# Ekranoplan (DD-704) > The Project 903 Lun was a Soviet wing-in-ground-effect craft from Rostislav Alexeyev's design bureau, built as a fast anti-ship missile carrier. Only one, MD-160, was completed. It was about 73.8 m long with a 44 m wingspan, weighed about 380 tonnes at takeoff, and carried six P-270 Moskit (SS-N-22) anti-ship missiles in pairs on its back. Eight Kuznetsov NK-87 turbofans on forward pylons blew air under the wings for takeoff. Published maximum speeds are about 500 to 550 km/h (about 310 to 340 mph). A CIA assessment quoted by The Aviationist gave about 250 knots. It entered trial service in the late 1980s or 1990, sources vary, and sat unused at Kaspiysk from the late 1990s. On July 31, 2020, it was towed to Derbent, Dagestan, for a planned Patriot Park display. - Department: Military (also Tech, History) - First published: 2026-03-04 - Last updated: 2026-03-04 - Permalink: https://detailenjoyer.com/case/ekranoplan/ - Author: Marcus Easterling (DetailEnjoyer), The Detail Department ## On the timeline - **July 31, 2020**: MD-160 is towed from Kaspiysk to Derbent, Dagestan, for display Full timeline: https://detailenjoyer.com/timeline/?case=ekranoplan ## Quick facts - **DD-704-F01**: Only one Lun-class ekranoplan, MD-160, was completed. _(Write-up · Exhibit D (One of a kind))_ - **DD-704-F02**: It carried six P-270 Moskit anti-ship missiles. _(Write-up · Exhibit C (Engines and weapons))_ ## Write-up Too low to be a plane. The Soviet Lun skimmed meters above the Caspian Sea. 1. **Ground effect**: Flying within a fraction of its wingspan of the surface traps a cushion of air under the wing, which raises lift and cuts induced drag. The Lun cruised a few meters above the water. 2. **The machine**: MD-160 was about 73.8 m long with a 44 m wingspan and a takeoff mass of about 380 tonnes, crewed by about 10 people (Russian sources). 3. **Engines and weapons**: Eight NK-87 turbofans on forward pylons, rated at about 127 kN each, blew air under the wings for takeoff. Six P-270 Moskit anti-ship missiles sat in pairs on top of the fuselage. 4. **One of a kind**: Eight were planned. Only MD-160 was completed, and work stopped after the Soviet collapse. It went into trial service and was laid up at Kaspiysk from the late 1990s. 5. **To the beach**: On July 31, 2020, tugs towed the non-operational craft 14 hours to Derbent, Dagestan, for display at a planned Patriot Park. ## Related case files - [XB-70 Valkyrie (DD-048)](https://detailenjoyer.com/case/xb-70-valkyrie/): Another Cold War design built for extreme performance, with few completed - [USS Gerald R. Ford (DD-710)](https://detailenjoyer.com/case/uss-gerald-r-ford/): Another case about warships at sea - [Flying Bike (DD-584)](https://detailenjoyer.com/case/flying-bike/): I think of it as another strange military craft from the same era ## Reel vs. record - **Speed**: published top speeds are about 500 to 550 km/h (about 310 to 340 mph). A CIA assessment gave about 250 knots (about 290 mph), so 'around 300 mph' is a cruise-range figure. - **Engine placement**: the eight NK-87 turbofans sit on forward pylons or canards beside the nose, angled to blow air under the wings for takeoff. - **Missing armament**: it was a missile carrier, with six P-270 Moskit (SS-N-22) anti-ship missiles in pairs on its back. - **Missing context**: only one, MD-160, was completed out of eight planned. It has been on a beach at Derbent, Dagestan, since being towed there on July 31, 2020. - **Radar claim**: flying low keeps it below a ship's radar horizon for longer, but it isn't stealthy. A craft that big is easy to detect once it's in line of sight. ## Video: Ekranoplan: Too Low to Be a Plane - Duration: 23.2 s · Published: 2026-03-04 - File: https://detailenjoyer.com/assets/videos/DVevLfVESj1.mp4 ### Transcript DID YOU KNOW? The Lun-class ekranoplan was a Soviet ground-effect vehicle developed during the Cold War, designed to fly just meters above the surface of the sea by exploiting the aerodynamic "ground effect" that boosts lift and reduces drag. Powered by eight turbofan engines mounted on its nose, the Lun could reach speeds of around 300 mph while skimming over water, making it faster than ships and harder to detect by radar. ## Questions & answers **Q: What effect lets an ekranoplan fly so efficiently?** A: A cushion of air between the wing and the surface. _(Source: Write-up · Exhibit A (Ground effect) · The War Zone (2020): The only missile-toting ekranoplan Russia ever built just took its last trip on the Caspian; RIA Novosti (2021): How the fate of the 'Lun' ekranoplan turned out (Russian))_ **Q: How many Lun-class craft were completed?** A: Only MD-160. _(Source: Write-up · Exhibit D (One of a kind) · The War Zone (2020): The only missile-toting ekranoplan Russia ever built just took its last trip on the Caspian; RIA Novosti (2021): How the fate of the 'Lun' ekranoplan turned out (Russian); Rossiyskaya Gazeta (Aug 24, 2020): Ekranoplan 'Lun' delivered to Patriot park in Derbent (Russian))_ **Q: What weapons did it carry?** A: Six P-270 Moskit missiles. _(Source: Write-up · Exhibit C (Engines and weapons) · The War Zone (2020): The only missile-toting ekranoplan Russia ever built just took its last trip on the Caspian; The Aviationist (2020): Incredible shots of Russia's sole completed Lun-class ekranoplan)_ **Q: How many engines did it have?** A: Eight NK-87 turbofans. _(Source: Write-up · Exhibit C (Engines and weapons) · The War Zone (2020): The only missile-toting ekranoplan Russia ever built just took its last trip on the Caspian; The Aviationist (2020): Incredible shots of Russia's sole completed Lun-class ekranoplan)_ **Q: Where was it towed in 2020?** A: To Derbent, for a planned park display. _(Source: Write-up · Exhibit E (To the beach) · The War Zone (2020): The only missile-toting ekranoplan Russia ever built just took its last trip on the Caspian; Rossiyskaya Gazeta (Aug 24, 2020): Ekranoplan 'Lun' delivered to Patriot park in Derbent (Russian))_ ## Sources - [The War Zone (2020): The only missile-toting ekranoplan Russia ever built just took its last trip on the Caspian](https://www.twz.com/35267/the-only-missile-toting-ekranoplan-russia-ever-built-just-took-its-last-trip-on-the-caspian) - [The Aviationist (2020): Incredible shots of Russia's sole completed Lun-class ekranoplan](https://theaviationist.com/2020/08/10/take-a-look-at-these-incredible-shots-of-the-russias-sole-completed-lun-class-ekranoplan/) - [Rossiyskaya Gazeta (Aug 24, 2020): Ekranoplan 'Lun' delivered to Patriot park in Derbent (Russian)](https://rg.ru/2020/08/24/reg-skfo/ekranoplan-lun-dostavlen-v-park-patriot-v-derbente.html) - [RIA Novosti (2021): How the fate of the 'Lun' ekranoplan turned out (Russian)](https://ria.ru/20210505/ekranoplan-1730641608.html) ## Cite this case file Easterling, Marcus. "Ekranoplan." The Detail Department (DetailEnjoyer), case file DD-704, last updated Mar 4, 2026. https://detailenjoyer.com/case/ekranoplan/