The KM (Korabl Maket) (Russian: Корабль-макет, literally “Ship-prototype”), known colloquially as the Caspian Sea Monster, was an experimental ground effect vehicle (ekranoplan) developed in the Soviet Union in the 1960s by the Central Hydrofoil Design Bureau. The KM began operation in 1966, becoming the largest and heaviest aircraft in the world, and was continuously tested by the Soviet Navy until 1980, when it was damaged in a testing accident and sank in the Caspian Sea.
The KM (Korabl Maket) (Russian: Корабль-макет, literally “Ship-prototype”), known colloquially as the Caspian Sea Monster, was an experimental ground effect vehicle (ekranoplan) developed in the Soviet Union in the 1960s by the Central Hydrofoil Design Bureau. The KM began operation in 1966, becoming the largest and heaviest aircraft in the world, and was continuously tested by the Soviet Navy until 1980, when it was damaged in a testing accident and sank in the Caspian Sea.
