This video was made possible by CuriosityStream. Watch thousands of high-quality documentaries
and get access to my streaming service, Nebula, using the link in the description. Abandoned at an Air Force Museum outside of Moscow,
is a relic of a machine that looks like it came from outer space. Designed 50 years ago by an eccentric visionary,
it was to be the most versatile flying machine ever built. An aircraft that could take off vertically,
hover in mid air, land on any surface, cruise at high altitudes and harness the ground effect. But the story of this remarkable machine and
its inventor are still shrouded in mystery. By the 1960 s Soviet engineer Robert Bartini
had earned a reputation for thinking ahead of his time. And when it came to transportation, he was
convinced that humanity had it all wrong. After examining the speed, efficiency and
carrying capacity of just about every form of transportation known to man, he came to
the conclusion that the most versatile and efficient form of transport would be a type
of aircraft that had yet to be built. A kind of machine that would skim over water
on a cushion of air, harnessing a phenomenon called the ground effect. The ground effect occurs when fixed wing aircraft
fly very close to the surface. Air, normally deflected downwards and around
the wings, is instead compressed, creating a pocket of much higher air pressure, resulting
in less drag, more lift and much higher efficiency It means unlike conventional aircraft, which
have to be engineered to be as light as possible, ground effect machines can use size and mass
to their advantage. Using it to compress air beneath them. Bartini theorized that the efficiency of ground
effect could allow for the development of aircraft with extraordinary capabilities. In 1962, he outlined a concept that would combine
aircraft-like speeds, with the go anywhere versatility of a helicopter, by using lift
jets for vertical take-off and landings. By 1960 VTOL aircraft were becoming a reality. But they were highly impractical. The lift jets needed for vertical takeoff
burned excessive fuel and added considerable weight, severely limiting the aircraft s range
and performance. But Bartini s design would harness the efficiency
of flying within the ground effect to offset the inefficiency of vertical takeoff and landings. The result would be a machine that could truly
go anywhere, without compromise. Bartini would test his ideas using scale models
and prototypes. But to build his extraordinary machine, he would need a lot more resources. Fortunately for Bartini, an opportunity would
soon appear. In 1961 a new threat emerged off the coast
of the Soviet Union for which the Soviets had no answer. The latest generation of American submarines
were armed with nuclear missiles. And they could stay submerged for weeks. It meant the Americans could keep their nukes
hidden right on the Soviet Union s doorstep. And with over 70 thousand kilometers of coastline
to guard, finding these submarines using a conventional navy would be next to impossible. Faced with an enormous strategic disadvantage,
Soviet leadership saw a potential solution in Bartini s concept. Bartini proposed modifying his design into
the ultimate submarine hunter. With a catamaran-like fuselage, his aircraft
would be optimized to fly within the ground effect, giving it the endurance to fly long
missions. But it would also have wings so that it could
fly like a conventional airplane. Bartini would also equip the aircraft with
both a landing gear and a unique inflatable pontoon system, giving it true amphibious
capabilities. Lift jets would allow for vertical take-off
and landings from any kind of surface, giving the aircraft the ability to operate from the
even most harsh and remote regions of the Soviet Union. Equipped with anti-submarine weaponry, Bartini
s machine could effectively counter the American threat. Impressed with the concept, Soviet leadership
approved development, designating it as the VVA-14. This was a design so unconventional, it looked
more like a spacecraft than an airplane. Two bypass turbojets would allow the VVA-14
to reach speeds of up to 760 kilometers per hour and to fly up to 33,000 feet if needed. Twelve lift jets would be fitted inside the
fuselage. Each one generating nearly ten thousand pounds of thrust. Inflatable pontoons would allow for amphibious
operations, so the VVA-14 could land directly on the water, and other surfaces inaccessible
to other aircraft like sand, snow or marsh. To track down enemy submarines, a crew of
three would be assisted by an electronic flight navigation and search-and-aim system. And would
use magnetic anomaly detectors, dipping sonar and sonobuoys. With the ability to carry more than two tons
of armament, including naval torpedoes, mines and depth charges, the VVA-14 would be a formidable
machine. And development was to proceed under the highest
level of secrecy, with early prototypes painted in an aeroflot paint scheme and given civilian
registration number. For Soviet leadership, this was their answer
to a pressing strategic problem. For Bartini, it would set the groundwork for
even more ambitious designs. Such a novel design would take years to develop,
and it wouldn't be until September of 1972 that the first prototype was ready for flight
testing. The VVA-14's development was to proceed in
three stages. First, a prototype would be built without
lift jets allowing development to focus on the aircraft's aerodynamic capabilities and
on engineering the inflatable pontoons. A second prototype would then be built with
lift jets, with development centred around the fly-by-wire and automation systems needed
for vertical takeoff and landings. After that a final near production weaponized
version would be used to develop anti-submarine warfare systems. It was a logical plan. And although the program
progressed slower than anticipated, early testing proved highly promising. The VVA-14 could settle into ground effect
a full eight metres from the surface. And for Bartini, it validated his earlier
theories about the ground effect s revolutionary potential. Throughout the 1960 s he drew up designs for
truly enormous civilian and military transports that could harness the ground effect at even
higher altitudes. Machines that could transverse oceans at aircraft-like
speeds, while carrying ship-like payloads. Bartini was so sure of the concept, in 1970
he even approached the Soviet Navy with a proposal to develop 5,000 ton flying aircraft
carriers. Enormous ground effect machines that would
carry an air wing of up to 25 combat aircraft at speeds of up to 600 kilometers per hour. There seemed to be no limit to Bartini s imagination. But before any of his grander ideas could
be realized, the VVA-14 would have to prove itself. Even before the first prototype lifted off,
Bartini would ve already sensed that things weren't going to go according to plan. The most crucial component of the entire concept
were the vertical lift jets. And their development had been assigned to
a smaller, less experienced engine builder. One already overburdened with other projects. And at fifty-seven tons, the VVA-14 would
be the world's largest VTOL aircraft. It's lift jets would need to produce more
thrust than any lift jet the Soviet Union had ever built. Bartini doubted whether the engine builder
could deliver. And the VVA-14's inflatable pontoons also
proved to be extremely difficult to engineer. Designed to be inflated and deflated in the
harshest of conditions, they used high pressure air from the aircraft s cruise engines to
fill twelve individually sealed compartments. The pontoons proved to be so unreliable. They were eventually swapped out for metallic
floats so that other areas of testing could continue. But in reality, by 1974 technical issues with
the inflatable pontoons were actually the least of Bartini s concerns. It was becoming increasingly clear that lift
jets he needed would never arrive. And without them, vertical landings on sand,
snow or water would be impossible, rendering the inflatable pontoons pointless. Realizing that his entire concept was compromised. Bartini scrambled to modify the design. To allow the aircraft to take off from the
water, more like a conventional seaplane, he proposed lengthening the fuselage and adding
an additional set of forward engines. The idea was to use the forward engines to
create a cushion of air under the aircraft. But the modifications never worked. And Bartini would never live to see them tested. In December of 1974, he passed away at the
age of 77. Soon after, the VVA-14 program was cancelled
and Soviet leadership instead ordered development of a more conventional anti-submarine aircraft. But had the VVA-14's development been successful,
it might ve changed the course of Soviet Aircraft Design. Because Bartini had a vision for something
much bigger. With his belief in the revolutionary potential
of the ground effect, Bartini was convinced that a five-thousand ton flying aircraft carrier
would be possible. A machine that could rip across the surface
of the ocean and reach any part of the world in just hours, giving the Soviet Union an
enormous tactical advantage. You can learn more about Bartini's most ambitious
design in my latest video, available right now, on Nebula. A streaming platform where you can watch videos
without advertisements or sponsor messages, and where you can access a growing number
of exclusive never released Mustard videos. Nebula is where YouTube's top educational
creators upload videos everyday. And the best part is, Nebula is free when
you sign up for CuriosityStream. A streaming service with thousands of big
budget award-winning documentaries from science to technology to history and nature. If you re interested in learning more about
secret Soviet projects, check out Tank on the Moon, and learn why the world s first
automated robotic rovers were kept hidden from the world for decades. Get an entire year of both CuriosityStream
and Nebula for less than $15. by going to www.curiositystream.com/mustard and use the promo
code 'mustard' when you sign up.
This thing is rad as hell. Reminds me a bit of the Lockheed LMH-1 or Airlander 10, especially the trimaran… hull? Fuselage? And that inflatable landing gear.
In a Q&A, Mustard stated that he(they - twin brothers) often got ideas from this sub. :)
looks like something built in KSP 🤣
I can't get over how cool that cockpit is.
Wiki : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bartini_Beriev_VVA-14
https://www.warhistoryonline.com/instant-articles/bartini-beriev.html This is a nice article on it as well.
This was in the 1960's and early 70's. I wonder how the concept might work with today's technology? It seems much more plausible now. I'm not a fan of the do everything aircraft being better and more economical than having several specialized ones given their track records so far, but as an aviation enthusiast I'd love to see a modern version of the concept!
yooooo new mustard vid!
That flying aircraft carrier he shows seems completely impractical.
Firstly, at best, it will have an endurance of a couple days. Making it less like a an aircraft carrier, able to sustain a forward presence, and more like the world's most expensive tanker plane, just able to boost the extend the strike range of aircraft.
Secondly, that landing procedure looks suicidal. First the plane has to somehow approach that landing pad, with all the aerodynamic effects that massive wing has, without crashing. Then once landed, the entire landing deck has to sink into the carrier, opening up a huge hole in the top of the wing, blasting the interior with high speed wind and killing all the lift. Then you have to somehow refuel a fighter in a cramped, sealed hangar. Even the tiniest fire would be a death sentence.
Thirdly, twenty planes just aren't enough. Some planes would have to be AWACS or EW, some would be down for refueling, some would be doing a defensive screen, at best, only you could get four or five on a strike mission at once. And against the huge US navy groups they are up against, that won't do anything.
Fourthly, a regular carrier would probably be cheaper anyway.