At last year's international military-technical forum Army-2017, the Kalashnikov concern presented the Wall complex and the Shield special vehicle intended for use in suppressing riots. Later, the experimental equipment of a new type was transferred for testing to future operators, and they identified a list of necessary improvements. Taking into account the wishes of law enforcement agencies, a second version of the "Wall" was created, first shown last week during the "Army-2018" exhibition.
Last year it was reported that a special purpose vehicle "Shield" from the "Wall" complex was created on an initiative basis. After the completion of the development work, it was planned to offer the finished equipment to the relevant divisions of the Russian Guard. A sample on a wheeled chassis, equipped with protective equipment, a special folding shield of large dimensions and a water cannon, was proposed to be used to suppress riots. At the same time, the fighters had the opportunity to work under the protection of machine units.
"Wall" during preparation for work. The shield is moved to the forward position
About a year after the first showing of the original version of The Wall, the further history of the project became known. A prototype of a special machine was handed over to the Russian Guard, which was to test it during exercises and form its own opinion. Experts have studied the proposed vehicle and evaluated its tactical and technical characteristics. For a number of parameters, the "Shield" suited them, but in some cases there were special wishes. All of them were taken into account when creating a new version of the complex.
At the recent Army-2018 forum, the Kalashnikov concern presented a number of both already known and completely new developments of different classes. Together with other samples, a prototype of the renewed Stena complex was presented in the open area. The second version of the complex is very different from the "last year" and due to this has certain advantages. Reportedly, improvements made in accordance with the wishes of the National Guard, affected the composition of the equipment and the design of some units.
The Stena complex is designed to work in riot zones in order to support the actions of law enforcement units. With the help of special equipment in the form of a folding shield, the machine must protect the fighters, at the same time allowing them to influence the offenders. Such a field of application makes specific requirements for the means of protecting equipment and people, which is also taken into account in the new project.
The first version of the "Wall" presented in 2017
The four-axle chassis of the KamAZ brand is used as the basis for the new special vehicle. The previous version had a three-axle chassis, but, apparently, it could not show the required characteristics, as a result of which it went under a replacement. In the front part of the chassis, the cab of a cabover layout is retained, while the cargo area is given for the installation of special equipment. In addition, certain units are installed on the front bumper and chassis sides.
Working in a riot zone is associated with certain risks, as a result of which the base truck receives some protection elements. With the help of additional metal panels, the frontal projection of the cab is closed. The sides of the chassis are protected in a similar way. The cab retains the standard glazing, which is protected by metal nets. Side windows and rear-view mirrors are covered with nets installed on a box frame.
The main part of the interior equipment of the cab remains unchanged. At the same time, some innovations are provided. First of all, it is proposed to install control panels for target equipment in the cockpit. In addition, the driver and commander have several LCD screens at their disposal, on which the signal from the video cameras is displayed. The latter provide all-round visibility and make it easier to drive a large car in urban environments.
Shield of the first "Wall"
Part of the special equipment is installed on the front of the car "Wall" of the second version. It should be noted that such equipment was absent in the basic version of the project. A special frame with a swinging device equipped with hydraulic drives is attached to the car. The swinging part is equipped with a dozer-type blade. Such a device can be used when driving through rubble. In addition, it serves as an additional support for the mechanized shield.
A medium-sized rectangular casing is placed on the cargo area of the base vehicle, which accommodates part of the special equipment. This is probably where the main devices of the hydraulic system are located. A supporting device for a mechanized shield is mounted next to this casing. With its help, the latter is transferred to the working or transport position.
According to the results of trial operation in the Russian Guard, the design of the mechanized shield of the special machine "Stena" has undergone certain changes. Initially, the shield consisted of five rectangular sections of different sizes, controlled by hydraulics. It had its own road wheels and, with the help of an additional support, interacted with the bumper of the carrier vehicle. The sections of the shield consisted of a metal sheet, nets, and a curtain assembled from chains. In the second version of the "Wall" project, the shield was radically redesigned. In particular, it was decided to abandon the nets and chains in favor of a solid metal sheet, capable of providing better protection for personnel.
New variant of the shield device
To transfer the shield from the transport position to the working position, a special folding boom of the frame structure is used. One of its sections is installed directly on the loading platform and is controlled by a pair of hydraulic cylinders. A second frame with similar drives is connected to it, on which movable beams with fasteners for the shield are installed. In the stowed position, the frames are folded into the cargo area. At the same time, the shield itself takes a U-shape and is hung out over the rear of the car.
The mechanized shield has retained its composite architecture and still consists of five sections. The largest central one is installed directly on the movable boom. Rotary sections are attached to it on the sides. They provide for the installation of two hydraulic sliding sections. During the transfer to the working position, the shield rises from the stern of the machine and lowers in front of the cab. At the same time, its side sections fold out into a large-width structure. The shield of the new model does not have track rollers and its weight is distributed between the boom and the front frame with blade.
In accordance with the customer's requirements, the configuration of embrasures and windows in the shield has been redesigned. The first version used several large rectangular glazed windows. There is now a relatively small glass window in the center of each section. The windows of the four side sections are equipped with embrasures with movable covers. The two outermost sections each have two rectangular embrasures with covers. A set of embrasures ensures shooting into the front hemisphere with almost no risks for the fighters.
Back view
On the rear side of the mechanized shield there are small folding platforms installed directly under the embrasures and windows. On these sites it is proposed to be fighters firing into the front hemisphere. When switching to the transport position, the platforms are laid on the shield canvas and fixed in this position.
A large number of diode floodlights of sufficient power are provided in the upper part of the shield. With their help, it is proposed to illuminate the space in front of the car, which simplifies observation. In addition, high-power floodlights are an additional means of influencing offenders.
The lower edge of the shield has means to prevent various objects from falling under the car. On the bottom of the sections, a large number of flexible rubber plates are fixed, literally sliding along the surface. However, there is no such equipment under the front blade. In the first version of the project, a large number of short circuits were used for the same purposes.
The fighter uses the embrasure of the left extreme section
According to the developer, as part of improving the project, it was possible to reduce the time of transfer from the traveling position to the working one. It now takes about 3.5 minutes to lift and unfold the mechanized shield. For comparison, the "last year" machine of the "Shield" type spent about 7 minutes on this.
The special purpose vehicle "Shield", presented last year, had a water cannon for non-lethal impact on "soft targets". Based on the results of trial operation, it was decided to abandon this device. Thus, the new Stena complex does not have any integrated weapons. The fire effect is proposed to be carried out only with the help of the standard weapons of the fighters.
In case of use of incendiary means by violators, fire-extinguishing means are included in the Stena complex. In particular, a set of hand-held fire extinguishers is placed on several side chassis mountings.
Glazed embrasure
The need to obtain a sufficient level of protection, as well as the presence of a number of special devices, led to the fact that the new car "Wall" is distinguished by its large dimensions and weight. So, in the equipped condition, this sample weighs about 28 tons. The machine is built on a chassis with a large carrying capacity, which allows you to obtain acceptable mobility characteristics. At the same time, it is obvious that in a combat situation, the "Wall" will not have to develop maximum speed indicators, although certain challenges in the field of cross-country ability may arise.
It is reported that both versions of the Stena complex have already been in trial operation. So, law enforcement officers tested the first version of a special car, presented last year, and, based on the results of such checks, they presented a list of necessary improvements. In accordance with the latter, the Kalashnikov concern has developed a new version of the project; a prototype of this kind was first shown to the public at the Army-2018 exhibition. Now it is necessary to conduct a new stage of inspections, based on the results of which a decision will be made on the further fate of the entire project.
Meanwhile, as reported, the Kalashnikov concern is preparing for the future serial production of new equipment. Upon receipt of the corresponding order from the Russian Guard, the development organization will be ready to manufacture and transfer the first required samples as soon as possible. However, the exact volumes and timing of the proposed order have not yet been specified.
On the back side of the shield there are areas for personnel
Obviously, the main - or even the only - customer of the new Stena complex will be the Russian Guard. It is this structure that is now responsible for security at public events, and also must solve the problem of suppressing riots. Other power structures have different tasks, and therefore do not need such equipment. At the same time, it cannot be ruled out that an interesting sample of a special car will attract the attention of foreign buyers and will be exported.
It is hardly to be expected that the order for serial "Walls" will be large. Riot suppression machines belong to the category of equipment that the security forces really need, but not in large quantities. Such machines can enter service only in large cities, and in the amount of only a few units in each. The large number of special vehicles simply does not make sense from the point of view of economics and practice.
The main task of the "Wall" is to ensure the work of soldiers in the suppression of riots. This fact allows us to assume exactly how the service of serial equipment will look like in the distant future. There is reason to believe that the serial Stena vehicles will actively participate in exercises and training in order to train personnel. At the same time, the actual use of such a technique looks unlikely. As you know, the Russian security forces, armed with various special vehicles, are in no hurry to use it in real operations. For example, the police have various water cannons at their disposal, but they have never been used against the crowd. Such machines as "Storm" or "Avalanche-Hurricane" had to be taken out into the street several times and their appearance was enough to cool hot heads. It is hardly worth expecting that the Wall's service will look differently.
To solve special problems, the National Guard and other structures may need special samples of various kinds of equipment. The Wall car with special equipment is a good example of this. In addition, this project clearly shows the benefits of the operator's interaction with the developer: future users considered the first version of the machine not very successful, as a result of which an updated version appeared. Now she has every chance to go into service and go into the series.
