Introduction to S.E. Technology


Who are we?
What is a WIG craft?
Is it an aircraft?
What are the advantages of WIG craft?
Why do I need S.E. Technology?
 

Who are we?

S.E. Technology is an internationally oriented company that offers products and services related to WIG technology. WIG is short for Wing-In-Ground effect. Ground effect is an aerodynamic phenomenon that is used by WIG vehicles to achieve high speed over water with minimum fuel consumption. WIG craft are also referred to as ekranoplan(e)s, wingships or WISES (Wing-In-Surface-Effect-Ships).
The abbreviation S.E. stands for Surface Effect. The phenomenon is generally called ground effect, but the term surface is used because vehicles, designed to use this effect are usually not moving over ground.

What is a WIG craft?

A WIG craft is generally speaking a boat that cruises just above the water surface, thereby reducing its drag to a minimum so that speeds well in excess of 60 knots are achievable. Conventional marine craft that are capable of reaching those speeds, are known to have excessive fuel consumption. WIG technology however, reduces the drag to a minimum by eliminating hydrodynamic drag. This technology is similar to hovercraft, but in fact far more efficient, because the fan to blow up the air cushion is not necessary.

Is it an aircraft?

The advantage over more conventional marine craft is clear, but is a WIG craft not simply an aircraft? The answer is no, most WIG craft cannot fly, they can only skim over the water in ground effect. Without this effect they cannot operate, generally the maximum cruising height is limited to a percentage of the size of the craft. Although in theory WIG craft can be far more efficient than aircraft, in practice this can only be achieved with very large WIG craft (e.g >100 ton).

What are the advantages of WIG craft?

The advantages of WIG craft lie mainly in the fact that they only need the infrastructure of a ship, which is widely available. Furthermore the operating cost will be much lower than for an aircraft, because of their marine background. For example crew training and purchase cost are for marine craft of a different order than for aircraft and the fuel consumption of a WIG craft lies well below that of any other type of high-speed marine transportation.

Why do I need S.E. Technology?

If you are just passing by because you like to read about technical stuff, you don't need S.E. Technology and I propose you visit The WIG Page. On the other hand, if you are (thinking about) developing or operating a WIG craft or investing in a WIG project you will be interested in the products and services that S.E. Technology has to offer. They may save you a lot of time and money.
Although WIG technology might seem simple at first glance: just add wings to a boat or let a seaplane fly low, the opposite is true. The aerodynamics of ground effect is a very complex matter and very different from aircraft aerodynamics. Anyone who has attempted to build a (model) WIG craft has probably found it to be very unstable at high-speed, even to the point where it flips back and crashes like hydroplanes sometimes do. The good news is that it is possible to develop a safe and efficient WIG craft, but the necessary knowledge is not widely available. S.E. Technology has the necessary knowledge and offers consultancy and helpful tools to assess a proposed WIG design or a business plan for WIG development or operation.

For more information about these craft go to:
The WIG Page.