secret armament

[Blackdog_kt]

Depending on design limitations and environment, ekranoplans could be used not only on water but also on ground, like a hovercraft. Of course you'd need relatively flat ground that lacks high rock formations or high vegetation, but maybe it would work in the Russian steppes and tundras, or as a fast transport in the arctic regions where a lot of water is frozen for a lot of time during each year.

I read on a local military affairs magazine that Russia is thinking of getting new ekranoplans around 2012.
The interesting thing is that some of the newly proposed designs are not strictly ground effect vehicles but also have normal wings, in order to allow them to transition to normal flight for short periods of time for clearing obstacles.