Military trucks into fire and water
“Eh, front-line path. We are not afraid of any bombing ... "- this song of a military chauffeur is known to many, and now we are not talking about the chauffeur. And about what he drives.
Today, for some reason, it is customary to talk more about tanks, Self-propelled guns, airplanes. Seeing here an article about steam locomotives, I decided not to be silent. Of course, the guys from VOSO are steel rollers, but we, the drivers in big green cars, are no thinner. And where there are no rails, there we are. So a steam locomotive or a diesel locomotive there - they will take any cargo to point "B", but then further ... Tushnyak to the kitchen, and the shells to the cannon - this, excuse me, is us. Always sleepy guys with always dirty hands.
I served in the FSO, deputy commander of an auto platoon. Why did I change the contrabass to a jeep - separate story, to which, perhaps, we will turn to.
But today I would like to propose to talk on such a specific topic as aptitude.
That is, is it possible, if necessary, to seat a man in a military truck with a driver who did not control a unit more complicated than the Kia Rio?
Those who have passed the school of the Togliatti Automobile Plant, I sincerely ask you not to start, you just easily master anything.
And here's a question for you: with proper training, will our fighter be able to quickly, within a few minutes, understand the enemy's technique? In the sense - if necessary, speaking sublimely, to master, roughly speaking - to hijack and use?
Do not "blunt" in such a situation when you have to work on the machine with your hands and feet, without a head. Well, almost without a head.
Let's talk about trucks.
How easy it is to master them, to drive away if you wish, I would like to serve on this. It's easier than emptying a bucket of gasoline.
Who are we going to look at?
The first country is naturally ours.
Well, firstly, we live here and we are interested in the state of affairs in our army, and secondly (I’ll underestimate it now), we understand a little bit about military technology.
The second country where technology is also not stupid is Germany.
Next, let's take our eternal confrontation - the United States.
But we must turn our eyes to people with a different mentality - Asian. Since we are border guards between the worlds of the West and the East, and we already have two western cars, then we take two eastern ones - the Land of the Rising Sun and the Celestial Empire.
So, let's get started.
Japan
Self-defense forces. karhu53.livejournal.com
As usual, Japanese military trucks are Isuzu cars.
It happened so historically and from above they finished off the post-war decisions. Toyota, Mitsubishi and Hino dismantled their reparation plants. Nissan and Toyota begged the American administration to make cars, but Isuzu quietly made trucks. But there was not much demand. And then - here you are, the Korean War.
To whom the war, and to whom and his mother. Here it is a surge in the economy and demand. And a giant has survived to this day - an auto concern that supplies equipment for the self-defense forces. The machines used are Type 73 and Type 81 (there is very little information).
Let's reason.
Type 73. Photo deviantart.com
Type 81. Photo wikimedia.org
What does a military driver care about?
That's right, like any other soldier - you want to live.
So, cabover cars leave less chance of life for the driver. That is why ZILs and "Urals" were massively imported to Afghanistan, and KamAZ trucks were called back. For reasons of chauffeur-saving.
And here we also have a semi-glass cabin, so that it was more convenient to park at the parade. I agree.
What about security? Or will the women give birth to new soldiers?
Not the best approach for me.
Have you noticed this clearance? Well, how is that?
Mockery.
Constantly running with a cable and a winch, but "comrade warrant officer, I have to pull me ...". Brrrr, it’s unpleasant to imagine screaming over the convoy of a stuck platoon of drivers. And driving foolishly is even worse, the bridges are out, look, low-low.
Twin wheels? Seriously?
I agree that the twin wheels allow for increased ride comfort and load capacity, but ... on a flat road.
And what is the point of comfort for a soldier?
And off-road, and where else can he go, this, on the contrary, is bad. The permeability is worse, the replacement is more difficult, and judging by the photo, it was decided to forget about the pumping of the wheels.
In the cockpit. Photo wikimedia.org
Internals.
Everything is simple and military-style restrained. But a tenacious gaze sees the absence of a hatch. But this is bad. Ventilation is superfluous, and in general, from an overturned car, there will be another way to dump.
But then it comes down - the roof is tented, that is, the protection of the driver's head is a tarp?
This helmet should always be worn. Conveniently.
Levers. Photo wikimedia.org
Now the controls.
The steering wheel is round, there are no questions here, the dashboard is readable. The box is exactly in the middle - the car is two-seater. It is very similar in type to our GAZ-66, only you don't need to twist your hand like that.
By the way, the outdated Isuzu is now being tested in Ukraine, where it is preparing to replace the GAZ-66, but it somehow gets stuck in the sand during testing. And the outdated "shishiga" drives on. For write-off.
But that's not the point. And about a modern truck.
Could a fighter have hijacked him?
Yes.
Is it difficult to manage?
I would say a little uncomfortable (switch speeds with the left hand), but after a minute and a half it will be easier.
Why?
As you can imagine, the red lever is exactly what you need to switch.
Where to?
Yes, there is a diagram on the dashboard. But this is an outdated cockpit, and our imaginary hijacker will get:
Automatic transmission. Photo wikiwand.com.
That is why I said “it will be difficult for the first minute and a half”. Translate hieroglyphs in the brain into familiar concepts. Then move the machine to the "drive" and "gas to the palace" mode. But do not accelerate quickly - there is a limit of 105 km / h. He won't go any faster. Although a diesel V8 could accelerate the car faster.
But 8 570 kg the weight of the car and 22 people on board will not agree to go faster. 7 150 cm of body length can support 6 tons of off-road cargo. That is, the gold of the party and the archive of death can be taken out.
Now let's get back to the first questions.
Could you steal?
Easily.
I would like to serve on this - no. The car is useless. Will not cope with the tasks. In the city, maybe, but ... you yourself understand.
Germany
Bundes. Photo daydaynews.cc
The German always knew how to make things, but, as we know, they burned well in a ditch. But we do not stir up the old, but we look at the modern.
What will surprise you?
Bulk trucks, according to my information, are Unimog and MAN.
Let's consider.
"Unimog". Mercedes-Benz "Unimog". A truly legendary car with well-known characteristics of bridges and interlocks. And what kind of civilian campers they make is generally chocolate, but this is not about travel, but about a difficult soldier's shoulder strap.
Unimog-1300L. Photo mobile.de
Extremely passable car. But we are not talking about the performance characteristics of the device, but let me remind you: “Could you ride this one without training (steal it) and would like to serve on this one?
So that's it. It looks like a standard truck. And in some ways even cute. Here the Germans have historically paid a bit of attention to their appearance. The car should be such that it is not a shame to publish on the page of the magazine, they say, “Our gold ride with comfort. Will give ist feselo and sadorno "!
The car is high enough, in appearance - light, high, passable. (Stirlitz, we will take).
On the topic of the smoothness of the body lines, we will not go over, but move on to the vital.
Was it comfortable for me, as a soldier, in such a car?
Fast forward to the cockpit.
Unimog-1300L. Photo mobile.de
Everything is as simple as it should be in a military machine. The sunroof allows you not only to breathe air, but also to leave the cab when it gets "very hot" in the nearest ditch. The gearshift lever is logical.
Has 8 forward speeds and ... Where is R? Or are the Germans like kamikaze - just forward?
But below there is a lever, like in a bike (UP / DOWN), it is clear (okay, I just know, I was sitting) that it must be moved to the desired position, and the car will go forward or backward. As necessary for the driver (less often) and his commander (more often, but more unpleasant).
Unimog-1300L. Photo mobile.de
Unimog-1300L. Photo mobile.de
Unimog-1300L. Photo mobile.de
The conclusions are obvious.
The car is as simple as 5 kopecks. Yes, you can take a simple burgher, and with a little preparation he will sit behind the wheel. Everything is intuitive. Even the batteries are in the same places as on our cars. It is not difficult to leave in such a car, and the service, I do not think, would be a burden.
The machine is shorter in size than the Japanese one by a meter. Carrying capacity as much as 7,5 tons. A diesel fuel eats diesel fuel not lower than Euro-5, which allows it to accelerate to 80 km / h.
It would be nice to serve in such a machine, although the comfort and relaxation of the soldier, but the question of the quality of the filled diesel fuel remains open. At one time we flooded such that our trucks shuddered at the sight. But - we went. They smoked, smelled, but drove on.
MAN
MAN. Photo wikimedia.org
Another truck in the service of the Wehrmacht.
The truck itself is bigger than the Unimog. Not so, maybe walkable, but big and more spacious. Although the 4x4, 6x6 and 8x8 versions also allow you to overcome off-road. But the main task of this truck is to transport goods, following modern tanks. A kind of rickshaw in a modern way.
It is huge, and in the forests it cannot be covered with branches. Therefore, stealing such a truck from under the enemy's nose must be done carefully. If it is loaded, then there is a sentry somewhere nearby, keeping watch, so to speak, and also would not want to detonate (depending on what is in the back) on bumps.
MAN. Photo wikimedia.org
Such a truck was liked not only by the Bundeswehr, but also by another NATO member - the United States. And some of the trucks, exclusively with 8x8 wheel arrangement, carried nuclear missiles and engines to them. The high-powered diesel "Manovsky" engine was solidly dragging the platforms with the load.
Rheinmetall. Photo griephan.de
But you can't handle it like that with overclocking. The machine is quite complex, and you will not be able to quickly figure out the levers, buttons and switches.
China
Norinko. Photo defense-blog.com
Here I will say this - everything is complicated.
Why?
Yes, either KamAZ - Typhoon is in front of us, or - Norinko. They love to copy. And when they copy the foreman, here it will be difficult.
Like KamAZ - the bottom has a V-shaped profile and explosion protection. The wheel arrangement and location of these are a copy of KamAZ. Turbodiesel carries this armored capsule with 2 fighters in the cockpit and 16 behind.
And in order not to carry, stuck D and flooded 600 km.
The 432-horsepower engine hums, the wheels measure kilometers, and the driver steers with one hand, wipes away tears of happiness with the other, and how not to wipe it?
An automatic transmission is a convenient thing, but how will it behave in off-road conditions, mud, tank track and a cannon with a field kitchen on a trailer?
Here is the question.
But the Chinese are not stupid. Know what to copy. The 450-horsepower YaMZ engine paired with an 8-speed automatic on the Typhoon allows you to run 1 km at one refueling. Here's a copy from Aliexpress.
And in general it is difficult with them (with the Chinese): everything that you have seen in other countries is the same with them.
USA
M923. Photo wheelsage.org
There she is. "Emka". Or rather - M939.
US Army Massive Truck. The truck has just a ton of modifications. Onboard and no, tractors and specialized. These trucks continue their famous series.
What can I say about them?
Worthy.
A bonneted car, with a truly iron muzzle that can inspire respect on the road.
The cars have reliable diesel engines of 250 horsepower, of a fairly large volume: from 8,3 liters to 14 liters. Automatic transmission. Outwardly, there is a similarity with Soviet trucks - "Ural" and KrAZ. Something evokes thoughts about these cars, looking at the "American".
It would seem - a truck like a truck. The brand is just different, but no. There is one curiosity here. These trucks can be easily converted into different modifications. Onboard - here it is, a technician - yes, please, a dump truck - if you please.
If you want to put a Browning machine gun on it - please. Rocket launcher - do not deny yourself this. And here the most interesting thing is the gun-truck. Yes, these trucks were converted into them, and even ready-made kits for conversion into a gun truck were produced.
Armed armored truck. A sort of machine of the Apocalypse. Well, cool.
And then the question arises - how is it possible for the Americans to have everything so smoothly?
And I will answer - not everything is so, to the general joy.
The cars had technical problems.
Half of the fatalities in the army are for these trucks. Either ABS will work earlier, and the car falls on its side, then the tires do not allow moving on the roads.
Indeed, during the development of the truck, off-road operation was planned in 90% of cases, but in fact - exactly the opposite. The truck moves on the asphalt. In this connection, an order was issued - not to drive more than 65 km / h. Yeah.
Well, our answers - would he hijack?
Easily.
Would you like to serve on this?
No. It's scary to drive such a typewriter.
Russia
KamAZ. Photo wikimedia.org
And what about us?
In addition to the legacy of the past, which even now will plug modern competitors into the belt, we have a family of KamAZ trucks - "Bear", "Mustang", "Typhoon" (although it, like the Chinese, can hardly be attributed to trucks - more an armored car).
Well, the "Ural" - "Land" and the cabover "Motovoz".
Ural-4320. Photo wikimedia.org
This technique is familiar to us - it does not cause problems, there is even nothing to say. Everything is very clear and understandable.
Conclusions?
On our equipment and into fire and water. 100% trust. My darling will take you out. Yes, I understand that this is not "Unimog", in which everything works like a clock, because the high accuracy of the parts, and our bumper cannot fit everything, but we take military equipment, and there it is not even considered a flaw. Moreover, by May it is all the same to smear with shoe polish.
But it is simple and understandable even for a bear. You can start and go, even if you only drove a "kid" "gig".
As for me personally, according to the experience of my service I will not trade the Ural for any even the most sophisticated KamAZ.
"Ural" is such a rattler, next to which all these foreign crafts do not look very serious. A harsh machine for real batching.
Because "Ural", and not "Mers" or KamAZ.
What do you think?
Information