The supply of the Russian army has a large number of ambulances of various classes and types, including specialized armored vehicles. Right now, measures are being taken to update this park with modern and advanced designs. Thus, the Linza sanitary armored vehicle on the Typhoon platform was successfully brought to the troops and put into mass production. In addition, other samples of this class have been developed, which can also find a place in the army.
On the Typhoon platform
In the middle of the last decade, KamAZ and Remdizel from Naberezhnye Chelny completed the development of the promising K-53949 Typhoon 4x4 armored car. This machine was considered as a protected transport for personnel and as a platform for the construction of special-purpose equipment. In particular, on the basis of an armored car, an ambulance could be developed to work on the front line.
A sanitary version of the Typhoon called Lens was shown for the first time at Army-2018. Then it was reported that in the near future the car will pass the necessary tests, and already in 2019 it may enter the armed forces. The technical details of the project soon became known. Thus, two options have been created for equipping machines for solving different problems.
In September 2019, the leadership of Remdizel announced that Linza had passed the entire test cycle and was preparing to be delivered to the troops. By the end of the year, it was planned to transfer the first batch of equipment of two modifications to the army, and in the foreseeable future they were going to deploy full-scale production.
At the end of May 2021, Izvestia, citing its sources in the Ministry of Defense, reported that the lenses of the first batches had been successfully mastered by medical units of the Central and Southern Military Districts. By the end of the year, the delivery of new equipment to the Central and Western districts is expected. Such vehicles are supplied to the supply of medical special forces and medical battalions of motorized rifle brigades.
On June 17, representatives of the Ministry of Defense visited the Remdizel plant, where they got acquainted with the current state of affairs in the Typhoon program. In the wake of this event, it became known that there was an order for 56 Linza armored cars. They should be built and handed over to the army by the end of the year. Plans for the next year and more distant prospects have not been specified.
Features of "Lenses"
The Linza sanitary armored vehicle is based on the K-53949 Typhoon 4x4 product. For him, an updated hull with an enlarged aft part was developed, which accommodates places for the wounded and the necessary equipment. The body can withstand a hit of a 7.62 mm armor-piercing incendiary rifle bullet. The crew and passengers are protected from detonation by 6-8 kg of TNT under the wheel.
The chassis remains the same and allows you to keep the running characteristics at the level of the base armored car. With a curb weight of 15, 2-15, 5 tons (depending on the equipment), "Linza" develops a speed of more than 100 km / h and can move both on the highway and off-road. The standard hydropneumatic suspension is of great importance. It reduces shaking and eliminates known risks to the injured.
It should be noted that Typhoon 4x4 is already being produced in series, and in several versions at once, and in the near future it is expected to launch the production of new modifications. We are talking about the massive introduction of a unified family of technology, due to which the operation of all samples, incl. "Lenses" will be greatly simplified.
"Lens" is intended to solve two main tasks, for which a different set of equipment is used. In the configuration ZSA-T ("Protected ambulance - transport"), the vehicle can carry up to six seated wounded or up to four on a stretcher. Together with the wounded, there is an orderly in the passenger compartment with first aid equipment. ZSA-T is intended for the immediate evacuation of the wounded and injured.
The configuration of the ZSA-P ("item") provides for an increase in the crew from three to five people. Only two stretcher spaces are retained in the cargo hold. The remaining volumes are allocated for the placement of the property of the medical battalion. The armored car transports a frame tent and various equipment for deployment at the selected position.
Thus, the medical department at Lenza receives all the necessary capabilities. It can carry out the evacuation of victims from the lesion and provide the necessary assistance at its own field first-aid post. At the same time, the armored cars of the new model have obvious advantages over the existing unprotected equipment and over samples on old platforms.
Supplement or alternative
It should be noted that "Lens" is not the only modern domestic development of its class. At exhibitions in recent years, sanitary armored cars have been repeatedly demonstrated on different platforms. Perhaps some of them still have chances to get into the troops.
For example, several years ago the Asteys company presented a sanitary modification of its Patrol armored car. The latter is a two-axle vehicle based on KAMAZ plant units weighing less than 12 tons and a carrying capacity of 1.5 tons. The armor protects the crew and passengers from 7.62-mm automatic bullets or 2-kg explosive devices. Increased protection is possible. In the patrol's sanitary modification, the aft troop compartment is given to the wounded in regular seats or on a stretcher.
In the publications of recent days, "Linza" is often mentioned together with the armored car "Strela" from the "Military-Industrial Company". This is a light vehicle with a gross weight of 4.7 tons, capable of carrying various weapons or equipment. The basic armored car and its floating version are already presented. Several other modifications have been announced. At the same time, the possibility of building a sanitary version has not yet been mentioned.
However, the dimensions and weight make it possible to develop an armored car for medical units. Most likely, in terms of the number of wounded transported, such a machine will be inferior to other modern developments, but it will be able to surpass them in mobility. For example, the development company mentions that Strela can be transported not only by military transport aircraft, but also on the external sling of Mi-8 helicopters. In theory, this will provide some new possibilities.
Priority
The medical service of the Russian army is facing known problems in the area of materiel. The basis of its vehicle fleet is made up of unprotected vehicles, incl. outdated models. All this seriously limits the ability of the service to evacuate the wounded and provide first aid and first aid. Fortunately, the necessary measures have been taken and the situation is beginning to change.
In the near future, the old vehicles will be supplemented by modern armored cars "Linza". By the end of the year, more than fifty such machines are expected to be delivered, which will make it possible to fully re-equip several parts. In the future, the production of "Lenz" is likely to continue. In addition, the appearance of orders for similar machines of other models cannot be ruled out. Thus, the medical service is waiting for a big update with obvious positive consequences.
