The ekranoplanes

Si la pop-culture regorge de “Wunderwaffen” (armes miracles nazies) ou de projets militaires secrets issus de la Guerre Froide, on peut en revanche s’étonner de ne jamais l’avoir vue s’emparer d’un engin pourtant bien réel et parfaitement opérationnel : l’Ekranoplane. Et pourtant, on ne peut pas dire que ce genre de monstre, mi avion, mi navire, soit véritablement discret, et son look badass devrait immédiatement le qualifier comme un incontournable du jeu vidéo ou du blockbuster…

 

L’effet de sol…

L’Ekranoplane (ou Ekranoplan) n’est, contrairement à ce que son apparence laisse penser, ni un avion, ni un navire. Il est ce qu’on désigne comme un engin à effet de sol.

L’effet de sol est un phénomène aérodynamique qui survient lorsqu’un objet volant se trouve près du sol. Il génère alors, par sa portance et sa trainée, un coussin d’air qui décuple ses performances. Les oiseaux maitrisent parfaitement cette propriété, qui est aussi très utilisée par les pilotes d’hélicoptère, ainsi que dans le sport automobile.

Le concept d’Ekranoplane, inventé par l’ingénieur russe Rostislav Alekseïev, exploite au maximum cette particularité physique : l’engin, équipé de puissants réacteurs, prend de la vitesse sur une surface aquatique, jusqu’à générer suffisamment de portance pour déclencher le fameux “effet de sol”, tout en restant le plus près possible de l’eau pour en maximiser le bénéfice.

 

Une arme miracle pour les Soviétiques ?

Pour l’URSS, la recherche sur les Ekranoplanes répond, globalement, à la même doctrine que celle qui porte les projets sur les hydroglisseurs géants  : transporter le plus vite possible (et sous les seuils radar) d’importantes quantités d’hommes et de matériels pour saisir des détroits stratégiques en Baltique, en mer du Nord, en Caspienne ou en Mer Noire…

Si l’option de l’hydroptère (navire équipé de foils, technologie aujourd’hui présente sur de nombreux bateaux de course, ainsi que sur certains semi-rigides destinés aux forces spéciales) est, un temps, étudiée, les ingénieurs soviétiques privilégient, dès les années 50, le concept d’Ekranoplane.

Ils se lancent alors, sous les ordres d’Alekseïev, dans la construction en mer Caspienne de toute une série d’appareils géants, dont le plus célèbre est le KM, surnommé le “Monstre de la Caspienne” : un ékranoplane de 100m de long, 40m d’envergure, et qui atteint la masse incroyable de 540 tonnes.

L’un de ses dérivés, le Lun, est aussi, en 1987, le seul Ekranoplane de combat à avoir passé le stade de prototype : armé de 6 missiles antinavires, il devait être capable de lancer des attaques fulgurantes sur les flottes ennemies.

La complexité et le coût exorbitant des Ekranoplanes auront raison de ce programme : au final, très peu d’exemplaires seront construits ou même mis en service avant l’effondrement de l’URSS. Aujourd’hui, la plupart de ces monstres pourrissent sur les bords de la Caspienne, mais certains sont aussi conservés dans des musées.

 

Le renouveau des Ekranoplanes ?

Si l’échec des projets soviétiques tient en partie à leur démesure, le concept d’Ekranoplane reste pertinent.

Aujourd’hui, plusieurs sociétés continuent donc à miser sur cette technologie, avec des projets bien plus modestes, et en y apportant les innovations modernes, notamment structurelles. L’idée est notamment de fournir des services équivalents à ceux des hydravions : ravitaillement, transport ou secours.

Projet britannique Seaglider pour des traversées de la Manche en 2028 – © Brittany Ferries / Regent

 

Mais alors que le combat amphibie a le vent en poupe, et que l’on parle de la zone Pacifique ou de l’Arctique comme de futures zones de conflit, les militaires voient aussi un avenir à l’ékranoplane : les Russes et les Chinois ont d’ores et déjà annoncé travailler sur de nouveaux concepts, et la DARPA américaine a aussi relancé en 2021 des études conceptuelles.

Alors, les ékranoplanes, spectaculaires appareils, vont-ils faire leur retour sur le champ de bataille du futur ?  Il est encore trop tôt pour le dire, mais ils mériteraient sans doute d’être plus présents dans le jeu vidéo, ou même pourquoi pas, le cinéma, car ils s’intègrent parfaitement dans des scenarii de techno-thriller ou de films d’action…

MRAP’s vehicles

The last twenty years have seen the global and massive emergence of MRAPs (for Mine Resistant Ambush Protected), over-armored and electronically equipped vehicles. A major trend (and it’s the case to say it) that has made these badass-looking machines the darling of video games, series and blockbusters… But, in reality, are MRAPs the future of military vehicles ?

Above: the Hummer, even reinforced, now looks tiny next to the MRAP armor.

 

The end of the « Humvees »

With the beginning of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, one of the symbols of America shows its limits. Indeed, the Humvee, indestructible symbol of the Reagan years, adulated by Arnold Schwarzenegger and a whole generation of rappers, is unable to protect the soldiers. In a few months, hundreds of these vehicles are put out of action, and the human losses accumulate…

Indeed, the Iraqi insurgents, Al Qaeda and the Taliban have been able to adapt and slide more and more towards “techno-guérilla” methods and the massive use of improvised explosive devices (the famous “IEDs”). The Humvees (as well as all the vehicles built on the same standard during the Cold War) then showed their weaknesses: insufficient armor, an inadequate chassis against mines and explosives, and the absence of protection for the machine-gun operators, overexposed to snipers and during ambushes.

 The Oshkosh JLTV (Joint Light Tactical Vehicle) is the official successor to the Humvee in the US Army.

 

The birth of monsters

After an attempt to deal with the emergency by reinforcing the Hummer’s armor (which was not very successful, as the additional plates sometimes turned into deadly projectiles for the vehicle’s occupants), the Americans first, and then all the armies and industrialists in the world, understood that this new form of warfare implied the design of a new category of vehicle, capable of protecting the men.

From the mid-2000s, the first MRAPs imposed the concept of an elevated, over-armored vehicle equipped with remote-controlled weapons and various sensors. Moreover, most of them have a resolutely aggressive look, intended to impose their presence and their firepower.

This last point is not negligible, since it also allows them to impose themselves in many police forces, where they are used to maintain order, and to become a must have of any action movie, as for example in the Fast & Furious series.

 Fast and Furious 6.

 

Too heavy ? Too sophisticated ? Too expensive ?

In a few years, most military vehicle manufacturers have included one or more MRAPs in their catalogs. At arms fairs today, one is struck by the multitude of wheeled vehicles, described as “light”, but which are in fact more massive than some tanks !

 Most MRAPs today are larger than a battle tank.

In fact, in addition to their prohibitive cost, which does not allow them to completely replace the previous fleet, the MRAPs pose problems of fuel overconsumption, and numerous challenges with regard to their maintenance, made much more difficult by the overabundance of electronic and optronic systems.

From an operational point of view, there is also the question of vehicles that are supposed to be mobile and light, but in reality are so heavy and wide that they cannot use all the tracks, nor penetrate certain villages. Moreover, their image as a real “fortress” is now considered counter-productive and overly aggressive with regard to civilian populations, especially in law enforcement operations..

These paradoxes make that today, more and more armed forces are looking for the exact opposite of MRAPs : light and fast vehicles, even uncovered : buggies, quads, hybrid vehicles or even technicals… A large panel therefore, which can be usefully exploited by the entertainment industry, provided, however, that a semblance of authenticity is maintained…

Ready or not… for the new reference of tactical shooter?

Available in early access since December, Ready or Not (RoN) presents itself as the spiritual successor to the SWAT series. By offering an old-fashioned formula, realistic and tactical, and scenarios rooted in reality, the tactical shooter has managed to top the sales charts on the Steam platform on PC in just a few days.

 

The spiritual son of the SWAT series

We must admit that this game could literally have been called SWAT 5, as it pays homage to Sierra’s cult series,  to Sierra’s cult series, not only in terms of gameplay, but also in terms of the general atmosphere of the game, as the developers of VOID Interactive have based themselves on the daily life of American intervention units.

This choice is rather intelligent. Indeed, contrary to many other countries, which have chosen to create elite intervention units with national competence, the Americans have allowed several hundred SWAT (for Special Weapons and Tactics) units to develop. If some of them are extremely prestigious and professional, such as those of the FBI or of the Police Departments of the big cities, others are much more “rustic”, as much for the methods as for the equipment.

This script anchoring is also felt on the side of the crisis situations: we are clearly in the United States, because it is question here of clandestine laboratories of methamphetamine, of hostage-taking in a hotel, or of raid on the villa of a drug trafficker…

 

Rustic and authentic gameplay

Logically enough, the mission starts with the equipment sequence. Here again, the choice of anchoring the mission in the reality of SWAT is striking: in RoN, there are no useless or crazy gadgets: we are dealing with classic equipment, which can be found in any American police station and which is perfectly tested..

The same goes for the weapons, which are realistic and all in the US police force. Their modeling is faithful, and the gunplay is demanding enough to be “easy to learn, hard to master”. Using the burst or the shotgun will require a little learning for example. Special mention to the tactical shield that will save you many games !

Then the mission begins and, as with its distant predecessors SWAT and RAINBOW 6, it’s all about slow and silent progress, with a strong emphasis on reconnaissance and inspection. In the spirit of a police intervention, it is therefore necessary to neutralize, secure, challenge and, like its predecessors, the use of lethal force is considered a failure in RoN.

In fact, the tension is present at all times and mistakes are never forgiven. And this is where cooperation comes into its own: if a team member deviates from his role by forgetting to watch an exit or cover an angle, it’s a guaranteed game over, and all the more penalizing because, from one game to the next, the entire mission configuration varies and the objectives and traps have changed location !

 

A real success that should question the AAA

A difficult, slow and authentic game? This is exactly the opposite of what the big publishers are proposing nowadays, which multiply competitive multiplayer games with poor scenarios and non-existent authenticity.

But are players afraid of this demanding game? It would seem not, as it is currently rated “very positive” on the Steam platform, and is at the top of the sales charts. A success that is quite surprising when, at the same time, the behemoth BATTLEFIELD 2042 has had an absolutely catastrophic launch, and the future of the RAINBOW 6 license is far, very far, from exciting the crowds and continues to trample from Tom Clancy’s legacy.

We can also see that even if the game is not graphically perfect (it is still in beta), it is generous and authentic. The dark environments also force you to use all the light tools at your disposal (light intensifier, sticks, relevant use of the tactical lamp). And above all, its intransigence is a real challenge, which pushes the players to excellence as could do, for example, the episodes Rogue Spear or Raven Shield of the RAINBOW 6 series.

We can only hope that RoN will be a success, and mark the revival of the authentic and punishing tactical shooter. There is a real market to be had here: that of players looking for realistic games anchored in reality, who are still waiting for a successor to the canonical RAINBOW 6 and GHOST RECON, which transported them to the heart of perfectly plausible international crises.