The Arctic brigades of the Russian Northern Fleet are getting an off-road vehicle destined for the rough conditions of deep snow and freezing temperatures, while also being able to float in the water.
The first snow-and swamp truck for the Russian navy can deal with obstacles of up to 1.8 meters in height. The full-track vehicle is equipped with a starting preheater for both the motor and propeller, according to RIA Novosti.
The vehicle has been designed as a chain of modules – with the front power module able to hold six people and the back module ten people. The back can easily be transformed from a passenger car into a sleeping area, a medical block, or a command center.
Арктическая бригада СФ РФ получила новый снегоболотоход ТТМ-4902ПС-10 http://t.co/krWv05bSJHpic.twitter.com/H0yuElEjWn
— TOPWAR (@topwar_ru) March 6, 2015
The machine, dubbed TTM-4902PS-10, can operate within the range of 100 °C, going from -50 °C to +50 °C, and it is suitable for any driver, as it resembles a truck in terms of operation, the Northern Fleet says.
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The vehicles have been tested in the conditions of the northwest Kola polar region, where the territory is composed of taiga and tundra, borderline permafrost, and the temperatures reaching about -10°C in January. They were later improved with regard to the specifics of the climatic zone.
Snow-and-swamp-ready vehicles are usually intended for use in especially severe conditions to relocate people and cargo – in Russia that is the High North, Siberia and Far East.
The reason behind the renewal of the off-road vehicles by the Russian Defense Ministry is the military expansion in the country’s Arctic zone. The air defense infrastructure of the arctic islands will have finished being renovated by this October.