US EditionIs It a Ship or a Plane? China’s New Military Craft May Be Both
BOHAI SEA, CHINA, JUL 9 – China's new ekranoplan aims to enhance rapid troop deployment and naval logistics, reflecting a growing maritime military buildup amid regional tensions, experts say.
- In June 2025, new images of a large Chinese wing-in-ground-effect aircraft, dubbed the Bohai Sea Monster, appeared near the Bohai Sea.
- This development builds on China’s early 2000s start in sea skimmer prototypes and aligns with its use of Russian ekranoplan expertise and revival of Soviet-era concepts.
- The aircraft measures about 92 meters long, weighs up to 544 tonnes, features four engines above its wings, and uses low-altitude ground effect to evade radar.
- Experts note the Bohai Sea Monster could provide low-cost, fast cargo and logistics support over calm coastal waters but has manoeuvrability limits and poor performance in rough seas.
- The craft signals China’s effort to extend maritime reach near Taiwan and the South China Sea, possibly complementing its naval expansion amid rising regional tensions.
18 Articles
18 Articles
Is it a ship or a plane? China’s new military craft may be both
New images circulating on Chinese social media appearing to show a previously unseen wing-in-ground-effect aircraft are raising the eyebrows of military analysts. They speculate that Beijing may be reviving Soviet-era ekranoplan technology abandoned during the Cold War. Such an aircraft flies just above the water’s surface by trapping air between its wings and the sea. It can travel faster and carry heavier loads than conventional planes, and i…
The Asian country has developed a new ekranoplane air vehicle, which flies at sea using the "ground effect", so it does not need ports or airfields.
NewScientist
Anti-Aging, Acupuncture and Health NewsWhy bizarre Cold War hoverboats are making a comeback
Sea-skimming crafts – which fly just above the water – were once considered Cold War relics of a failed Soviet experiment. Now, China and the US are resurrecting the technology as a possible Pacific conflict looms
Ekranoplan Reborn? China, US Revive Soviet Cold War Vessel
China is reviving an ekranoplan design dubbed the "Bohai Sea Monster," echoing the Soviet "Caspian Sea Monster", a vessel that skims the sea at jet-like speeds. Meanwhile, the U.S. has experimented with own version, the Liberty Lifter.
It’s a ship, it’s a plane… Is China using Soviet technology to build a flying boat?
China has purportedly built a huge flying ship, dubbed the ‘Bohai Sea Monster’. Using a design by the Soviets during the Cold War, this ekranoplan, or wing-in-ground effect craft, has been captured on camera for the first time. But how does it work?
On Chinese social media appeared the photo of a mysterious ekranoplano, that is of a special plane at very low altitude that combines the characteristics of ships, aircraft and hovercraft in a single medium
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