Testing with addiction
In the first part of the material ("Mechanical mules. Conveyors of the leading edge of the Soviet Army"), it was discussed the transfer of the center for the development of future medical amphibians from NAMI to Zaporozhye. Then, at the Kommunar plant, two prototypes of the ZAZ-967 were created, which retained the external resemblance to the NAMI-032M concept. In order to save money, the car was unified with the civilian ZAZ-965 - a four-speed gearbox, clutch and main gear were common. The unit for the forced locking of the rear cross-axle differential was completely new. In 1961-1962, both prototypes went through a cycle of factory tests, with the results of which the military doctors were satisfied. ZAZ-967 was capable of transporting three people, two of whom, in a sitting / lying position, were located on the sides of the central driver's seat. The main task (search for the wounded on the battlefield) was carried out by the forward edge transporter several times faster and more efficiently than a link of porters. It was possible to transport the wounded on the ZAZ-967 in three versions: on two longitudinally arranged stretchers located over the sides and rear wheel arches, on the floor of the car on a special coating and, finally, on the seats near the driver. Not the most picky factory tests showed that the transporter could only reduce the curb weight and strengthen the traction winch.
After the elimination of these remarks, five experienced transporters went to state tests, prudently acquiring windshields before this. Initially, the military department did not provide for this option in the development order. In September-October 1962, ZAZ-967 had to cover several thousand kilometers in the Karakum Desert, the Pamirs, the Caucasus and the Crimea. One can only sympathize with the work of the testers - apart from the windshield, there were no additional conveniences in the car. The awning appeared later and was a panel that protected the driver and passengers from precipitation from above and behind. From all other directions, the wind roamed the amphibian quite freely. The machine passed tests with great conventions (there were problems in the reliability of individual units), but, nevertheless, it was recommended for production at the Kommunar plant. But, as it has repeatedly happened with military developments, there was no capacity for assembling amphibians at the enterprise.
The Zaporozhye plant was given two years to prepare for the release of the transporter, during which the car was improved, and several civilian brothers ZAZ-969 were built. These SUVs differed from the military progenitors in the normal arrangement of the steering wheel, pedals, the presence of an awning and a windshield. The whole company in 1965 was sent to the next test run to the Pamir and Karakum Desert. Again, reliability problems plagued the four-wheel drive kids throughout the test cycle. First of all, the steering and transmission units suffered. The MeMZ-967 motor, which was previously equipped with a speed limiter, did not produce enough power and worked intermittently. The restrictor was removed from the carburetor - this allowed the engine to accelerate from 22 to 27 liters. with. In this version, the all-wheel drive amphibian accelerated to 71 km / h, while afloat, by rotating the wheels, it gained the maximum 3 km / h, consuming about 12 liters per 100 km in the combined cycle.
In total, several "generations" of ZAZ-967 front-end transporters were assembled, none of which became serial. The first series (1962-1965) can be distinguished by two mufflers located on the sides of the bonnet, as well as by the upper cowling of the engine air intake. The second series (1964-1965) is most easily identified by the muffler located in front of the hood and the tapered front of the car. The last pre-production ZAZ-967, which were created in 1966-1967, were already as similar as possible to the LuAZ-967 we are used to. In cars of this "generation" the engine developed already 30 hp. with., and the transmission had serious improvements. GAZ-69 crosses appeared in the axle shafts, the gear ratios of the main gears increased, the wheels became slightly larger, and the rear axle drive shaft was equipped with an intermediate support.
In the second half of 1967, the vehicle went through the entire cycle of the third trials already in a row and was recommended for adoption. By the way, the head of the state commission was Boris Fitterman, who laid the conceptual foundations in the car, but was never able to bring the medical conveyor to the conveyor. In Zaporozhye, by that time, the situation with the production site had not moved from a dead center - the factory workers had difficulty mastering the civil line of small cars. Therefore, the Lutsk Machine-Building Plant (LuMZ) was supposed to accept the military off-road vehicle and its "peaceful" analogue ZAZ-969. In December 1967, the dubious name LuMZ was changed to LuAZ - Lutsk Automobile Plant, and LuAZ-967 and LuAZ-969 became the first-born of the renewed enterprise.
Long way to the army
On paper, the LuAZ-967 was produced in Lutsk since 1967, but the troops almost did not know about it - 11 experienced transporters only managed to collect complaints and rationalizations from army techies. As soon as the car was prepared for the conveyor (this happened in 1969), the military wished for a new engine - a 1.2-liter MeMZ-968 from Zaporozhets, developing 27 hp. with. The engine was mounted, equipped with an additional oil cooler, a 5PP-40A pre-starting device, the gear ratios of the wheel gears were reduced from 1.785 to 1.294, and the body received cosmetic improvements. All this dragged out the process until 1972, when four LuAZ-967s with the letter M. were rolled out for testing. The car was adopted for the second time and, after three years, was put on the conveyor. And the car with the base name LuAZ-967 never saw serial implementation. However, the amphibians were experimentally fitted with an AGS-17M "Flame" grenade launcher, an ATGM and a recoilless gun. All mobile firing points remained in the status of experienced ones - the military was not satisfied with the low carrying capacity of the amphibian for such a weapon. Yes, and there was no protection - the only "armor" that at least as much could protect from fragments at the end were two ladders attached to the sides of the amphibian.
During the entire production cycle, the leading edge conveyor was updated three times. First, he was prescribed standardized headlights that allow him to appear on public roads - this metamorphosis happened in 1978. Three years later, a second version of the medical amphibian appeared, devoid of a hinged tailgate and equipped with a Malyutka household pump. These measures made it possible to improve the buoyancy of the carrier, as well as survivability on the water. Later, in the third generation of LuAZ-967, the "Baby" was removed, returning the previous unit to its place. In addition, the amphibian was equipped with a high-speed 39 hp engine. with., updated wheel reducers, shock absorbers and finalized the seals of the units.
The main function of the LuAZ-969M in the troops was, of course, to ensure the mobility of evacuating the wounded from the battlefield, but there was also a modification adapted for patrolling and staff work. This version was named LuAZ-969MP and was distinguished by a front bumper, a much more comfortable awning, as well as the absence of ladders and a winch in the configuration. In total, before the final for transporters of all modifications in 1991, about 20 thousand vehicles were assembled in Lutsk, some of which are now gradually being withdrawn from storage for sale.
Three axes of the "Geologist"
Further modernization of the leading edge conveyor was the expansion of its functionality - in the classical sense, the LuAZ-969M no longer suited the military. This could only be realized through an increase in carrying capacity, and the mass of the amphibian in full condition already exceeded a ton. Therefore, the natural solution was to install an additional third axle, which was also steerable. Such a three-axle LuAZ was first tested in 1984 at proving ground 21 NIII and received a list of major improvements. Among the layout solutions at LuAZ, there was a semblance of a driver's cab, fenced off from passengers by a tubular arc. By the way, the new transporter could now take on board ten soldiers at once or carry heavy machine guns, automatic grenade launchers, anti-tank systems crews or even Igla MANPADS.
In general, a new and interesting combat unit was being prepared for the army, which medical functions were not decisive. However, it was not possible to adapt the complex transmission to the third drive axle and in the early 80s they decided to create a new small-sized floating vehicle with three axles. The novelty was named LuAZ-1901 and did not resemble its ancestor in any way, except for the absence of a hard top. The total weight was almost twice as much - 1900 kg, and the carrying capacity reached 650 kg. The motor was now located at the rear, which freed up a lot of space on the front axle. The cargo platform increased to accommodate four stretchers with one orderly. Finally, the combat vehicle received a tarpaulin awning that protects people from precipitation from all sides. The seaworthiness of the LuAZ-1901 was higher than its predecessor - the amphibian on the water accelerated due to the rotation of six wheels to 5 km / h. It is noteworthy that such a large car was not equipped with a more powerful engine - as the 37-strong MeMZ-967B was, it remained. But on the civilian version ("Geologist"), which was born in the days of independent Ukraine, there was a Kharkiv diesel engine 3DTN with a capacity of 51 liters. with. After a long search for a sales market, LuAZ "Geolog" last appeared in public in 1999, and after a couple of years the Lutsk plant stopped producing cars of its own design. Over time, another manufacturer of military equipment in the post-Soviet space went bankrupt.
