In our country, the development of a promising amphibious planing vehicle has begun. The developer believes that such a sample can find its place in different structures of the armed forces, for example, in the marines. At the same time, the production of a new sample will be quite simple due to the widespread use of ready-made components.
Proactive development
Information about a promising amphibian was disclosed during the recent International Maritime Defense Show in St. Petersburg, one of the participants in which was the KRIZO plant (Gatchina, Leningrad Region). The main field of activity of this organization is the production of marine electrical equipment, and now it is trying its hand at the field of automotive technology.
At IMDS-2021, materials on two new projects were shown for the first time. The first provides for the construction of a civilian amphibious car capable of driving on public roads and in closed water bodies. The design of such a machine uses units of a new development and components from the serial off-road vehicle VAZ-2131 "Niva" (long-wheelbase five-door modification).
A promising amphibian designed for the armed forces is at the stage of development work. The name of such a car has not yet been announced. This sample is based on the available components, but differs significantly from the civilian vehicle. In particular, due to a number of technical solutions, the military amphibian will be able to glide at high speed.
Both projects are developed on an initiative basis and without any order from this or that organization. In the future, after the completion of the necessary work, they plan to bring both machines to the market. The floating SUV is going to be sold to civilians, and the planing car will be offered to the military department. Time will tell how successful the CRIZO projects will be in commercial terms.
Technical look
The organization-developer is not yet ready to show an experienced military amphibian, but it is already showing a commercial with computer graphics. In it, the landing ship carries out the landing of the marines on promising wheeled amphibians. The machines go down to the water through the bow ramp, after which they switch to the planing mode and go to the shore. The video allows you to consider the main features of the appearance of the car. Some technical information has also been disclosed.
The amphibious vehicle is built on the basis of a sealed boat hull, which provides buoyancy and allows it to develop at high speeds. The body is made according to the bonnet scheme: in the bow there is an engine, the central volume is given for a four-seater cabin. The cab has roll-over bars with an integrated windscreen. Installation of an awning is probably possible.
Under the hood of the car there is a ZMZ-514 engine. This is a four-cylinder in-line diesel engine with a volume of 2.235 liters and 113.5 hp. with a maximum torque of 270 N • m. Such an engine will provide high performance and will drive an electric generator to supply power to key systems. For comparison, it is planned to use a VAZ-2121 gasoline engine with lower performance on the KRIZO civilian amphibian.
The car will receive a transmission with torque distribution to all wheels. The chassis is built on the basis of an independent suspension; its design is not specified. The suspension includes an electrically driven wheel retraction mechanism. When driving on water, before accelerating for planing, the car must turn the wheels and partially hide them in the arches - in order to reduce resistance and stress on the structure.
A pair of electrically powered aft water cannons is responsible for movement through the water. It is not known how the control is carried out afloat, by turning the water cannons or by differential thrust.
The dimensions and weight of the amphibian have not yet been reported. Highway performance is not specified, but its civilian counterpart is said to be able to reach speeds of up to 150 km / h. The bottom of a special profile and a powerful water jet unit will allow the military vehicle to glide at a speed of 50 km / h (27 knots).
In the published materials, the military vehicle appears exclusively as an unprotected vehicle. The cockpit shows the driver and three passengers with equipment and personal weapons. At the same time, there are no means for installing weapons on the machine itself. Perhaps they will be provided for in the further development of the project.
Possible future
As stated, at the moment, both projects of amphibious vehicles are at the stage of development work. In the near future, the KRIZO plant will have to complete their development, and then build and test experimental equipment. This will allow you to find and correct the shortcomings, as well as determine further directions of development.
In addition, prototypes can be shown at exhibitions and attract the attention of potential customers. Obviously, the military and civilian structures are showing more interest in those projects that are demonstrated using full-fledged samples, rather than mock-ups.
It is still difficult to determine the prospects for the military amphibious vehicle from "CRIZO". The project is being developed on an initiative basis, i.e. without an order and technical assignment from the Ministry of Defense. Their absence, among other things, may indicate that the army is currently not showing interest in this class of vehicles. In this case, it will be extremely difficult, if not impossible, to change the opinion of the military and bring the proactive development to adoption into service.
However, from the point of view of technical issues, the presented project looks quite interesting. The proposed planing car has an interesting design without unacceptably complex solutions, and its design characteristics are at the level of specialized samples. However, all this still needs to be confirmed by tests.
One can imagine what niche a new amphibian could occupy in the army. Unprotected vehicles with high mobility characteristics on land and water may be of interest to special operations forces. Now in their units there are buggies that provide high mobility in difficult areas. An amphibious vehicle of the type of project from "CRIZO" could further improve their mobility - due to the possibility of crossing water obstacles by swimming.
At the same time, as the experience of operating the buggy shows, the lack of armor is not a serious problem. Installing weapons shouldn't be too difficult either.
The development company is positioning its vehicle as a transport for the Marine Corps. Indeed, this branch of the military needs equipment with amphibious qualities. However, he needs protected vehicles capable of providing full fire support. Thus, the value of the amphibian on the Niva units for the marines may be limited - if not doubtful.
The prospects for such technology in the ground and airborne forces are also questionable. Their development now focuses on protected vehicles with high mobility characteristics. In such a system, it is unlikely that it will be possible to find a place for an unarmored amphibian with an awning instead of a roof, on which it can realize its full potential.
New projects
Thus, in the near future, two curious examples of automotive equipment may appear at domestic exhibitions at once - a civilian and a military amphibious all-terrain vehicle from the KRIZO plant. It is not known how soon it will be possible to complete their development and present an experienced technique. But we can assume that the premiere of such a technique will attract attention.
The real prospects of the proposed projects depend on many factors, and there are no clear reasons for optimistic assessments so far. Will the two amphibians manage to reach the civilian market and military units, and when this will happen, if it happens, time will tell
