Special operation star: MT-LB multi-purpose transporter
The publication “Rybar” dedicated a special piece of art to the MT-LB. Here are not all the variations of the use of "Motoliga"
Product 6
How and where was “Motolyga” born, which almost became a military-technical symbol of the special operation?
This happened in Soviet Kharkov in 1960 at the famous tractor plant KhTZ. The tractor did not appear out of nowhere, but from the realization of two truths.
The first is the previous AT-L vehicle (light artillery tractor), although it was distinguished by its high-quality performance, but it had exhausted all possibilities for modernization. It was necessary to significantly increase the power and thrust-to-weight ratio of the vehicle. According to the layout, the AT-L is a typical truck with a front-mounted MTO, mounted on crawler tracks.
As soon as we tried to increase the engine power above 135 hp. pp., problems began with the distribution of masses. A gearbox for a more powerful engine added both dimensions and weight.
As a result, the tractor would bury its nose on soft soils, and with a sharp deceleration it intended to roll over. Therefore, an artillery tractor with an unconventional layout for the 50s and 60s was required.
The second reason for the appearance of the MT-LB was the changed requirements for military equipment. The vehicle had to have a low silhouette, high mobility, be able to swim and have light armor. In addition, you can also shoot back from a machine gun.
The designers were presented with a problem that no one had solved before - in fact, we can talk about a technical revolution. However, the times were appropriate - in the 50s–70s the country created such a foundation for the future that we are still using its fruits by inertia. And MT-LB is no exception.
Artillery tractor AT-L - the immediate predecessor of the MT-LB
MT-LB
It is impossible to talk about the Motolyga solely as an artillery tractor. Perhaps this is the most multifunctional tracked platform of the first Soviet and later the Russian Army.
The product benefits from high mobility due to its powerful 240 hp motor. pp., located in the central part of the boat hull. In addition to the fact that the vehicle’s capabilities on weak-bearing soils were improved, this made it possible to sail well without fear of a critical trim on the bow. The gearbox is located in the front overhang, providing additional protection and balancing the loaded machine.
The high power supply initially somewhat complicated the work of the artillery crews. Easily reaching 60 km/h even with the gun on the coupling, the MT-LB caused the rubber in the wheels of the artillery carriages to overheat. It got to the point that on a multi-kilometer march, the tires simply burst from the temperature. After several incidents, the wheel travel of the guns had to be urgently modified.
The adoption of the MT-LB in 1964 increased the mobility of artillery batteries by an average of 20–30 percent. The main towed guns for the Motolyga were the 100 mm anti-tank BS-3 and MT-12. A few decades later, these guns will be installed on the roof of the MT-LB troop compartment, transferring the tractor-transporter to a completely different rank.
Serial and not very variants of MT-LB
Now many people are ironic about mounting a wide range of weapons on the MT-LB on special operations fronts. There is nothing surprising in this - Motolyga was designed at the preparatory stage as a universal platform. In Kharkov, from the very beginning, they created a whole family of armored vehicles for various needs.
The most famous is probably the seven-roller (regular MT-LB with six rollers on board) chassis for the 122-mm 2S1 Gvozdika self-propelled gun. The full name of the tracked vehicle is MT-LBush “product 26”. “Gvozdika” rightfully shares the well-deserved laurels of “Motolyga” in special operations. Although for most tasks the self-propelled gun is already outdated and must be replaced by the more modern 2S34 Khosta. The 120-mm self-propelled gun is also built on the chassis of the now immortal Motolyga.
The seven-cylinder base was continued in the MT-LBu model with a completely updated boat hull and a 300-horsepower engine. The vehicle is used, in particular, as a carrier of the Zoo counter-battery system. In its civilian version, the MT-LBu model is known as the Kharkov floating transporter.
Unimplemented projects on the MT-LB platform
But let’s return to the classic “Moto League”, which became the ancestor of a whole line of specific armored vehicles.
The artillery tractor eventually faded into the background, and MT-LB changed several professions at once.
“Product 35” or 9P149 combat vehicle of the “Sturm-S” anti-tank complex.
Conceptually, a very interesting product - its squat silhouette seriously complicated the detection of a self-propelled ATGM, which until recently was a significant advantage. Currently, air reconnaissance means actually devalue such a specific vehicle, or require great effort to cover. Nevertheless, Shturm-S operates in Ukraine. Just like the UR-77 machine for making passages in minefields, built on a seven-roller chassis.
NG52P6 machine for temporary storage, transportation and installation of nuclear mines.
Probably the most exotic way to use the MT-LB chassis was the special NG52P6 vehicle for temporary storage, transportation and installation of nuclear mines. Or the K-612-O nuclear explosion detection station from the K-612-OK lighting complex.
Improvisations on a theme
With great reservations, the MT-LB can be used as an infantry armored personnel carrier. There are several caveats.
Firstly, weak armor does not allow us to even get close to the front line with 11 paratroopers. As in the case of infantry fighting vehicles and armored personnel carriers, infantry prefers to move on the roof of the Motolyga.
Secondly, the design did not include the vehicle’s resistance to explosion by modern engineering ammunition. The low silhouette means that the crew and troops are close to the surface, which dramatically increases the lethality. We are also not talking about any damping seats - MT-LB was developed in the 60s, when such solutions were far from a priority.
According to the fashion of that time, MT-LB can swim slowly, but still. There are no water cannons - movement along the water surface is due to caterpillars and stern hydrodynamic reflectors. BMP-1 and BMP-2 behave in a similar way.
The first domestic improvisations based on MT-LB appeared in Afghanistan. The soldiers installed an 82-mm automatic mortar "Cornflower" on the transporter. The appearance of such an ersatz should have led the military to think about adopting a factory self-propelled mortar. But no, they waited until the 2020s. However, the problem of mobile mortars has still not been completely resolved in the Russian Army. As they wrote in their memoirs,
“The Vasilka attachment point on the roof of the conveyor was made from scrap materials - from parts of damaged cars, for example, from channels from the Ural frame; the mortar tray was placed on a wheel rim.”
Nowadays, in a special operation zone, they often don’t look for complicated paths and simply attach the “Cornflower” to the roof of the airborne squad without removing it from the wheels.
Also in Afghanistan, the MT-LBVM modification, intended for the Far North, has proven itself to be excellent. The vehicle's tracks received expanders, the specific pressure on the ground decreased, and the Motolyga had no equal in overcoming sandy wastelands. Where BMPs and BMDs were stuck, the “snowmobile” MT-LBs felt excellent.
A ship's 25-mm twin 2M-3 on an MT-LB tracked chassis somewhere in the Northeast Military District zone.
S-60 gun on MT-LB.
One of the most exotic add-ons for MT-LB is the MS-227 launcher for the A-22 Ogon ship complex.
At the moment, the rarest modification is the MT-LB with an RBU-6000 depth charge launcher. From the photographs below you can see that a slightly truncated version of the bomb launcher was chosen for the self-propelled gun
The potential for improvisation with the MT-LB during the special operation was truly revealed, as can be seen in the images above.
Why Motolyga?
Firstly, the Russian Army has accumulated at least 50 thousand vehicles. They are reliable and unpretentious, there are no problems with spare parts.
Secondly, there is practically no niche for the MT-LB to be used for its intended purpose - as a transporter and artillery tractor. There are not many guns that the Motolyga can tow, and as an infantry transporter it is too poorly protected.
So it turns out that the product is only suitable as a mobile platform for artillery and missiles, often working from closed positions.
Probably the most correct solution would be the massive conversion of MT-LB into fire support equipment by installing a combat module from the BTR-82A. Moreover, such products are available in limited quantities. Together with enhanced armor, the vehicles will pose a serious threat to the enemy.
ZPU-4 (4x14,5 mm Vladimirov machine gun) on the MT-LB chassis.
It’s easier to list the guns that were not mounted on the Motolyga, since the platform turned out to be in demand and universal.
The classics were the ZU-23-2 twin cannon, the above-mentioned Vasilek mortar, the ZPU-4 quad mount with 14,5 mm machine guns, vertically paired 25 mm 2M-3M automatic cannons and a block of 80 mm unguided aircraft missiles B- 8M1.
The RBU-6000 Smerch-2 ship bomb launcher looks absolutely exotic. Many have already managed to sneer at the latest product, but if a weapon can effectively and inexpensively destroy the enemy, then why not put it on the Motolyga?
It seems that this motto will guide the army rembats in the Northern Military District zone for a long time to come.
Information