The A-90 Orlyonok (Russian: Орлёнок, English: "Eaglet") is a Soviet ekranoplan (a ground effect vehicle) that was designed in the late 1960s by Rostislav Evgenievich Alexeyev of the Central Hydrofoil Design Bureau. The maiden flight was in 1970. The A-90 uses ground effect to fly a few meters above the surface. The Russians classify it as Ekranoplan Class B – it can achieve an altitude of 3,000 m (9,800 ft), placing it between Class A – which is limited to ground effect, and Class C, which exploits the ground effect only during take-offs and landings and otherwise functions as a typical airplane.