Amfistar Light WIG aircraft

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Amphibious Transport Technologies (ATT, Joint Stock Company)

The company was created in 1992 in Nizhniy Novgorod as Technology and Transport (TET) JSC, formed by 130 engineers who, until then, had worked in the Central Hydrofoil Design Bureau named after R. Alexeyev. The Amphistar is a Type A WIG vehicles - high-speed craft which means it can be operated only within the height of ground effect. It has an engine of more than 55 kW and can be operated only in daytime within 32 Km from the coast and within 160 Km from a place of refuge. All-up weight can reach about 10 t. The five-seat Amphistar can be used for maritime pleasure rides, tourism, or as air taxi. It is a dynamic air cushion speedboat with an enclosed cabin, featuring a forward location of the engine. The airframe of the Amphistar is made of corrosion-proof composite materials. Its range is about 350-400 km depending on the weather. The vehicle is amphibious - it can navigate in shallow waters, come out onto an unprepared bank with a gradient of up to 5°, move on the ground at speeds of 10-15 km/h and return to the water.

The wing has rectangular planform, low aspect ratio and is fitted with flaps. At the wingtips there are inflatable pontoons which ensure the vehicle's stability on water surface and form the sidewalls of the 'scoop' in which the air cushion is created. The cabin accommodates four passengers and a driver. On the rear of the hull is placed the craft's equipment, while the forward part of the hull is occupied by a 300hp Mercedes-Benz engine.Two AV-110 tractor propellers with ground-adjustable pitch are rotated be the engine through a gearbox. The propellers can turn and direct the air stream under the wings for take-off.

The tail unit has twin fins and rudders mounted of the aft fuselage and slightly canted outwards, with the horizontal tail placed on them. Directional control includes two rudders for movement in ground effect and by a retractable water rudder when on water.

In 1997 the Amphistar was certified by the Russian Shipping Register in accordance with IMO rules for type A vehicles designed for flying only in ground effect and regarded as speed boats for certification purposes.

Technical specifications