Alekseïev A-90 Orljonok: what if the Luftwaffe had taken over NVA Ekranoplanes?

[sletch]

Hi,

It is very difficult to find photos of the Germans A-90. That is the reason why I decided to build and to show one of them. I hope you will enjoy this "North sea monster"  












A bientot / Frederic

PS : You might think I stole dizzyfugu MiG 21 Subject ( http://www.whatifmodelers.com/index.php/topic,35764.0.html )... that's true  

[Gondor]

Sorry to be a bit of a JMN but the HEER is the German Army aviation where MARINE is the Naval aviation.

Great build otherwise 

Gondor

[Joe C-P]

I like this! Fine work, and a great imagination. 

[rickshaw]

Interesting.  Nicely done.  I wonder though, would you need markings under the wing?  Who'd see them, it flies so low!   

[nönöbär]

 
Cool idea and a unsual camo scheme for the Luftwaffe - but I like it.
Like Gondor said - "Marine" would have been better than "Heer", but when you look at todays Luftwaffe, there is not much left of the Marineflieger at all.

Would be intersting to see this thing in a North Sea storm in autumn or winter....

[NARSES2]

Would be intersting to see this thing in a North Sea storm in autumn or winter....

My thoughts as well. Great build though and I can just see her in the Baltic, especially in that colour scheme 

[sequoiaranger]

Definitely an eye-catcher!

[McColm]

Great paint scheme, I wonder if it will work on my 9 engined beast!! Great work.

[Rheged]

Would be interesting to see this thing in a North Sea storm in autumn or winter....

YES!!  I can just visualise it,returning to the Jade estuary with a  Marineflieger  Buccaneer  formating on each wing-tip.

[Old Wombat]

Interesting.  Nicely done.  I wonder though, would you need markings under the wing?  Who'd see them, it flies so low!   

Nervous sub drivers? ..........

[Dizzyfugu]

Interesting.  Nicely done.  I wonder though, would you need markings under the wing?  Who'd see them, it flies so low!  

The Russian Ekranoplanes actually can climb well high into the air - nor for long distances, but a kind of "dash and jump". The A-90 has a "service ceiling" of 3.000m!

Anyway, nice idea, even though I agree that "Marine" and the anchor emblem would have been more suitable than "Heer", which is really just Germany's ground force - could make sense if the A-90 was used as a troop transporter or for quick delivery of light vehicles, but it is a bit out of place.

The livery looks flashy, but is debatable - but that's personal taste. To me, it is too much SF, IMHO, a German vessel would either be all-grey (like a normal surface ship), or one of the final Marine aircraft patterns could have been used (e. g. from the Marine Tornados in RLM 7009, 6012 and 7021 or from the German Seakings, the so-called "Alberich" livery)? But it is a nice idea, and well executed.

I could also imagine that an A-90 in Swedish or Finnish markings (with a similar splinter pattern) would also look great and make even more sense from an operational point of view?

[rickshaw]

Interesting.  Nicely done.  I wonder though, would you need markings under the wing?  Who'd see them, it flies so low!   

Nervous sub drivers? ..........

They'd have to be quick, 'cause it would be past so damn fast! 

[ChernayaAkula]

Gorgeous build! 

I think having this one operated by the Heeresflieger (army aviation) is okay and could be quite plausible. It all depends on whose forces you want it to transport, as it's main mission would've probably been that of a fast transporter for infantry and light vehicles. That would tie in very well with the Heeresflieger's role of supporting "luftbewegliche Operationen" (airmobile operations). Any bigger infantry contingent would have to come from the Heer. In the days of the North Sea Monster, the Marine (navy) had no infantry that could've made use of such a transport. The Marineflieger's (naval aviation) biggest transport was the Percival Pembroke (taken out of service in the early 1970s). Since then, their biggest "transport" has been the Sea King.
If you want the Marine to have their own infantry ("marines" as in amphibious infantry), you could probably also do that. Such forces did exist on a really small scale and for short periods, but the Seebattalion (sea battalion) is slated to make a comeback, giving the Marine their own marines comparable to other nations' marine forces in terms of mission, but probably not in scale.
So, it's a bit of a toss-up. Both Heer and Marine titles would've been possible, with neither one more plausible than the other.

[Doc Yo]

  Heer and gone!  Splendid looking build-I really like the paint scheme.

[Old Wombat]

Simple....

The Heer bought it then, when the Marine re-invent their Seebattalion, it is transferred to the Marine.

Governments can do that, even if the services complain loudly.



Guy