Potential tank carrier: BAZ 6x6 as an example of real import substitution
Peaceful truck for wartime
It is worth starting with stories Ippolit Romanov, a Russian engineer and inventor who created the first domestic electric cars. At the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, he became one of the pioneers in the motorization of Tsarist Russia. His electric cabs were distinguished by their progressive design by world standards - for example, each wheel was driven by a separate engine. Even now, not all elite electric cars can afford such luxury.
In 1899, Ippolit Vladimirovich presented his developments to the famous industrialist Pyotr Frese, and they made a good impression on him. As a result, they assembled a couple of light electric cars, and a little later the first domestic omnibus appeared, in which horse traction was replaced by electric traction. Romanov's cars were well-made, but they did not interest the tsarist government, which meant that there was no money for the ambitious project. As a result, the talented Russian engineer was forced to emigrate to the United States in 1918, where he left the world in 1944.
What is this story all about? Because an automobile manufacturing company named "Romanov" has appeared in Russia, and right now its sites are mastering the production of the BAZ 6x6 heavy-duty truck. The Romanov plant is an example of how to organize the assembly of sovereign cars on the capacities abandoned by Western companies. We are talking about the St. Petersburg enterprise Scania-MAN, which for obvious reasons has been empty since 2022. The result is a hodgepodge, in which the Swedish-German site and JSC "Romanov", which is bringing into series production a truck named BAZ (Bryansk Automobile Plant).
BAZs have almost never been civilian automakers. In Soviet times, a backup of the Likhachev Plant (ZiL), or rather its Special Design Bureau, was built in Bryansk. Later, BAZ turned into an independent plant producing heavy equipment for the army, but standing one step below the Minsk and Kurgan wheeled giants. Now it is difficult to understand the confusing naming scheme and affiliation of the main character, the BAZ 6x6. As is known, the Bryansk Automobile Plant is part of the Obukhov Plant defense concern, which is within the perimeter of Almaz-Antey. In recent decades, BAZs have been focused on working primarily as carriers of complexes Defense and other high-tech products. But "Romanov" has nothing to do with Bryansk - it is a separate project aimed at the civilian market.
There are two possible reasons for the emergence of such a complicated scheme: first, BAZ (which is in Bryansk) is fully booked in military orders and has no time for civilian trucks; second, Romanov is trying to distance itself from the military role of Bryansk vehicles. The latter will help to bypass international sanctions and more actively promote the all-terrain vehicle on foreign markets. Something similar was done by the Kama Automobile Plant before the SVO, when it took the defense Remdiesel outside the perimeter. However, this did not help to avoid sanctions.
BAZ 6x6 will hit the market in the summer of 2025
The flight of foreign automakers from Russia, in addition to a lot of troubles, created a lot of opportunities. For example, BAZ 6x6 would never have found a site for assembly if it were not for the empty areas of Scania-MAN near St. Petersburg in the industrial zone of Shushary. As was said above, Bryansk is now full to the brim with military orders. Like KamAZ, Ural, UAZ and others. All that remains is to borrow the production areas kindly provided by Western "partners".
It is worth mentioning right away that the hero of the material, the BAZ 6x6, is a purely civilian vehicle. At least for now. The big guy occupies an empty niche of heavy all-wheel drive trucks for difficult climatic conditions. The first users will be geologists, oil workers and other extreme workers. A special feature of the truck was the almost total use of domestic components. Bridges, engine, suspensions, Belarusian frame, cabin, transmission - everything is ours. The Telegram channel "Russian cars" comments on import substitution at BAZ:
"Symmetrical frame side members (coated with cataphoretic primer) are made by the Zhodino Forging Plant of Heavy Stampings. Engines and gearboxes are from Yaroslavl, gearboxes come from the "parent" BAZ (from Bryansk), and transfer boxes - from Naberezhnye Chelny, from ZMT. All other parts are also from Russian or Belarusian suppliers: Borisov Power Steering Plant, Obukhov Plant, Avgust, Rostar, Khors, Itelma... Even the multimedia device in the cabin is called by the Russian word "Molniya", although, of course, it is made in China (perhaps this is the only Chinese part in this car)."
An exception can be made by the aforementioned supplier of electronic equipment, Itelma, which has established import substitution for most components (ABS, engine management systems, multimedia, etc.), but chips and some microcircuits still have to be purchased in China.
Tough guy
Readers and authors of "Military Review" could not pass by news about the BAZ 6x6, which is being prepared for series production. Firstly, this is a rare case of developing such a complex vehicle from scratch. In Russia, they have been copying European and now Chinese technology for decades. And suddenly such a beauty. Secondly, the attention to the truck is not accidental in connection with the situation in the country. No one is belittling the need of oil workers and geologists for a heavy vehicle, but military needs should not be forgotten either. The BAZ 6x6 first appeared in public almost two years ago, and even then it became clear that it was a tasty morsel for the army. First of all, as a tank carrier, of which there are never many at the front. There is a particular shortage now of heavy vehicles capable of pulling lowboys not only on asphalt.
The BAZ 6x6 from Romanov turned out to be a tough little thing, and what is important is that the design of the product has already been fixed to pass all the necessary certification tests.
If in May 2023 we wrote more about a research prototype or a technology demonstrator, now we are talking about a car that will soon go into production. The first production cars are planned for the summer of 2025. Just listing the technical solutions will delight any techie. The car has fully independent suspension on all wheels, and all axles are interchangeable. You can even remove one of the rear axles and put it on the front. And vice versa. This trick is realized due to the fact that all axles are the same - it's just that the steering rods are locked on the rear axles. A very practical solution for the civilian market, while increasing the survivability of the car in combat conditions. If the customer has the desire and opportunity, the steering rods can be left unlocked on the rear axles, and the truck can be made fully steerable. Both rear axles and one outer axle can turn. According to the chief designer of JSC Romanov, Yuri Shipilov, the vehicle can be equipped with either a hydraulic or mechanical rear axle steering system. To increase ground clearance and cross-country ability on heavy soils, all BAZ axles are equipped with wheel reducers.
The BAZ units and assemblies are distinguished by a solid margin of safety
There are four known modifications of BAZ-Romanov submitted for testing and certification. These are the basic chassis for customer add-ons, a tractor unit, a dump truck and a flatbed truck. But that's not all. The customer can choose from five types of cabins (all made of fiberglass), two wheel arrangements (6x6 and 6x4), as well as the length of the wheelbase. The total mass of the tractor unit can reach 36 tons, and the maximum frame length is 12 meters. In the latter case, most likely, the BAZ will already be four-axle. The developers indicate a minimum wheelbase of 3,6 m and a maximum of 6,6 m. The engine of the all-wheel drive is not impressive in its power - YaMZ 653.1 with 357 horsepower, but it is possible to install a 500-horsepower Yaroslavl diesel. But for now it is in the category of promising. Chinese diesel and gas Weichai will be more expensive. It seems to be a deviation from the dogmas of import substitution, but here it is the customer's will - the domestic YaMZ remains the base one.
The BAZ 6x6 was clearly designed with a solid safety margin. This is given away by both the massive components and assemblies, and the large unladen weight of the truck. In the world of commercial vehicles, the ability to take more cargo into the back than you weigh yourself has long been a golden rule. For example, the classic KamAZ-65115 dump truck in its unladen state pulls 10 tons, and takes all fifteen on its back. The heavyweight from Romanov weighs 19 tons, and the load capacity is “only” seventeen. If overweighting the vehicle is used, then we have a truck for truly difficult conditions. An ideal tank carrier for the SVO. The only obstacle to military service may be the frame-panel cabin, which does not provide for the possibility of armoring. But this limitation can be circumvented by simply welding a separate cabin for the BAZ. But all this is just fantasy. The real future of the truck was quite clearly expressed in the Telegram channel “Russian Cars”, and there is not a word about the military path:
"The plant's payback period is 8 years, which means it will be around mid-2033. And there is almost no doubt about it, given the level of state support for the project, the prospects for interaction with the FRP and the signing of the SPIC (to compensate for the recycling fee). It is also important that Romanov has chosen a very clear market positioning, betting on obviously wealthy buyers: oil workers, timber industry workers, gas workers, Siberian and polar builders. In these industries, the boundary between a government order and a commercial purchase can be very conditional, and the selection criteria are not limited to price and the size of the kickback. In most tenders, the determining factor is the level of localization. BAZ, with its almost 2% Russian aggregate base, will give odds to all other car factories using Chinese components. It may turn out that XNUMX thousand cars a year from JSC Romanov will simply not be enough for the market."
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