Military cargo taxi
A century ago, many military experts thought that it was enough to requisition civilian transport for military needs during a war. However, over time it became obvious that танк you can't put it on a "civilian" truck. In addition, civilian vehicles turned out to be too diverse and therefore not reliable enough for the military: it was necessary to create dozens and hundreds of modifications of army trucks, but assembled on no more than half a dozen chassis.
The importance of automobiles for supplying and transporting troops was demonstrated by the experience of the First World War. Here is an example that has become a textbook example: already in early September 1914, German troops approached Paris; fighting was taking place on the Marne, 50 kilometers away. The 7th Infantry Division was quartered in Paris, but there were not enough resources to quickly transfer it to the front in full force. The commander of the Paris fortified region decided to use the city taxi. On the night of September 8, 1 “mobilized” Renaults delivered five battalions of one infantry brigade to the front (another brigade with the entire artillery arrived by rail), and in the morning the division entered the battle, attacking the flank of the German strike group. The local episode of the Battle of Marne became a legend, and the "Marne taxi" marked the beginning of mass automobile transportation of troops. The number of cars in the troops grew rapidly. In 1918, the French army had about 95 cars, the British - 000, and the German - 80. The Russian army, through purchases abroad, received slightly more than 000 cars by October 60.
Artillery tractor on KamAZ-63501 “Mustang” (8 × 8) chassis, Russia. Cockpit and crew - with the reservation, there is a crane for loading ammunition. The mass of the towed system is up to 15 t, the engine is diesel, 360 l. with., speed - up to 95 km / h After the First World War, it seemed to many enthusiasts that it was enough for the state to stimulate the development of civilian transport in order to provide them with an “automobile service” in case of war. More sober heads required the development of vehicles specifically for the army (taking into account particularities in the construction of civilian models), compulsory military training of civilian drivers, expansion of automobile units in the army, and the introduction of vehicles into the state of combat units. Funny, but indicative fact: in the case of the same “Marne taxi”, drivers, transporting troops, overtook each other out of habit, so that upon arrival at the place we had to spend time on putting the mixed units in order. Yet military motorists and their own army vehicles were preferable. So with such comfort as in a civilian taxi, the soldiers no longer drove.
Of course, no one has canceled the mobilization of civilian transport in case of war. But the Second World War clearly showed that, in conjunction with civilian technology, the fleet is too unsuited and poorly adapted to military service. Meanwhile, the need for supply and supply was too great. During the war years, the Red Army received about 205 000 cars from the domestic industry and 477 785 - from abroad. In the USSR at the beginning of the 1950-ies, the army was finally fully motorized, and work began on vehicles of various purposes and carrying capacities. Most of the machines supplied later to the national economy had army "twins" or prototypes. Many, say, remember the ambulance cars, minibuses, bread vans on the chassis of the UAZ-452. Rarely remember that this all-wheel drive car, nicknamed "Loaf", was originally created for military needs.
"Ural-4230-01" (6 × 6) with local booking and disguised armored module for personnel. Weight - 9,62 t, load capacity - 5 t, engine - diesel, 240 l. with., speed - up to 80 km / h The continuous increase in demand for the means of transportation can be judged by such figures. During the First World War, the daily consumption of all types of material resources per soldier was 6 kilograms, in the Second World War 20, in local wars 1970 — 1980-s — 90, in the Persian Gulf war in 1991 year — 110 kilograms (not counting water delivery). "Replacing a person with equipment" and some reduction in manpower in contingents of troops does not reduce the volume of supply, only the range of goods changes. In 1999, the weight of the ammunition required by the grouping of troops in Dagestan (quite, by the way, limited) was 1 300 tons. Only during the second Chechen campaign, from 1999 to 2002, did military motorists transport 457 775 tons of various cargoes.
No development of other types of transport cancels the enormous role of BAT in the transportation and supply of troops. Now for this purpose, multi-purpose or specialized wheeled trucks of normal, high and high traffic, tracked conveyors and conveyors, trailers, heavy trucks. We would call at least non-four-wheel drive vehicles KamAZ-5320, MAZ-500A, truck-mounted tractors with KamAZ-5410, widely used by Soviet troops in Afghanistan (and Russian in Chechnya) on hard-surface roads. On unpaved roads, the same tasks were solved by all-wheel drive KAMAZ-43105 and Ural-4320, tractors TC-6 on the chassis of the Ural-4320.
We can do everything
The main role in the BAT system of all armies is played by multi-purpose wheeled vehicles. In addition to transporting personnel and a variety of goods - from ammunition to food and batteries - and towing cargo trailers, they serve as a base for artillery tractors, tanker trucks, radar stations, control points. On the chassis of multi-purpose vehicles, trailers and semi-trailers mounted various weapons, equipment and special equipment of different types of troops. Only mobile means of repair on automobile chassis include technical assistance vehicles, technical maintenance workshops specialized in types and brands of serviced equipment, electrical charging stations, control and testing machines for guided weapons complexes — you can continue to list them. Already in the 1980-e years, the number of options for using the chassis of multi-purpose vehicles reached several hundred - among them countless modifications of the triaxial 3,5-ton ZIL-131.
KamAZ-43501 "Mustang" (4 × 4) on the parachute landing platform П-7Н, Russia. Vehicle weight - 7,7 t, load capacity - 3 t, towed trailer weight - 7 t, engine - diesel, 240 l. s., speed - 90 km / h Multipurpose cars in the structure of BAT are mainly represented by two-, three- and four-axle vehicles with a carrying capacity from 0,6 to 20 tons. These are, as a rule, all-terrain vehicles - all-wheel-drive, with wide-profile single-pitch tires and a centralized system for regulating pressure in them, high ground clearance.
In the last two decades of the 20th century, work began on a new generation of BAT. For multi-purpose vehicles were presented, in particular, the requirements of greater specific carrying capacity, greater maximum and average speeds, better maneuverability, increased power reserve. And at the same time, what is important is the greater unification of the base chassis. With all the difference in approaches and adopted programs, one can single out general trends in the development of BAT. One of them is the transition to diesel engines, associated with their high efficiency and the ability to reduce the range of fuels used in the troops. The use of gaseous fuels, adiabatic, turbo-compound engines, or, say, electrical transmissions from the agenda has not been removed, but they are not expected to yield immediate results from these areas. Efficiency of the course, as well as convenience and ease of management, contribute to the automatic transmission with electronic programmable control devices clutch and gearbox. Important and power steering - after all, BAT is driven mainly by people of average qualification and physical fitness. This generally coincides with the areas of civilian automotive industry - the military and civilian needs of motor vehicles are still closely related. True, there is a certain “inverse dependence” between them - the power density of military models, as a rule, is greater than that of civilian counterparts, while the nominal carrying capacity is somewhat less. A military vehicle needs a reserve of power for driving on difficult terrain. The army truck is devoid of the designer delights of commercial vehicles, but it is subject to more stringent requirements for durability, reliability, multi-fuel capacity, ability to withstand overloads and overcome fords, corrosion resistance of assemblies and parts, limiting the number of lubricants. It also requires the possibility of rare and simple maintenance, adaptability to rail and air transport.
In the USSR, and then in Russia, in the late 1980s - early 1990s, work was carried out to create unified vehicles with wheel arrangements of 4x4, 6x6 and 8x8 and a carrying capacity of 4 to 15 tons. Such work with the participation of the 21st Research Institute of the Ministry of Defense was carried out, for example, at the Kama Automobile Plant on the Mustang theme, at the Ural Automobile Plant - Motovoz. The Mustang family was based on the KamAZ-4350 (4x4), -5350 (6x6) and -6350 (8x8) brands of vehicles, and the Motovoz family was based on the Ural-43206 (4x4), -4320 (6x6) and -5323 (8x8) vehicles. In parallel, work was underway on new trailers and semi-trailers, especially since some of their manufacturers remained in the sovereign states that emerged after the collapse of the USSR. The catastrophic state of the domestic economy significantly delayed the appearance of a new generation of VAT in the army. Meanwhile, the equipment in use was aging and becoming increasingly difficult to repair. Only in 2005 was it decided to accept the new families into service. As a result, at least 6 basic models of multi-purpose vehicles should enter service with the army. True, the basic chassis themselves are now more unified - the internal unification of the Ural and KamAZ families in units and assemblies reaches 80-85%, and KamAZ diesel engines were chosen for all chassis. Unification was also carried out "along the organizational line", dividing "areas of responsibility" between the families. That is, the "Motovozy" of the Ural Automobile Plant should provide for all transportation in the troop level, as well as the needs of the Navy support units and anti-aircraft missile troop Defense, and the KAMAZ Mustangs were left with the operational link, the Air Force and Air Defense, rear units and formations, as well as the airborne troops. For the latter, a three-ton KAMAZ-4350, sometimes called the "Mustangenok", was created on the basis of the four-ton KAMAZ-43501. It must be said that proposals to leave a unified base chassis within a battalion or regiment have been expressed for a long time - in the vehicle fleets of some regiments, Urals, KAMAZs, KrAZs, ZILs, and UAZs served together. The new system allows for a reduction in the number of vehicle brands performing cargo transportation within a military unit from 8 to 3, and by increasing the load-carrying capacity, a decrease in the number of vehicles. Unification of the chassis also allows for a reduction in the number and composition of the motor vehicles required by the troops, unification of maintenance and repair facilities, and - importantly - simplification of driver training. However, the previous models will probably have to serve for many more years.
GAZ-3937 (4х4), Russia. Weight - 6,6 t, load capacity - 2,1 t, or 10 man with weapons, towed trailer weight - 2,5 t, engine - diesel, 175 l. s., travel speed - up to 112 km / h, power reserve - 1000 km
"Shishiga" with "Unimog"
Light all-wheel drive two-axle trucks with a 4x4 wheel arrangement have a lot of work in the army. The choice of a multi-purpose military vehicle is always a compromise between load capacity, speed, reliability, cost and efficiency. An example of a successful compromise for its time can be considered "Shishiga", as the Soviet GAZ-66 truck with a load capacity of up to 2 tons was nicknamed, which lasted in production for 35 years (it was produced until 1999). It had a high specific power - about 30 hp per ton, a wide range of traction forces and demonstrated remarkable cross-country ability and performance not only in the troops, but also in agricultural work. It was replaced by the GAZ-33081, but the military, as we have seen, preferred the more load-bearing KamAZ-4350.
We can mention the German "Unimog", many years working in different countries of the world. Characteristic decoding "Unimog" - Universalmotorgera ..te, or "universal vehicle". The new generation Unimog 4 × 4, created by Mercedes-Benz, includes cars of three load-bearing levels (U3000 - 2 tons, U4000 - 3, U5000 - 5) with diesel engines in 150 — 218 l. with., and in each there are options with a shortened and elongated base. Interesting features such as a “twisting” frame, an electropneumatic transmission, pneumatic control of the transfer case and differentials, ground clearance in 440 — 480 millimeters, large wheels with low pressure tires, small body overhangs in front and behind. All this provides a very good throughput and handling.
The 4 × 4 chassis of the DURO car family by the Swiss company Bucher-Guer is originally made. The wheels of each pair are attached to a tubular subframe, hinged to the frame of the car and connected via a balancer to another subframe. As a result, moving or tilting one wheel causes the others to move in such a way that the car on the slopes and unevenness keeps the wheels in contact with the ground, but does not experience a significant roll. A ground clearance without protruding crankcase contributes to the terrain. This suspension was applied to the model 6 × 6. You can see here the development of the idea of a "turning point" in the longitudinal plane of the frame, embodied by the company "Berlie" as far back as 1920-s.
KAMAZ-5350 Mustang (6 × 6). Weight - 8,54 t, load capacity - 6 t, towed trailer weight - 12 t, engine - diesel, 260 l. with., speed - 100 km / h, the range of fuel - 1090 km Either in uniform or in civilian clothes
The use of BAT directly in military units in combat conditions, it would seem, requires building it on the basis of the same components and assemblies as army armored vehicles. This experience is available - GAZ-3937 (with a tandem cab, unarmoured) and GAZ-39371 (with a conventional cabin layout, armored) of the Vodnik series, developed in Nizhny Novgorod and manufactured by the Arzamas Engineering Plant, are based on the BTR-80 units . And 26 replaceable modules (transport, cargo, combat) allow you to perform on this chassis with a mechanical transmission and an independent torsion bar suspension of the machine for various purposes.
The close connection of transport and transport machines is also evident in the Dingo-2 family, developed by the German company Krauss-Maffei-Wegman based on the same Unimog, although here commercial aggregates are used to a greater extent. The characteristic features of the car are independent wheel suspension and a large hood - after all, I had to place the engine in 230 l. with., - as well as a high cab, providing the driver a good overview. For the same serves as a rearview video system.
On the other hand, an unexpected example of the use of the most "peaceful" chassis was developed by the Mungo transport armored vehicle, made on the basis of ... the Multicar truck for urban utilities. The fact is that the Bundeswehr paratroopers involved in peacekeeping and counterterrorism operations abroad needed a machine that could transport a ten-person compartment, carry anti-bullet booking and, at the same time, fit into military aircraft and a CH-53 helicopter. So they chose a smaller chassis.
"Ural-6320" 6 × 6 (Russia) with a cab of frame-panel type, local booking, diesel engine in 400 l. with. and full weight up to 33,5 t "One two"
The most common in armies are multi-purpose vehicles with a load capacity of 5 to 10 tons. These are mainly three-axle all-wheel drive vehicles with a 1-2 axle distribution, i.e. with close-knit rear axles. The 1-2 scheme is well suited for highways, providing a favorable distribution of loads along the axles, although it is inferior to the 1-1-1 scheme in overcoming horizontal obstacles - an even distribution of axles along the length of the vehicle. The latter, interestingly, can be found on a number of floating trucks such as the British Stolvet or the Soviet floating chassis BAZ-5937, and close-knit front axles ("2-1") - on tractors with two steered axles such as the Czech Tatra-813. Multi-axle vehicles can also differ in the location of the engine and cabin, the scheme and type of transmission, and the suspension of the wheels.
The machines of the “1 — 2” scheme include, for example, the Russian “Ural-4320”, which showed itself well in the course of hostilities in the North Caucasus. Among its advantages was the classic layout with the location of the engine ahead of the cab - when hitting a mine in such trucks, the driver is more likely to survive. It is curious that the same layout was chosen for the American "tactical" 6 × 6 trucks of the Oshkosh family. Moreover, the three-axis Oshkosh family included four main modifications at once, differing in the length of the wheelbase and loading platform, carrying capacity, presence or absence of a winch - the desire to “close” a wide range of possible customer requirements on the basis of, in fact, one machine. "Ural4320", by the way, also has modifications with an extended base.
Tatra T816 (8 × 8) of the Force series, Czech Republic. Diesel engine may have power 544 or 830 l. with. Octopuses
An increase in the number of axles is required to increase the load capacity (and preserve the cross-country ability). Therefore, the appearance in addition to the three-axle and four-axle chassis with the wheel formula 8 × 8 was inevitable. Despite the greater complexity, they are preferable to a three-axle for a load capacity of 10 — 15 tons and above. However, it is possible to increase the number of axles and further - depending on the need. The development of the 8 × 8 chassis took a long time to unfold - in Germany, for example, Daimler-Benz and Magirus presented them in 1927 — 1928; in the USSR, the four-axle YG-1932 truck and the experienced chassis of Brigiengen E. Y. Chudakov. By the way, in the same 12, the German Bussing introduced the 1932 × 10 chassis.
Of the various 8 × 8 chassis schemes, the most common are “2 — 2” with close extreme axes and “1 — 1 — 1 — 1” with their uniform distribution. Managed can be two front axles, front and rear, or all at the same time. The “2 — 2” scheme provides the greatest stability of movement, maintaining contact with the ground when overcoming long irregularities, although the width of the ditch to be overcome is inferior to “1 — 1 — 1 — 1” or “1 — 2 — 1”.
The 8 × 8 chassis also perform well as a conveyor tractor. For example, an artillery tractor was mounted on the KAMAZ-6350 chassis, which, besides calculating in an armored cockpit and ammunition in the back, can carry fire control equipment. The BAZ-6593 8 × 8 of the Bryansk Automobile Plant is designed for towing 152-mm 2A36 “Hyacinth-B” artillery system or air defense systems weighing up to 15 tons. These cars occupy a kind of niche between multipurpose trucks and heavy tractors.
Vans and containers
It would be simple if all shipments were to load cars at one point of departure and unload at the final destination. In fact, cargo has to be transferred several times, especially when using troops abroad (for example, in UN operations), when the range of delivery of material and technical means increases many times over. Anyone who has had to manually load, unload and overload even unimportant loads that fill the body of the 5 — the 6-ton truck knows how much time and effort it takes. And if the same personnel need to immediately also put this load into action? The solution to the problem in military transport is the same as in commercial transport — the use of cargo containers that meet international standards and are adapted for transportation by air, sea, rail and road. This facilitates the use at certain stages of delivery of commercial vehicles and loading and unloading facilities. However, it is required to equip the automobile chassis with loading and unloading systems like "Multilift". Examples are the American FMTV-LHS system on the FMTV car chassis, the French PLM17 on the RM19 chassis, and the Finnish Sisso HMLT.
A major achievement half a century ago was the appearance of universal van bodies of the KUNG type, mounted on various automobile chassis or trailers and intended for the installation of various equipment and relatively comfortable accommodation of people servicing this equipment. But over time, container bodies, which, if necessary, can be either left on the chassis or unloaded onto the ground, turned out to be more convenient for these purposes. Work on them in various countries, including the USSR, began in the 1980s and 1990s. Modular containers were created to accommodate military personnel, equipment for command and communication centers, medical centers, weapons rooms, electrical installations, bakeries, and so on. And kitchens, bakeries, field canteens and other food service vehicles play, by the way, far from the last role in maintaining the combat readiness of troops. Variable-volume container bodies, which unfold on site like a matchbox, are becoming increasingly widespread.
Pinzgauer (6 × 6), Austria. Weight - 2,5 t, engine - diesel, 136 l. with., speed - up to 112 km / h, power reserve - 700 km. An example of a light three-wheeler-SUV
Life in the rear
Currently, the concept of "rear zone" does not mean safety. The tasks of transportation, supplies and technical support for the troops have to be carried out with the constant danger of shelling, especially in the areas of counterterrorist operations. This requires solving problems of increasing the security and survivability of multipurpose machines and their modifications. The solution has to be found in several directions. One of them is a reduction in visibility in the optical, infrared, radar, and also seismic-acoustic ranges. These include the use of means of blackout, deforming camouflage paint, thermal insulation of the power plant, screen-ejector devices for exhaust systems, radio-absorbing coatings and removable covers, covering wheel alloys with false boards.
The next direction is reducing vulnerability to damaging factors of various weapons. In our country, this problem has been addressed since the Afghan war. "The column goes past mountain peaks, meadows and fields in multi-colored patches and past the skeletons of burnt-out cars that were also columns once" - this is how the poet Mikhail Kalinkin described the movement of transport columns in the mountains of Afghanistan. The main danger was shelling from automatic weapons weapons and mines. And already in 1982-1985, work was carried out on mounted local armor for Ural and KamAZ vehicles. This mainly concerns armor protection of the cabin, the most important units and mechanisms. The experience of the first Chechen campaign required further development. Steel armor remains the main means of protection. Armor plates can be bolted directly to the surface of the vehicles or to a special frame. At the same time, the carrying capacity of the vehicles with the same cross-country ability should not decrease by more than 15%.
NATO countries are very concerned about the protection of transport vehicles during the aggression against Yugoslavia. And by March, 2005 had 25 300 armored vehicles, including various Humvees and jeeps, by the US military in Iraq.
Back in the 1990s, the danger of delivering even humanitarian aid in areas of interethnic conflicts gave rise to the UN requirement to armour the trucks used for this purpose. It should be noted that many foreign experts recognised the Russian variants of local armouring of heavy-duty vehicles with 4-8 mm thick steel armour as optimal. However, this did not prevent, for example, the Hungarians from detaining Russian humanitarian aid for Yugoslavia at the border in 1999, declaring the armoured civilian trucks to be “military vehicles”, which, however, can be explained simply by the excessive enthusiasm of the new NATO member.
The already mentioned “Ural-4320”, in a protected version, in addition to booking an engine and a cabin, received a filter-ventilation installation, radiation and chemical reconnaissance devices, a machine gun installation, and night-vision devices allowing it to do without headlights. An armored module disguised by a conventional awning can be mounted in its body for soldiers with embrasures for firing from an individual weapon.
Cars for fuel supply are also booked, for example, British and German 18 and 15 vehicles with tankers with a capacity of thousands of liters on the 8 × 8 chassis with anti-bullet and splinter armor cabs and cisterns. The camouflage of the tanker works as an ordinary truck. For example, a fuel tank with a pump can be covered under the tent of the “Ural” or KamAZ. Characterized by work on booking evacuation vehicles and technical assistance vehicles.
In a number of programs for developing new multi-purpose machines, the possibility of booking is provided for initially. More and more widely used in them are fire resistant wheels with rigid inserts that allow you to move on a punctured and flat tire. The insertion of the German company “German Prokyurement” also plays a “mine action” role, taking part of the explosion energy to its destruction (there is no need for movement) and directing part of the explosive gases away from the car.
Accompanied by armed vehicles - also a means to increase the security of the columns. And here again is the work of multi-purpose machines. Both in Afghanistan and in Chechnya, ZU-23 anti-aircraft guns were used, installed in the back of a KamAZ or Ural vehicle and disguised until being used by an awning.
Tractor KZKT-74281 "Rusich" (8×8) with a T-90S tank on a semi-trailer KZKT-9101, Russia. Tractor weight - 25 tons, number of seats in the cabin - 6, semi-trailer carrying capacity - 52 tons, engine - diesel, 650 hp, speed - up to 70 km/h, fuel range - 705 km
Tanks by taxi
The armies were not only motorized, but also mechanized, that is, equipped with combat vehicles. Now it is difficult to imagine even local fighting without the participation of tanks and self-propelled guns. But heavy tracked vehicles, as is well known, are significantly inferior to wheeled vehicles in speed and economy of movement on roads and in running gear; moreover, they damage the hard surface of the roads. Therefore, they are trying to make their transfer over long distances not on their own, but on special conveyors. Wheeled transporters of tanks exist almost as much as the tanks themselves: the French, for example, already in 1918, used two-axle car trailers to transport their tanks.
Modern light class armored vehicles can be transported on a cargo platform of conveyors like the four-axle 6350 KamAZ (8 × 8) with a loading and unloading system such as Multi-lift or the five-axle Ural-6923 (10 × 8 or 10 × 10). The Ural-632361 10 × 10 transporter can carry loads of up to 24 tons - the BMP-3 weighs so much.
The carrier of the main battle tanks is a road train consisting of a multi-axle semi-tractor and a heavy-duty platform trailer. Folding entry ladders and a hoist with a hoist allow you to load the car on the trailer, the crew of the transported car can be accommodated in the tractor cab. Tank transporters also serve to evacuate damaged heavy equipment to repair bases, and themselves become the base for special vehicles.
The well-known Soviet tractor MAZ-537 (8 × 8), which served as a tank transporter and towing trailers with ballistic missiles. To replace it, a road train for the Kurgan wheel tractor plant was developed as part of the KZTK-74281 tractor (8 × 8) and the two-axle KZKT-9101 semi-trailer with a payload of up to 53,5 tons. On the basis of the KZKT-74281 tractor, the MTP-A4 technical assistance vehicle was made, and its modification, KZTK-74282, serves as an airfield tractor for aircraft weighing up to 200 tons.
The American Abrams tanker truck includes a M1070 8 × 8 meter tractor with a diesel engine in 500 l. with. and a five-axle semi-trailer М1000 with an adjustable loading height of the platform (due to the hydraulic system of the suspension) and semi-trailer carts controlled from the driver’s seat. A five-axle trailer GTS1000 allows you to transport a tank weighing up to 72 tons or two armored vehicles weighing 36 tons - the necessary response to the growing combat weight of armored vehicles.
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