The Iran Shipbuilding and Offshore Industries Complex appears to have built a new ekranoplan at the shipyard located near Bostanu, satellite imagery suggests.
Imagery acquired by DigitalGlobe from October 2014 shows Iran’s new flying boat. It’s the country’s first new model since publicizing the Bavar-2 back in 2010.
The ekranoplan, also known as a ground effect vehicle after the technology it employs, was observed near the shipyard’s transverse table at the time of capture. Additional imagery from November also showed the boat in the water suggesting that harbor trials took place — though it’s doubtful the craft is operational. Subsequent imagery has shown that it returned to the ISOICO’s fabrication shop. In fact, imagery as late as April still showed it at the shipyard.
So far, there’s been no open source reporting on Iran’s new boat, though given the country’s previous record of promoting technological achievements, it should only be a matter of time.
