Forced simplification: armored vehicles "Toros" and "Squadron" for the Russian army
STS "Toros". Source: intrall.ru
Cheap and angry
In the rapidly aging line of domestic armored vehicles, it is not difficult to find free niches. So the Intrall consortium specialists decided that the Russian army lacks armored vehicles with a total weight of up to 12 tons. At the same time, they are quite simple and unpretentious. Based on similar considerations, in 2014, engineers presented a truck with the characteristic name "Kolun-5313". This is a three-axle all-wheel drive armored vehicle, assembled on the basis of the ZIL-131 and equipped with the Minsk D245 series turbodiesels with a capacity of 136 and 220 hp. With the engines of the "Kolun" there was a paradox. The 136 horsepower motor is frankly weak for a 12-ton machine and will not provide the proper dynamics. Diesel of 220 horsepower is enough, but here the danger is fraught with a weak undercarriage from the ancient ZIL-131. Initially, the ZIL truck was designed for a 150-horsepower gasoline engine, so an increase of seventy "horses" may well destroy the transmission prematurely. And by and large it's not even about power, but about the impressive torque of the turbodiesels.
"Cleaver" sample 2014. Source: autoreview.ru
"Cleaver", as conceived by the authors, should perform a wide range of tasks - from transporting 19 soldiers to towing artillery installations. The attentive reader will surely point out the name of the car, borrowed from the well-deserved ZIL-157. Among the many respectable nicknames for the truck was the "Cleaver", passed off for the characteristic shape of the hood. However, in terms of technical performance, the Kolun-5313 can be considered a kind of reincarnation of the ZIL-157.
In the "Kolun" of the XXI century, it was decided to abandon the traditional ZIL-131 wheels in favor of massive Ural wheels. The engineers did not come up with any special delicacies for the armored car - the suspension is traditional dependent spring, armored according to the fourth class, and the crew with the landing party do not have any special protection against detonation. There is no V-shaped bottom, the seats are rigidly attached to the floor, there are no stands isolated from the bottom for the fighters' legs, there are no crossbar locks in the armored doors. Upon closer examination of the appearance of the Cleaver, the absence of loopholes on the sides is striking. In fact, there are only three indisputable advantages of the armored car - a relatively low price due to the use of an outdated ZIL-131 platform, a bonneted "disruptive" layout and a charismatic design.
There is complete confusion with the place of the alleged release of "Kolun". On the one hand, the car has the full name of UAMZ "Kolun-5313", and on the other hand, it has no direct relation to the Ural Automotive Plant. The management of the Intrall consortium simply bought out the name of the enterprise in the hope of an appropriate image - the last ZIL-2010 and 130 were produced at UAMZ until 131. Apparently, the Intrall consortium was going to make its own Kolun armored cars from the remaining vehicle sets. The exact place of assembly of prototypes of cars presented back in 2014 is not known for sure. According to some reports, we can talk about an assembly site near Saratov. At one time, the Intrall consortium, leading its history Since 2003, he has been quite seriously engaged in the purchase of Western engineering samples. The rights to the brands Praga (Czech Republic), a Polish factory producing Daewoo trucks and Honker jeeps, were acquired. In 2006, there were plans to launch Intrall Lubo delivery trucks into series, which ended in nothing. So the "Cleavers" never left the status of prototypes. This was largely due to the strange choice of the discontinued ZIL-131 - where were the authors going to take the nodes for a large-scale order?
Nevertheless, on the official Intrall website, developers still offer their armored cars to the Ministry of Emergencies, the Army, the FSB, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and other partners. There are funny inaccuracies in the description of the cars. For example, the own weight of the "Cleaver 4x4" (there is also such a version) is recorded at 9 tons, and the total weight is 5 tons.
"Toros", the younger brother of "Cleaver"
When, in 2013, Intrall decided to offer its vision of light tactical armored vehicles to the Russian law enforcement agencies, the choice fell on the ... BTR-60 platform. More precisely, on the nodes of the independent torsion bar suspension and wheels. It turned out to be a direct competitor to "Tiger", however, losing to him in almost everything. With the exception of the ability to overcome water obstacles by swimming due to the rotation of the wheels - the lead screw of the "Toros" (this is the name given to the armored car at birth) was absent. The developers very interestingly justified themselves for this drawback:
“Having analyzed the options, we abandoned the originally intended use of water cannons or propellers due to the significant loss of the vehicle's payload, which was taken away by the water jet or rowing equipment, without giving any special advantages in floating speed (no more than 10%).”
The engineers decided not to mention that the water jet noticeably improves the handling of the car on the water.
STS "Toros". Source: autoreview.ru
The Intrall consortium offered the 4x4 armored car in three versions at once - the basic one with the index 4901, the commander's open-top 4902 and the sanitary one 4903, an analogue of the modern Russian "Lenza". For most of the nodes "Hummocks" and "Cleaver" are unified, including in the area of weak mine protection. The "Toros" family also has its own recognizable drawback - rear suicidal doors that open against the course. In what kind of combat situation such a solution can be useful, it is not clear. Probably so that the soldiers, hiding behind doors, could keep a perimeter defense. It is quite reasonable, because the "Toros" is completely devoid of loopholes, and return fire will have to be opened from the outside. Suicidal or hinged doors have gotten their name for a reason. In the early days of the automobile industry, many automakers used this solution, but as speed increased, the likelihood of unintentional opening of the door increased. In this case, the air flow could easily throw the unbuckled rider out. Of course, "Toros" with its 136-horsepower engine is not afraid of such a problem. But the open rear doors make an excellent armor plate for bullets ricochet into the cockpit.
STS "Toros". Source: intrall.ru
This is not the only drawback of the Toros platform. For example, it is not completely clear where they wanted to use an armored command vehicle without a top. Did they want the officers to share the fate of J. Kennedy?
It is interesting that the developers compare their brainchild with foreign counterparts, in particular, with the American Oshkosh L-ATV. Armored cars are really similar in size and weight, but this is where the common features end. The Oshkosh is much better equipped with a 300-horsepower Duramax hybrid diesel engine. In addition, the light armored car is equipped with an automatic gearbox, which greatly facilitates control. Nothing of the kind is foreseen for "Toros" even in the long term. Which does not prevent the authors from writing the following:
"The special vehicle" Toros "has already been twice presented at the events of the RF Ministry of Defense and passed the first approbation in the corresponding unit of the special forces of the Russian Army. Moreover, during this period, our specialists have solved a number of technical problems that significantly improve the characteristics of the Russian machine in comparison with its American counterpart. "
What exactly surpassed the "Toros" overseas analogue remained a military secret.
Despite all the identified shortcomings and frankly outdated design, in 2018 there was information about the adoption of "Toros". While as an airborne vehicle for the Airborne Forces. Whether the purchase actually went through is unknown.
Special vehicle "Squadron"
It is not easy to create armored vehicles from scratch - in this rather specific industry, experience and a thorough analysis of the combat use of equipment are of great importance. Military acceptance alone is worth something. Many innovations and design rules had to pay with the blood of fighters. Civilian companies do not have many chances to withstand the competition with such market giants as KamAZ, Ural and GAZ. Nevertheless, the Intrall consortium does not despair and in 2015 presented the lightweight buggy "Squadron". The machine is unified in individual units with AvtoVAZ products and is equipped with a mysterious
"The latest low-temperature hybrid powertrain that allows you to stealthily and silently navigate in any extreme conditions for the final step."
The most surprising thing is that the "Squadron" is a single armored buggy with unguided missile launchers strapped to the sides. The authors of the project, obviously, are fans of "Mad Max", since they allowed this to be shown to the army leadership. The developers themselves are confused in the testimony - the prototype of the "Squadron" is intended either for reconnaissance of the Airborne Forces, or for assault units.
Originally the Squadron buggy was supposed to be like this. Source: youtube.com
In 2015, the buggy took part in army tests, after which the military said that they would consider such a technique only in a four-seater version. Simply put, it was reasonable to abandon the "Mad Max" chariot. As a result, in 2017-2018. thoroughly revised machines "Squadron - 3" and "Squadron - 4" were offered. All-wheel drive buggies, designed for four riders with equipment, but completely devoid of armor. The main advantage of such a technique is the speed, which, according to the engineers, allows you to dodge bullets. A controversial statement given the prevalence of automatic weapons from partisan gangs, against which buggies will work.
Light tactical vehicle Squadron-9904. Photo: Vitaly Kuzmin
High speed requires high power-to-weight ratio, and here Intrall had a hitch. In the domestic motor line, there is no compact high-powered unit suitable for a buggy. As a result, they built a duet of two VAZ engines, in total giving out 244 hp. No, the engineers were inspired by the legacy of the legendary BTR-60. It is unnecessary to talk about what problems paired motors can cause in real operation.
Light tactical vehicle Squadron-9903. Photo: Vitaly Kuzmin
The concept of the shock-reconnaissance buggy itself is quite controversial, and even more so on the example of the Squadron series vehicles. Lightweight transports, adapted for movement inside and on the external sling of helicopters, are woven from compromises. Height restrictions do not allow you to raise the ground clearance, and this will have the most negative effect on overcoming snow. Or will they fight on buggies only in the summer and only in the southern regions? Bodies exposed to all winds will seriously limit the use of cars in the northern regions. Nevertheless, we are seeing a real surge of interest in combat buggies in Russia. Many say that this is a consequence of the Syrian experience, but, most likely, we are talking about an elementary borrowing of the next Western ideas.
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