat.

Imagine you have a toy airplane that you can toss across your bathtub. The airplane will glide a ways and then sink because it weighs too much for the water's surface tension to support it. An ekranoplan works kind of like that, but on a much larger scale.

The ekranoplan has big wings like an airplane but also uses the water to help support it. It gets its name from the Russian for 'screen plane,' as it uses the ground effect screen to provide lift. The 'screen' is the air trapped between the surface of the water and the wings of the ekranoplan. This helps reduce drag and provides lift, meaning that the ekranoplan can glide further and faster above the water than a regular boat.

These vehicles are often used for things like military operations or search and rescue, as they can quickly move over water without the need for runways like airplanes or the limitations of boats. They can go places where other vehicles might not be able to go, like very shallow waters, making them very useful in certain situations.

Overall, an ekranoplan is a type of vehicle that can fly, but also glide above the water like a boat, using the support of the water to help lift and move it forward.