Caspian Sea Monster
41°56′27″N 48°22′47″E / 41.9408511°N 48.3796207°E
| KM | |
|---|---|
| Artist's illustration of the KM | |
| General information | |
| Type | Prototype ekranoplan |
| National origin | Soviet Union |
| Manufacturer | Central Hydrofoil Design Bureau |
| Designer | |
| Status | Destroyed in 1980 |
| Primary user | Soviet Navy |
| Number built | 1 |
| History | |
| Manufactured | 1964–1966 |
| Introduction date | 1964 |
| First flight | October 16, 1966 |
The KM (Korabl Maket; Russian: Корабль-Макет, literally "Ship-maquette" or "Model-Ship"), known colloquially as the Caspian Sea Monster, was an experimental ground effect vehicle developed in the Soviet Union in the 1960s by the Central Hydrofoil Design Bureau. The KM began operation in 1966, and was continuously tested by the Soviet Navy until 1980 when it crashed into the Caspian Sea.
The KM was the largest and heaviest aircraft in the world from 1966 to 1988, and its surprise discovery by the United States and the subsequent attempts to determine its purpose became a distinctive event of espionage during the Cold War.