Hoping for Military Edge, China Eyes Russia’s Ground-Effect Technology

Soviet-era ‘ekranoplan’ designs could aid Beijing in a maritime conflict, but the research comes with its difficulties, observers said.

The type 052C destroyer Changchun of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy participates in a naval parade in Shandong Province, China, on April 23, 2019. Mark Schiefelbein/AFP/Getty Images

News Analysis

The Chinese regime is making progress on an experimental type of flying vessel first developed by the former Soviet Union and is using its intelligence services to acquire this technology, and other military-technical expertise, from Russia, according to experts.