Ground-effect vehicles were technically aircraft, but operated using ground effect to travel only several meters above flatter surfaces, particularly bodies of water, leading them to be classified as ships by the Soviet government. The Central Hydrofoil Design Bureau planned a massive ekranoplan utilizing the "Wing In Ground" (WIG) effect, and Alexeyev was invited to participate in development due to his expertise with hydrofoils. Only two years after development began the project resulted in the Korabl Maket (KM), better known in English as the Caspian Sea Monster, with Alexeyev as the chief designer and V. Efimov as the lead engineer.
Ground-effect vehicles were technically aircraft but operated using ground effect to travel only a few meters above flat surfaces, primarily water bodies, leading them to be classified as ships by the Soviet government. The Central Hydrofoil Design Bureau planned a massive ekranoplan utilizing the "Wing In Ground" (WIG) effect, and Alexeyev was invited to participate in development due to his expertise with hydrofoils. Only two years after the project began, it resulted in the Korabl Maket (KM), better known as the Caspian Sea Monster, with Alexeyev serving as chief designer and V. Efimov as lead engineer.