Boeing gave a glimpse of a freighter that flies just above the waves, using what is known as wing-in-ground (WIG) effect for lift, at the 51st Paris Air Show in Le Bourget, France, last week.

Known commonly by its Russian name, Erkranoplan, the WIG concept allows for very large aircraft that fly just above sea level, landing and taking off from the water (photo courtesy AEROSPACE/RAeS). The Boeing concept has four turboprops and is foreseen by the US aircraft maker to be a mid-term development. Its near term development is an aircraft with a braced wing, and the far term design is a supersonic airliner – neither of them freighters. Further Ekranoplan details were not available.