Ground Effect Vehicle

Hovering uncannily close to the waves, the Airfish-8 carves its way over water three times quicker than a boat, and 2.3 times more efficiently than an aircraft. Singapore's ST Engineering has announced its first orders, set to enter service in 2025.

Things can get ugly and inefficient when a ground effect vehicle accidentally skims the water, adding significant drag that can drastically slow it down, wrench it sideways or just cost energy. One inventor is solving this problem with paddle wheels.

The remarkable Seaglider promises a clean revolution in coastal transport; the convenience of an electric boat meets the speed and comfort of an aircraft, at unparalleled efficiency and range thanks to hydrofoils and the wing-in-ground effect.

Regent has released video of its remarkable Seaglider prototype in flight testing. The first machine to combine the efficiency advantages of ground effect and hydrofoiling in a single design, it promises revolutionary speed and range in coastal areas.

DARPA has launched a new "Liberty Lifter" program to design, build and test a highly-efficient wing-in-ground effect aircraft for transporting "very large, heavy loads" over long distances without runways. Prototypes could fly as early as 2027.

Boston-based company Regent has taken US$465 million in pre-orders for its super-fast electric "Seaglider." Using the wing-in-ground effect, this 180-mph beast promises twice the range of an electric aircraft, and a revolution in coastal transport.

Russia has a long history of experimenting with wing-in-ground-effect (WIG) vehicles, most notably the huge ekranoplans dating back to the 1960s. Now, Russian scientists are developing a smaller unmanned WIG, that's solar-powered.

A Singaporean company is resurrecting a post-WW2 German design to commercialize a beautiful reverse-delta ground effect vehicle as a high-speed, high-efficiency ferry for 6-8 passengers. The Airfish 8 hovers serenely between 2 and 23 feet over the water and hits speeds of almost 120 mph.

Russia's TsAGI is developing a new blended-wing heavy transport aircraft that is designed to carry up to 500 tonnes (492 tons) of cargo, yet only reaches an altitude of between three and 12 m (10 and 40 ft) over water and land.

February 22, 2007 Recreational vehicles will come in many different forms in the future as a raft of developing enabling technologies spawn new categories of t