TC-26

TC-26
Role	Anti-ship screen glider
National origin	Zacapican
Manufacturer	Cuauhquetztia
Designer	Micol Aketzalli NTT 97
First flight	17 September 1982
Introduction	1983
Status	In service
Number built	24

The TC-26, serving under the designation of Hammerhead (Nahuatl: 𐐓𐑊𐐰𐑋𐐰𐑌𐐨𐐿𐐶𐐨𐐻𐑆𐐻𐑊𐐨, Tlamanicuiztli), is a Zacapine military screen glider designed by Micol Aketzalli and the NTT 97 engineering unit and manufactured by Cuauhquetztia for the Zacapine Naval Aviation corps. It is armed with anti-ship missiles mounted on top of its fuselage in a set of six launch tubes, allowing the craft to attack hostile cruisers, capital ships and other naval targets. The vehicle itself utilizes the ground effect to travel without the drag experienced by ship hulls submerged in water while harnessing added lift generated by flying close to the surface on a cushion of air, thereby allowing the TC-26 to bear the weight and payload of a ship wile traveling at the speed of an aircraft. The TC-26 is the product of the Zacapine engineering establishment of the NTT Program and Micol Aketzalli, director of NTT 97 specializing in ekranoplan development. Its older anti-submarine sibling, the TC-14, shares this provenance and is currently the only other ekranoplan in military service.

Specifications

General characteristics

• Crew: 15
• Capacity: 137 t (302,000 lb)
• Length: 73.8 m (242 ft 2 in)
• Wingspan: 44 m (144 ft 4 in)
• Height: 19.2 m (63 ft 0 in)
• Wing area: 550 m² (5,900 sq ft)
• Empty weight: 286,000 kg (630,522 lb)
• Max takeoff weight: 380,000 kg (837,757 lb)
• Powerplant: 8 × Q-87 turbofans, 127.4 kN (28,600 lbf) thrust each

Performance

• Maximum speed: 550 km/h (342 mph; 297 kn)
• Cruise speed: 450 km/h (280 mph; 243 kn) at 2.5 m (8 ft)
• Range: 2,000 km (1,243 mi; 1,080 nmi)
• Service ceiling: 5 m (16 ft) in ground effect

Armament

• Guns: two 23mm cannons in a twin tail turret and two 23mm cannons in a twin turret under forward missile tubes
• Missiles: six launchers for MNA-109 Tzompantli antiship missiles