Those six tubes are the engines. They were put where they were at the angle they are at for the purpose of passing the exhaust underneath the wings for added ground effect.

The Ekranoplan was not designed to fly more than a couple dozen feet off the water.

Interesting note in regards to Stalin. Stalin ended up loving the designer, some say because Stalin wasn't quite stable himself, but we can thank ol' Joe for funding one of the most fascinating aircraft projects ever. More fascinating, IMO, than any of the X series, the Concorde, or even the Spruce Goose. But Nicky Khrushchev was the hardliner that he was, and red x'd the guy and the program when he took over the show.

TDC has a show that I've only seen once on the Ekranoplan. Can't remember the title, but I've seen it since April.

Look up WIG (Win In Ground effect) planes on Google.

MrPex