Chinese develop wave-hugging plane

The Coast Guard, border patrol, and savvy investors should be interested in this: Chinese scientists have developed a “wing-in-ground” (WIG) aircraft that can fly long distances at the height of but a few metres above the sea surface. The plane can fly as low as half a meter from the ground, reaching speeds of up to 180 miles per hour while carrying up to four tons on takeoff.

WIG aircraft exploit a phenomenon known as the “ground effect”, which occurs as a plane flies close to the ground. At a height roughly equivalent to twice the plane’s wingspan, trailing wing vortices that cause drag are disrupted by the ground. This allows the aircraft to travel much more quickly through the air and increases the lift experienced. The plane is as safe as a ship, although much faster, according to the research team which developed the plane at Tongji University in Shanghai. The China Daily reports that the Tongji University plane consumes one third as much fuel as standard planes of the same size, by harnessing the ground effect. Tongji University plans to develop a 50-seat WIG by 2013, with prototypes capable of carrying 200 to 400 tons scheduled for 2016 or 2017. Such planes could be flown for military purposes, including border control.

You may recall that during the cold war, the Russian military also developed a giant WIG plane known as Ekranoplan. It was about 100 metres long and could carry 540 tons at 250 mph.