IlSur to manufacture WIG craft
A RUSSIAN technology sea and air craft will soon be manufactured in Ilocos Sur, former Ilocos Sur governor Luis “Chavit” Singson revealed.
A close friend and political ally of President Bongbong Marcos Jr., Chavit said his LCS Group of Companies is manufacturing Wing-In-Ground (WIG) craft.
A WIG craft is “a vessel that can takeoff and land from the sea, land and snow, and capable of operating completely above the surface of the water on a dynamic air cushion created by aerodynamic lift, due to the ground effect between the vessel and the water’s surface.”
A WIG craft is a marine craft equipped with wings which enables it to remain airborne just above the water surface. It utilizes ground proximity effects to improve aerodynamic loading and efficiency.
It fills the technological gap between conventional aircraft and ships. A WIG craft operates at much higher speeds than ships and more efficiently than aircraft.
Another distinct advantage of a WIG-craft is its ability to take off anywhere from the sea surface without the need for a runway.
Due to its superb and unique features, WIG crafts serve as a promising choice of fast, safe and efficient platform for the next generation of marine transportation systems.
The objective of this work is to investigate the aerodynamic characteristics, as well as the longitudinal flight dynamics and stability of WIG-craft for the purpose of achieving improved WIG-craft designs.
Singson said his LCS Group of Companies in Seoul has in fact been manufacturing what he called next generation WIG craft, after he was given the exclusive right and franchise by Russia to manufacture it in South Korea and in the Philippines.
He said they have designed 14,30 and 100 seaters WIG craft, which he said is four times lighter than steel as this is made of fiber, saying a lot of clients have already ordered his WIG craft. \
Asked if this is for commercial purposes, Chavit said this is for military and private use only, so far.
