A-90 Orlyonok

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A-90 "Orlyonok"
A-90 "Orlyonok" in Moscow
General information
Type	Ekranoplan
Manufacturer	Central Hydrofoil Design Bureau
Designer	Rostislav Evgenievich Alexeyev
Primary user	Soviet Navy
Number built	4 (of which one was a static test airframe)
History
Introduction date	1979
First flight	1972
Retired	1993

The A-90 Orlyonok (Russian: Орлёнок, English: "Eaglet") is a Soviet ekranoplan that was designed by Rostislav Evgenievich Alexeyev of the Central Hydrofoil Design Bureau.

The A-90 uses ground effect to fly a few meters above the surface. The Russians classify it as Ekranoplan Class B – it can achieve an altitude of 3,000 m (9,800 ft), placing it between Class A – which is limited to ground effect, and Class C, which exploits the ground effect only during take-offs and landings and otherwise functions as a typical airplane.