If you thought that those noisy and dangerous personal water crafts (aka water scooters) were a menace, wait till you see what else is coming to our coastlines. According to a Bernama report, Malaysia, in particular Melaka, will become the new manufacturing hub for of a new mode of transportation called the Wing-In-Ground (WIG) aircraft.
These aircrafts attain flight using the ‘ground effect’, which is the increased lift and decreased drag that the wings generates when they are close to a fixed surface, like the ground or a body of water. This is why these types of aircrafts are called ground effect vehicles (GEV).
The aircrafts will be built by Rinani International Aeromarine Sdn Bhd in a joint venture with South Korea’s Aron Flying Ship Ltd. Rinani has received orders for more than 100 units from several countries and its first unit will be completed by June. The unit will costs US$ 1 million and will be assembled at a plant in Masjid Tanah, Alor Gajah. As of now, the plant is only capable of producing 7 such units a year, but Rinani already has plans to expand. A bigger plant will be constructed in Teluk Gong, Alor Gajah, and this will able to produce 50 WIG units annually once completed.
These GEVs can be used for search and rescue operations, and will come in really handy for the marine/coastguards to monitor the coastal areas of both east and west Malaysia. At the launch event, Chief Minister Datuk Seri Idris Haron also said this new venture will be able to attract more investors to the state, and that the vehicles could also be used for tourism purposes.
The aircrafts will be capable of flying at a height of 150 metres above ground/water level and can travel as far as 800 kilometres. With the kind of momentum and the demand that this technology is expected to generate, these GEVs are expected to be a common sight by 2017.
As for us common folks, just when we thought it was safe to go back into the waters, it looks like we’ll now have another menace to put up with.
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