Since April, the latest S-350 Vityaz anti-aircraft missile systems have begun to enter service with the RF Armed Forces. One of the innovations for air defense systems is the use of chassis from Bryansk manufacturers. We are talking about an automobile platform created at the Bryansk Automobile Plant (BAZ). This is an enterprise that five years ago received an additional impetus for development, becoming a part of the VKO Almaz-Antey concern.
For many years, the Bryansk Automobile Plant has been specializing in the creation of special wheeled chassis and tractors with a carrying capacity of up to 40 tons. If earlier BAZ products were mainly intended to meet the needs of the oil and gas industry, now they are turning into the basis for the latest and most promising missile systems.
Having decided to reduce dependence on Belarusian manufacturers in the field of the military-industrial complex, the vehicle chassis for air defense systems was selected based on several key parameters.
The first of them is high cross-country ability. Obviously, the wheeled chassis should ensure the movement of equipment even on those roads (or here it is better to use the term “directions”) that can literally “put in a puddle” almost any other wheeled vehicle. Bryansk motorists provide axle load on all types of their special equipment no more than 10-12 tons. This is the guarantee that the chassis can be used on all types of roads, up to a fairly washed-out "primer".
But a washed-out “dirt road” is far from the only option for bad roads, where the BAZ can pass without any problems. Equipment with a load in the form of SAM launchers or radar systems can be operated in desert areas and even tundra.
And while participating in the International Army Games, the Bryansk BAZ performed movement at incredible heights - over 4 km above sea level - in the Caucasus mountains.
The second important parameter is a suitable carrying capacity.
One of the used car platforms is BAZ-69095 with a 6x6.1 wheel arrangement. This is how the manufacturer himself defines it. It is a platform with an axle load of 11.5 tons. The machine is equipped with a 400 hp engine. and a mechanical 3-way dual-band gearbox YMZ-2393-20. The total number of gears is 10 (1 reverse). Suspension BAZ-69095 - independent 2-torsion bar with shock absorbers on each of the wheels. The capacity of the tanks is 625 liters. The track width along the outer edges of the wheels is 2750 mm. Total height (excluding open side hatch (hood) of engine maintenance) - 3080 mm.
For the S-350 Vityaz air defense system, a different wheel formula is used. The Bryansk Automobile Plant offers several variants of the 8x8 wheel arrangement, including BAZ-69098. In the civilian version, this chassis is defined as a crane chassis with a weight of the mounted equipment of about 20.5 tons. Axle load corresponds to the BAZ-69095 version - 11.5 tons.
The speed in the column of the S-350 "Vityaz" complex is up to 60 km / h. Speed is another parameter that was looked at when choosing a platform.
Another variant of special equipment with a wheel arrangement of 8x8 is BAZ-690902. In this case, the weight of the mounted attachments is already 26.8 tons with a total weight of about 44 tons.
It is important to note that the promising Russian anti-aircraft missile systems S-500 "Prometheus", according to the latest information, will also be installed on the Bryansk wheeled chassis. These systems, which can be attributed to the Russian anti-missile shield, are planned for serial deliveries to the Armed Forces for the current year. Earlier it was noted that deliveries may begin in the second half of 2020.
