Urgently to the front: Nizhny Novgorod's "Sadko 9"
Pre-production "Sadko 9"
In place of "Shishiga"
The niche of a light tactical truck is currently vacant in the Russian Army. We are talking, first of all, about the successors of the famous GAZ-66, the production of which ended in 1999. "Shishiga" turned out to be both a legendary and a controversial vehicle.
On the one hand, unique for its class cross-country ability and dynamics. On the other hand, exotic ergonomics of the driver's workplace with the gearshift lever behind the back, impressive fuel consumption and a relatively small load capacity. In addition, the GAZ-66 was distinguished by weak anti-mine resistance, which is why the car was effectively excluded from the war in Afghanistan. A light truck with a cabin directly above the front axle is a deliberately losing option in the confrontation with mines.
The above-mentioned disadvantages cannot be called the developers’ mistakes. The reason is in the initially strict requirements for the truck’s design, determined by the Airborne Forces’ requests. It was the airborne troops that needed an airborne and, most importantly, airdroppable truck. In the struggle for the body’s capacity with limited dimensions, the cabin was mounted on the front axle, which determined the vulnerability of the “Shishiga”. There was simply no diesel engine of the appropriate dimensions to replace the gluttonous 8-cylinder carburetor engine – this problem was never solved until the mid-90s. Nevertheless, more than 1964 thousand “Shishigas” were produced from 1999 to 960.
But the GAZ-66 business did not perish. In 1996, the bonnet 2-ton GAZ-33097 "Sadko" came onto the scene. Many things were fixed in the car. The cabin behind the front axle was safer than the previous one in case of a mine explosion, and several diesel engines in the production range provided comparative economy with responsiveness. In addition, the aggregate base of the "Sadko" echoed the "Shishiga", which simplified repairs and operation in the troops. Unification of the cabin with the civilian GAZ-3309 reduced the costs of producing the car in Nizhny Novgorod.
"Sadko" was accepted into service, and not only in Russia. The Syrian military received 2000 trucks in the mid-140s, and the GAZ all-terrain vehicle is also found in the armies of Belarus, Armenia, Kazakhstan and the Philippines. The military "Sadko" has long been discontinued in Nizhny Novgorod, but a number of vehicles still serve in the Russian Army. Their service life is short. However, there is no adequate replacement for the "Sadko" and, apparently, no plans are in place. A paradoxical situation is developing, when the niche of a light tactical truck with a carrying capacity of 2-3 tons in the Russian Army is not occupied.
The two-axle KAMAZ trucks of the Mustang family turned out to be somewhat overweight, which is inevitable when trying to make a light vehicle out of a heavy one.
One step higher are the two-axle KamAZ trucks – 4350 and 43501. The latter is not the most successful attempt to adapt a heavy truck from Naberezhnye Chelny for the Airborne Forces. The KamAZ-43501 decided to play in an unusual niche for itself, and this is what came of it. With a load capacity of 3 tons, the unladen weight of the vehicle is 7,6 tons. For comparison, the GAZ-66 took 2 tons in the back, but pulled 3,5 tons in the unladen state. Therefore, it is impossible to talk about a full-fledged replacement of the Shishiga with a vehicle from Naberezhnye Chelny. It is good that airborne parachute landings in the Russian Army have come to naught, and there is no urgent need for a lightweight KamAZ for the Airborne Forces. But the need for a light all-terrain truck in the army has not evaporated. For example, we can recall the success of the German Unimog, which was distributed to armies of the world in the amount of more than 150 thousand vehicles. A universal vehicle of this class, especially with a bonnet configuration, will find its place in the fields of a special military operation.
"Sadko 9"
As mentioned above, some of Russia's automobile production does not appear in the SVO through government purchases. Volunteers purchase new and used Gazelles and Nivas, but there is no talk of any adaptation of these vehicles in factory conditions for the needs of the army. At the same time, it is impossible to talk about saturating the front line with automobile equipment - drones и artillery cause significant damage. As for the reasons for such detachment, one can assume that AvtoVAZ and GAZ do not want to fall under even more serious sanctions. For example, if the Chinese brothers refuse joint projects, then many components will again have to be imported. But this applies to a greater extent to the automobile plant in Tolyatti. The Nizhny Novgorod residents have long and quite successfully coped with international sanctions. Nevertheless, the main burden of the state defense order in the field of automobile manufacturing is borne by KAMAZ, Ural and UAZ. Although the Gorky Automobile Plant, from its very foundation in 1932, produced equipment that has been widely used in the Army at all times.
"Sadko 9"
The reason to remember the glorious military past of GAZ arose in connection with the appearance of a new modification of the ideological successor of the "Shishiga". But first about the regular "Sadko". The classic "Sadko-Next" is not a novelty for a long time, but it has not taken root in the Russian Army. Although it has been repeatedly exhibited at the "Army" forums. Now it is a neat two-axle truck, if necessary, equipped with a two-row cabin for 7 people. With a full weight of 6,85 tons, the load capacity reaches 3 tons.
And now the "Sadko 9" appears. From the index it is clear that the total mass is close to 9 tons, and the load capacity is close to 5 tons. Otherwise, it is almost a full format of the usual "Sadko-Next", only reinforced in almost everything. You can't think of anything better for frontline conditions. The car has high-profile tires with a centralized inflation system. For strength, they installed a reinforced rear axle - the beam thickness is increased by one and a half millimeters. The frame of the all-terrain vehicle was also reinforced.
An analysis of some design elements clearly indicates the initially civilian nature of the Sadko 9. For example, the rear air suspension, which allows the loading height to be reduced from 1450 to 1150 mm. This option is very controversial for the army, and the air springs themselves are vulnerable to bullets and shrapnel.
The vehicle, like the light Sadko-Next, is promised to be available with a two- and single-row cabin. The turbocharged diesel YaMZ-534 has been boosted specifically for the "nine" from 149 to 169 hp. Automotive journalists claim that the Sadko 9 has replaced the little-known GAZ-33086 Zemlyak truck. The new vehicle has a distinct advantage over its predecessor, with single-tire rear wheels. The Zemlyak was more suitable for agricultural work than for army life in many ways. Strengthening the Sadko 9 design can be seen not only as a requirement for greater load capacity, but also as a potential bonus when armoring the vehicle. An extra one and a half to two tons of armor steel will not critically affect the service life of the tough guy.
At Army-2024, experimental Sadkos for the army were presented, including in an armored version
What do we see as a bottom line? In the third year of the SVO, not all manufacturers are involved in the defense order. At the same time, we are seeing the emergence of civilian equipment that is in great demand at the fronts, but is not intended for military service. Such is the paradox. At the same time, volunteers are forced to send to the front frankly outdated vehicles produced in Nizhny Novgorod and Tolyatti. The appearance of the "Sadko 9" in the Russian Army also needs to be considered from different angles.
The vehicle is strong, comfortable and occupies an empty niche in the Russian Army. As does the Sadko-Next, by the way. Of course, it is possible to transport loads of up to 2-5 tons on KamAZ and Ural trucks, but this will be like shooting a cannon at sparrows. In the end, when two factories (in Nizhny Novgorod and Naberezhnye Chelny) work for the defense industry, there will be physically more trucks at the front. Which cannot but inspire the fighters. Let's not forget about the bonnet layout of the Sadko series, leaving up to a meter of living space in the event of a mine explosion. The vehicles from Naberezhnye Chelny do not have this bonus. At the same time, a new truck at the front is a new headache for suppliers and repairmen. The vehicle must undergo a unification procedure with the current combat vehicles in the North Military District. As a result, this will even make the Sadko 9 cheaper.
The all-terrain vehicle should go into production in Nizhny Novgorod in 2025, but so far there have been no News There is no information about the defense order for Sadko 9.
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