It's now an open secret that the Soviet Union researched and developed many things to gain a strategic military advantage. Over the years, many weird prototypes, possibly classified as top secret at the time, have been unveiled, giving us exciting insights into the past. One of the most bizarre prototypes was the GAZ 16A. Its name comes from the Gorky Automobile Factory, where it was assembled; GAZ was founded in 1932 and manufactured specialty vehicles such as trucks, passenger cars, and amphibious vehicles.
During the Cold War era of the 1950s, GAZ began to handle development work. In the early 1960s, they began to manufacture hovercraft. While GAZ engineers knew the hovercraft's conceptual difficulties, they could still design a usable body for the new vehicle. Two propellers at the front and rear lifted the vehicle off the ground, and two large propulsion propellers generated enough wind to move the hovercraft horizontally. Engineers worldwide attempted the development and concept of air cushion vehicles. Still, ultimately the economic and general success of the concept remained at a low level, and it was used only in a few areas.
Source: Autocult
Images: OldConceptCars
