Dynamic display of the running capabilities of a special wheeled chassis KamAZ-7850 of the "Platform-O" project with a wheel arrangement of 16x16, carrying capacity of 85 tons, for mobile soil missile systems (PGRK) at the Army-2018 forum
Sergey Ischenko
Army-2018: Rocket KamAZ moved Lukashenka's father
Nuclear parity between the Russian Federation and the United States cannot depend on the whims of the leader of Belarus
An important episode of the Army-2018 International Military-Technical Forum that ended in the Moscow Region was the dynamic demonstration of the giant special wheeled chassis KamAZ-7850 (Platform-O project). The spectacle turned out to be impressive. The mighty tractor, built according to the 16 × 16 formula and with a carrying capacity of 85 tons, has just not danced a waltz: it turned almost on the spot and moved almost sideways.
However, this spectacle was not enjoyed everywhere. There is no doubt that the TV picture from the Moscow Region test site was watched with special sadness in Belarus. Because it turned out that the Strategic Rocket Forces of the Russian Federation were about to cease to be the most generous customers of the Minsk Wheel Tractor Plant. Because KamAZ-7850 is a full-fledged replacement for the famous Belarusian tractor MZKT-79221. And now the KAMAZ, and not the Minsk nuclear "centipedes" will become carriers of intercontinental ballistic missiles of the mobile complexes RT-2PM2 "Topol-M", "Yars" and much more. And the huge amount of money each such car costs will remain in the Russian, not in the Belarusian treasury.
Such is the sudden turn of the "high allied relations" of our countries. But before talking about the new notable achievement of the domestic defense industry, it is useful to recall what passions have been boiling at the highest level all these years around the missile tractors from Minsk. And why, in general, did we bang such serious sums on what we already regularly received from the Belarusians.
You have not forgotten why, at the end of the 90s of the last century, when Marshal Igor Sergeev was sitting in the ministerial chair on the Arbat, Russia feverishly began to develop the Topol-M strategic missile system?
It so happened that until that time in the rearmament of our own Strategic Missile Forces, we were heavily dependent on other former Soviet republics. First of all - from Ukraine. But even then at all diplomatic crossroads she was shouting that she was going to NATO. And as an advance payment to the West for its benevolence, it could easily stop the modernization of Russia's nuclear shield in one fell swoop.
The former commander of the Strategic Missile Forces, Marshal Igor Sergeev himself saw this danger better than many. And for several years practically the entire meager defense budget of the country was directed only to one thing - the creation of a Russian strategic missile to the last rivet. This is how Topol-M was born in 1997.
Thus, we could no longer look back at Ukraine, which soon became completely distraught. And the fact that the missile of the new complex was transported not by the Russian, but by the Belarusian tractor MZKT-79221, at first did not cause much concern. Moscow and Minsk publicly everywhere announced their intentions to create a full-fledged Union State. With a single currency, parliament and something else. And what about the scores between loyal allies?
But the real steps taken by the politicians turned out to be such that this promising project somehow did not work out right away. Mutual reproaches accumulated, it became more and more difficult to hide them in both capitals. The union of the Russian Federation and the Republic of Bashkortostan looked more and more like a simple declaration and a demagogic cover for the bureaucratic "cutting" of generous budget funds. In Moscow, they were worried: it turned out that first the mobile Topol-M, and then its development - Yars, we built. But if suddenly the unpredictable leader of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko once again decides to show his cool temper - then lay out new ICBMs even on the asphalt.
The solution proposed by the Russian side looked simple and logical. We asked Old Man to sell us the Minsk Wheel Tractor Plant. Moreover, almost 90 percent of its production is already bought by Moscow. Moreover, at least 70 percent - within the framework of the Russian state defense order.
MZKT cars are not only driven by our Topol and Yars. The lineup of this unique enterprise, created in the days of the USSR, is now unusually wide. In addition to the eight-axle MZKT-79221, tractors and smaller ones are produced there. As a result, it was precisely for them that the launchers, antenna posts and control cabins of the S-300PS / PM and S-400 Triumph anti-aircraft missile systems, launchers of Smerch and Tornado multiple launch rocket systems, a mobile coastal anti-ship complex "Bastion", cruise missiles RK-55, vehicles of the coastal artillery complex "Bereg", transport vehicles for antimissiles 53T6 "Amur". Finally, the famous Iskander tactical missile system also rests on the MZKT-7930 wheeled chassis weighing 42 tons and a payload of 19 tons. Therefore, the dependence of our army on Minsk in missile weapons turned out to be simply critical.
As subsequent events showed, Lukashenka understood perfectly well that in this matter he had Moscow on a very tough and short leash. And I decided not to sell too cheap. The price was just prohibitive. According to some sources - $ 3 billion. At the same time, experts in Moscow argued that for 2 billion "green" such a plant can be delivered anywhere. Even in an open field.
Yes, perhaps we would have delivered and delivered. But where to get specialists? First of all, a design school that has been nurtured in Minsk for more than half a century? In general, Moscow could have been stabbed to death about the severity of these problems. But this only added excitement in the bidding to our strategic ally. The plant in Minsk was sold like potatoes at a fair.
In 2016, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev commented on the strength of these “friendly hugs” as follows: “This MZKT has a funny story. They sold this MZKT for three years, but we didn’t agree on anything ... If you don’t want to sell, don’t need to, we will start production at KamAZ ”
Lukashenko responded literally right there: “The Russian Federation is very active in this direction:“ We want, we want, sell us this plant. ” When we start calling the price, they open their eyes wide. Then I say: "Goodbye" ... The plant can be built, the walls are inexpensive, the equipment can be bought, and loans will be given by those who produce the equipment. But to teach people to work on this equipment and within these walls, to create a school in order to receive a high-quality product is not even years, but decades. "
Daddy immediately personally went to the MZKT and summed up the result within its walls: “We are scared that Russia, they say, will invent its own centipedes and will carry nuclear warheads on its own - and for health! If today they have brains and money, which they do not have - let them invent! "
It was against this background that in 2008 we began to create our own super-tractors for missile weapons on Kama. Without a doubt, this really turned out to be an almost impossible task. And the project must have swallowed the money for sure. Because the task was to make a tractor for the "strategists" by 2015. And they coped with it, it turns out, only now.
They also came to their senses in the Almaz-Antey concern, which produces the best Russian anti-aircraft missile systems. For their S-300 and S-400, they bought the Bryansk Automobile Plant, the main Russian manufacturer of heavy equipment, in 2016. The BAZ-6909 tractor with an 8 × 8 wheel arrangement was chosen as the main one for placing the elements of the S-400 complex on a wheeled chassis. And in the future - and S-500 "Prometheus".
On the development of its own chassis for autonomous launchers of mobile soil complexes of the Strategic Missile Forces, together with KamAZ, the research and testing center of automotive equipment of the 3rd Central Research Institute of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation began to work. The experimental design work was named "Platform-O".
What exactly was to be done? About this - in the "Type of military vehicles for the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation for 2011 - 2020", approved by the Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation in 2012. The document first announced the following machines: a special wheeled chassis with a carrying capacity of 85 tons (KamAZ-7850), wheel arrangement 16 × 16; special wheeled chassis with a carrying capacity of 60 t (KamAZ-78509), wheel arrangement 12 × 12; a truck tractor for a semitrailer weighing 90 t (KamAZ-78504), wheel arrangement 8 × 8; ballast tractor for a trailer weighing 75 tons (aircraft at the airport - 400 tons; KamAZ-78508), wheel arrangement 8 × 8.
From the very beginning, a fundamentally different direction of machine design was chosen than in Minsk. Without clutch, gearbox, transfer case, drive shafts, differentials. Instead, there are diesel-electric drives with electric motors built into the wheel hubs. This arrangement allows the wheels to rotate at different speeds and even in different directions. This greatly increases the cross-country ability and maneuverability of the tractor.
Nobody else in the world has managed to do this. And at KamAZ all the problems were overcome. Albeit with a great delay. As a result, the 8-axle KamAZ-7850 shown at the "Army-2018" for a quick full turn, as it turned out, is enough for a site measuring only 20 by 20 meters. He just crawls over it like a crab.
Other characteristics of the new Russian tractor are also impressive. Almost everything is higher than that of the Belarusians. The speed is 60 km / h versus 40 km / h, the greatest ford depth is 1.5 meters versus 1.1 meters, the greatest climb angle is 20 degrees versus 10 degrees.
For mobile strategic missile systems, which patrol, as a rule, in deserted, practically roadless and poorly developed areas, this is very important.
But now what will happen to the unique Minsk Wheel Tractor Plant, the need for which Russia has less and less? What will happen to its staff, which, as they say, numbers about 4.5 thousand people and works almost exclusively for our market? The Minskers should, obviously, ask about this from their excessively economic Batka Lukashenko.
Alexander Grigorievich, by the way, seems to have already found a new sales market for the plant. As you know, Ukraine is now trying hard to create its own operational-tactical complex "Thunder-2" in order to use it to try to shell Moscow. The self-propelled Groma-2 mock-up covered with an awning first hit the lenses of TV cameras in May last year. And in the tractor rushing along the road, the Minsk MZKT-79292 with a carrying capacity of 35 tons was immediately identified. So if we assume that by some miracle Kiev will eventually bring the Grom-2 OTRK to mind, the contribution of our closest ally to this event will be, if not decisive, then very significant.
By the way, did you notice? - lately there are less and less empty talk about the Union State. This is neither good nor bad. Simply - a reality from which neither Moscow nor Minsk can escape.
For decades, the Kurgan and Minsk factories of wheeled tractors were the main manufacturers of multi-axle specialized chassis for the armed forces of the Soviet Union, and then Russia. The machines of these enterprises are currently used in all branches and types of the armed forces of the Russian Federation, they are operated in the strategic missile forces, air defense and the navy.
For example, MAZ-537 tractors performed well on numerous large-scale maneuvers. Reduced to special trailer brigades, they ensured the unprecedented mobility of tank units of the Soviet army at that time. What was practiced during the exercises came in handy during the entry of the Warsaw Pact troops into Czechoslovakia in August 1968. Then the T-54, T-55, T-62 moved to the indicated areas not only on their own, but also on special heavy-duty trailers. MAZs were actively used during the hostilities in Afghanistan and the events in the North Caucasus.
The author of these lines had a chance to see the work of MAZs in Chechnya. During the first war, one even had to get from Grozny to Chervlennaya in the cockpit of such a tank carrier. On the trailer was a smoky, padded T-72A with a jammed turret - the gun was turned to the left. And in order for this tank to be transported, the soldiers had to cut the barrel to the very mask.
Unfortunately, economic turmoil led to the fact that the plant in Kurgan, which has been producing tractors that have proven themselves in the army since the beginning of the 60s, actually lost the ability to produce equipment.
The enterprise in Minsk, which still supplies the bulk of its products to Russia, despite its good reputation, has one, but significant "drawback" - it is located in another state. Therefore, it is not surprising that at the turn of the current decade a decision was made to develop analogs of Belarusian cars in Russia.
The first open information about them was made public 4 years ago, during a display of army vehicles in Bronnitsy near Moscow.
On a special tablet with information about promising technology, it was reported that the highly mobile platform will be made on a modular basis. A cab, a power plant module, a unified hydraulic system for all-wheel steering, suspension and braking systems are being developed for it. And also - all-wheel steering, support-running module and electric motor-wheel.
The last module is worth mentioning especially - we are talking about a special diesel-electric drive with electric motors that are built into the wheels of vehicles. According to experts, it was the creation of this node that became the most difficult in this project. And, if the MZKT has decades of experience, then in Russia a lot had to be done, as they say, from scratch.
From the developed modules, as if from cubes, perspective "centipedes" should be assembled. In Bronnitsy, it was told about three cars. This is, first of all, a tractor with a 16x16 wheel arrangement with a carrying capacity of more than 85 tons, which became a kind of basis for the entire family. Judging by the presented image, this machine was supposed to become a base for launchers of strategic missile forces. Now the Minsk special wheeled chassis MZKT-79221 is used in this capacity, on which the Topol M and the newest Yars are mounted.
The second vehicle of the family is a six-axle all-wheel drive chassis with a carrying capacity of fifty tons. It can also be used as a base for advanced strategic missile systems. Note that the Belarusians have already created and openly demonstrated a similar chassis, designated MZKT-79291.
A truck tractor capable of transporting cargo weighing from 90 to 165 tons is considered the third vehicle of this family. For a long time, four-axle MAZ-537 were used as tractors in heavy road trains. Currently, these vehicles are considered obsolete for a number of characteristics and are being replaced by transporters with all-wheel drive KAMAZ-65225 tractors, which could be seen during preparations for the anniversary Parade on Red Square. According to experts, these tractors have quite high characteristics, but they should not be considered as a full-fledged replacement for the "five hundred and thirty-seventh".
The need to adopt a new powerful high-mobility truck tractor will be aggravated by the appearance in the Strategic Missile Forces of a heavy liquid-propellant missile system, which is currently being created as part of the Sarmat R&D project. It is for the transportation of the rocket itself and other systems of the complex that the promising tractor being created will come in handy.
OJSC KAMAZ became the lead contractor of the development work on the "Platform O" theme.
It is worth noting that since the first information about the development of promising "highly mobile platforms" appeared, they were subjected to various criticisms with enviable regularity. The opinion was expressed that in the presence of already existing Belarusian machines, the development of analogs in Russia is a waste of money. There were also materials about possible technical problems that designers experienced during the creation of machines. This, by the way, is not surprising, this happens all the time when developing new technology.
Moreover, according to military experts, according to a number of important characteristics: the maximum speed of movement on the highway and over rough terrain, the depth of the ford to be overcome, the carrying capacity - the vehicles developed by KAMAZ were supposed to surpass those produced by MZKT. For example, if the carrying capacity of the MZKT-79221 is 80 tons, then the car from Naberezhnye Chelny has 5 tons more.
The fact that "Platform O" is a real machine became finally clear after a photo of a prototype of an 8x8 truck tractor appeared on the Internet. The photo clearly shows a car with a high-capacity cabin and modular booking.
Later, during the first International Military-Technical Forum "Army-2015", it became known that within the framework of the exhibition a closed presentation of prototypes of machines for the "Platform-O" design and development project took place. At the same time, posters depicting three cars of this family became public.
We can say that thanks to the Army-2015 forum it became officially known that a platform with a wheel arrangement of 16x16 with a carrying capacity of 85 t is KAMAZ-7850, a machine with a wheel arrangement of 12x12 with a carrying capacity of 50 t is KAMAZ-78509, and a truck tractor has the designation KAMAZ- 78504.
According to military experts, after successful tests and adoption, the Platform O family vehicles will have a long life in the units and formations of the Russian army.
The special vehicle plant - ZSA (formerly part of PJSC KamAZ) is completing state tests of heavy-duty vehicles of the Platform-O family, which will later become the base chassis for launchers of Yars and Rubezh intercontinental ballistic missiles.
General designer of automobiles Danis Valeev told Izvestia during the work of the Army-2016 exhibition.
The machines are designed for the placement of heavy missile systems, during the tests all the cars of the family fully confirmed the characteristics laid down in them, - said Danis Valeev.
According to the specialist, the first two multi-axle tractors - KamAZ-7850 with a wheel arrangement of 16x16 and a carrying capacity of 85 t and KamAZ-78509 with a formula of 12x12 and a carrying capacity of 50 t - will be adopted by the Russian Ministry of Defense this year. But the KamAZ-78504 truck tractor with the 8x8 formula (working with semi-trailers attached to the machine with a special coupling mechanism), capable of transporting cargo weighing up to 16 tons, should replenish the vehicle fleet of the Russian military department next year.
It is noteworthy that the "Platform" became the first completely Russian family of super-heavy tractors, launched into mass production. Currently, launchers of mobile strategic Topol and Yars, operational-tactical Iskander and coastal Bastion are installed on chassis produced by the Minsk Wheel Tractor Plant (MZKT). At the same time, road trains with multi-ton combat vehicles in the Russian army are towing four-axle MAZ-537, also made in Belarus.
The main feature of the Platform is unique diesel-electric drives with electric motors built into the wheel hubs of the tractors.
Tractors of this family do not have a cardan shaft. A small but powerful and compact electric motor is installed on each wheel. The main diesel runs on an electric generator, which, in turn, supplies electricity to each electric motor, - a representative of the Ministry of Defense, who is familiar with the design of the latest tractors, told Izvestia. “Thanks to this solution, in comparison with conventional tractors, not only the carrying capacity and power increase, but also the cross-country ability indicators are significantly improved. And if even two-thirds of the wheels fail, the car will remain mobile. Another plus is the absence of a cardan shaft, on which the mobility of the machine depends very much.
All tractors of the Platforma family are equipped with fully domestic engines with a capacity of 850 to 1,000 hp. produced by KamAZ. The cars have an electric transmission gearbox that is directly connected to the electric motors in each wheel of the car.
We have an electronic remote control system installed, - said Danis Valeev, - this means that there is a steering wheel as such in the cab, but the force from it is transmitted not to the shaft that controls the rotation of the wheels, but to a special electronic sensor. From it, the signal goes to the computer, which distributes commands to all wheels of the car to perform a maneuver. This allows you to create special algorithms for machine control.
The unique capabilities of the chassis and control of the Platform-O family machines are evidenced by the fact that the 16-axle KamAZ-7850 can deploy only 20 m of space.
To increase the maneuverability of the tractors, all wheels are swivel. "Platforms" can move "crab step", that is, almost sideways, when the car makes a maneuver or rebuilds without changing the position of the wheels, - explained the general designer of cars. - The hydropneumatic suspension of the Platform can also be considered unique. It allows you to automatically change the ground clearance of the car depending on what terrain it is moving on - off-road or highway.
In the summer of this year, the Russian media reported on serious problems accompanying the development and testing of tractors of the Platform-O family. In particular, in electric motors with a strong load on the wheels, an electrical closure occurred. The completion date for the Platform-O family has shifted from 2020 to 2022, and the Ministry of Defense has initiated the opening of a new development project to create super-heavy tractors of the traditional design.
The Russian Ministry of Defense does not comment on the progress of the tests and the possible adoption of the latest tractors. At the same time, as an informed source in the military department explained to Izvestia, Platform-O is a very serious and largely controversial technical project, and the development of the new family of tractors is likely to continue even after the tests are completed.
Skeptics have long time to complain - the days when each car was unique, had its own character and charisma are gone. These times ended in the 90s, when globalization finally began to rule the world. The time of loners with a special look is over, and they have been replaced by large united corporations, for which it is cheaper and easier to design not individual cars, but immediately lines.
The concept of "platform" has become very widely used, when different bodies are installed on one "bogie" and get a rich model range. Avto25.ru decided to acquaint its readers with this phenomenon on the example of one of the most successful developments of recent years - the B0 platform, on which budget cars of the Renault-Nissan concern, and now Lada, are based.
What is “platform”? There is no exact answer, but usually this word means the structure of the suspensions, the power structure of the body, the principle of the arrangement of elements. The length and width are not fundamental, they can be varied depending on the model, while maintaining the general scheme. This is very clearly seen in the example of B0.
Platform B0
They began to design this platform back in 1998. Renault Logan became her father, so to speak, for which she was developed. Logan has become a car of a new formation. Before him, the leading manufacturers did not have the idea that they could make a modern car that meets all safety standards, but at the same time a cheap car, and sell it only in countries with an undeveloped car market. Then this business idea was copied by many, but Logan was the first.
When designing, the engineers had a difficult task - to fit the basic version of the machine into the cost of 5,000 euros. This gave its own characteristics and the platform that was developed for the model. The savings were significant due to two factors.
First, spare parts and elements from other Renault models were widely used. Despite the fact that the platform itself was new, there were not many original parts in it. This turned out to be a plus - there is no need to spend money to develop new elements; moreover, spare parts that have been produced for a long time have already "recaptured" the design costs and have fallen in price, and have had childhood illnesses and can provide high reliability.
Secondly, the design did not use expensive running models - all the calculations were made by the engineers on a computer. This inspired fears that the car would have inherent problems associated with the mistakes of engineers, but it did without them. On the contrary, the suspension of cars on the B0 platform is famous for a very good set of characteristics, without pronounced drawbacks.
Suspension design on the example of Sandero
Naturally, the design of a car, designed within a small budget, simply could not have any revelations. No multi-links and thrusters - everything is very simple and cheap: MacPherson struts in front, a semi-independent beam in the back, engines are located across, the drive is front-wheel drive. However, here the engineers have laid themselves room for maneuver, which we'll talk about later.
Logan, which appeared in 2004, was cut according to these patterns. The car was a huge success all over the world. It was sold under the brands Dacia, Nissan, Mahindra, in Russia the name Renault is used. After the Logan sold out in huge numbers, the company thought that a successful platform could be used to expand the line of budget cars.
In 2007, the Sandero hatchback appeared, in 2010 - the Duster crossover. In the first case, there were almost no platform changes. It was only slightly shortened by reducing the wheelbase. The rest of the elements remained unchanged. Duster is a completely different matter, after all, but still a crossover. The suspension was strengthened (although the general scheme remained the same), the ground clearance was increased, and in addition, an all-wheel drive implementation was invented. Here constructive "reserves" came in handy: next to the gearbox there was a place for a transfer case, under the bottom the cardan lay freely, and the rear suspension received a bridge instead of a beam, thus becoming independent. It is not surprising that when the time came to modernize Logan in 2014, they did not abandon the B0 platform, and the changes affected primarily the body and interior.
Renault Duster
In 2012, minivans Dacia Lodgy and Dacia Dokker, which were not presented in Russia, saw the light. They are based on an extended version of the B0 platform, additionally reinforced for use in commercial vehicles. In Russia, these machines would probably be a success, but so far there is no talk of their localization and delivery.
In parallel with the Dacia and Renault brands, the B0 platform is used in Nissan vehicles. However, this is not quite the right platform. Cars under the Japanese brand are more expensive, so engineers are not too short of money. Because of what, the Nissan version received a number of features. But, in general, we can assume that such cars as Nissan Cube, Nissan Tiida, Nissan Bluebird Sylphy, Nissan Note, Nissan Wingroad, Nissan Livina Geniss, Nissan NV200 are produced on the B0 platform.
In Russia, the B0 platform found a second life after AvtoVAZ bought a license to use it from Renault-Nissan. To many, this seemed to be an imposed decision on the part of the concern, which by that time already owned 25% of AvtoVAZ shares, but in reality the purchase turned out to be successful. The residents of Togliatti took a station wagon based on Logan and prepared the Largus model, which differs from the original only in the front bumper and more powerful front levers. The roomy station wagon, which also costs a little less than the original Logan, is in great demand.
Renault Logan cutaway
In addition, AvtoVAZ bought not only the right to use the platform, but also has the ability to modify it. So, they are already talking about modifications with Togliatti engines and gearboxes. The platform allows it. And there, you see, there will be other versions.
Another car on the B0 platform originally from Togliatti is the Nissan Almera. This is a state employee in the best traditions of Logan. For its production, an elongated version of the platform was used (moreover, it was its original version), which allowed the car to grow noticeably in size. But the general layout has remained the same, even motors and transmissions are used not from Nissan, but from the original Renovation.
Nissan almera
One should hardly be surprised at the popularity of cars on this platform in our country. It was literally created for Russia. Cars on B0 cannot boast of a very high smoothness of the ride, perfected handling or lack of roll in corners, but they are distinguished by an omnivorous suspension that successfully resists bumpy roads, are relatively maintainable and have a simple design. And the reliability is quite good. For Russia, these qualities are much more important. The price also plays a significant role, because all the listed cars are relatively inexpensive.
Lada largus
Perhaps not everyone realizes this, but Renault Logan, Lada Largus and Nissan Almera are not very different from each other. For some, this is a minus, because the choice of original distinctive cars is decreasing, but the development of the automotive industry in the last few decades indicates exactly this path - a common base on which a lot of models are manufactured. And nothing can be done about it.
