The Monster Airplane the US had Never Seen Before

In 1967, during one of the tensest periods of the Cold War, a United States satellite hovered over the Soviet naval base of Kaspiysk. Flying over the Caspian Sea, the imagery systems suddenly captured images of a giant object that appeared to be over 325 feet long. The CIA initially thought the object was some sort of rig or platform. However, further surveillance by U-2 spy planes determined that it was actually an aircraft unlike anything ever seen in the West. Dubbed the Caspian Sea Monster by the Americans, the Soviet aircraft was indeed an unlikely beast. A prototype of an ekranoplan, the hybrid vessel and aircraft vehicle was designed to fly as fast and close to the sea surface as possible. And despite its length and estimated 500,000-pound weight, it proved to be highly effective. During initial testing, the behemoth aircraft was reportedly capable of reaching speeds of over 400 miles an hour. Despite not knowing exactly what the aircraft was, the design ignited a se