Korean Information Service, Korea on Wednesday (Aug. 8) officially unveiled a prototype for a flying ship that could greatly speed up maritime transportation.
The “wing-in-ground” effect craft (WIG) is designed to carry 20 passengers and travel at up to 130 kilometers per hour, far greater than most passenger cruise ships and freighters that travel under 42 kilometers per hour, the Korea Ocean Research and Development Institute (KORDI) said.
WIGs use the strong natural lift created when an object with appropriate flying surfaces or wings travels at high speeds 1-2 meters off the surface.
The state-run institute said that the 12-meter-long prototype craft “Haenarae X1,” powered by two propellers generating 200 horsepower, took nearly three years to build. It is half the scale of the ships that will be built in 2009.
Future models that are to be constructed by Hankuk Fiber Glass would be 24 meters long and powered by engines providing 2,000 horsepower of thrust, with speeds reaching 200 kilometers per hour.
These would be able to carry 20 people as well as cargo, and have a range of about 1,000 kilometers, allowing a ship leaving South Korea to reach many ports in Japan and China.
Past domestic studies said once WIGs become commonplace, they could generate sales of around 4 trillion won ($4.3 billion) by creating a new line of transportation, filling the gap between fast but expensive airplanes and cheap but slower-moving ships.
Commercial use of these flying ships could start as early as 2010, when a small fleet of the WIGs would be built.
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