Meteor (hydrofoil)

The "Meteor" (Russian: Метеор) (projects 342, 342E, 342U) refers to a widely produced series of Soviet high-speed river passenger hydrofoil vessels, developed by the Gorky (now Nizhny Novgorod) Central Hydrofoil Design Bureau under the direction of Rostislav Alexeyev. Thanks to their solid seagoing characteristics, "Meteors" are capable of limited coastal voyages in near-shore maritime areas. Alongside the smaller "Raketa" hydrofoil, the "Meteor" is the most widely produced hydrofoil in both the USSR and globally, with more than 400 units built and operated in almost twenty countries across various continents. The "Meteor" served as the basis for a range of related hydrofoils, including the smaller and similarly streamlined "Belarus" and "Voskhod" models, the larger but rarer "Sputnik" and "Burevestnik" river vessels, and the specialized ocean-going analogs "Kometa" and "Kolkhida".