At the end of 2017 in Moscow, as part of the Vuzpromexpo-2017 exhibition, a new all-terrain vehicle on low-pressure tires with the working name KamAZ-Arctic was presented to the public. The vehicle is designed for the development of the Far North and is specially designed for efficient operation in extremely harsh climatic conditions. The designers of KamAZ, SKB MAMI and two Moscow universities - MSTU im. Bauman and Polytechnic. Endurance tests of the new all-terrain vehicle should take place this year in Yakutia.
At the exhibition, a huge blue all-terrain vehicle weighing about 17 tons, with a ground clearance of more than 670 mm made a splash and attracted the attention of ordinary visitors and specialists. There is nothing surprising. The most famous Russian manufacturer of diesel trucks from Naberezhnye Chelny has its own scientific and technical center (STC), which is working on the design of modern vehicles, but for KamAZ the presented Arctic all-terrain vehicle is a completely new direction of work. Previously, all-terrain vehicles under the KamAZ brand have not yet been produced. The new car is quite different from other promising developments of the Russian auto giant in its appearance and inherent functionality.
KamAZ-Arctic, photo: vestikamaza.ru
The Arctic is now attracting more and more attention. Four years ago, the Russian leadership announced the all-Russian project "Socio-economic development of the Arctic zone of the Russian Federation for the period up to 2020". The program becomes even more relevant if the fate that approximately 20 percent of Russian territory is located in the Arctic Circle. The main objective of the program is to develop the economic and social spheres of life in the region. Among other things, this program involves expanding the scientific and technical base of the region through the creation and implementation of advanced technologies. In this regard, there was a need for a high-quality and reliable car that could work even in the harsh Arctic conditions, coping with its tasks in the winter. The presented arctic all-terrain vehicle "KamAZ-Arctic" will be of interest at least to employees of the Ministry of Emergency Situations, medical workers, as well as researchers and pioneers, the machine may be of interest to scientists and geologists. It should not be ruled out that over time, the military and representatives of various Russian law enforcement agencies may become interested in this development.
KamAZ-Arctic is an environmentally friendly all-terrain vehicle designed to transport people and goods in the Arctic zones of Russia, Siberia and the Far East. An articulated frame was used in the car - it was developed in two modifications: with wheel configurations 6x6 and 8x8. An all-terrain vehicle with a 6x6 wheel arrangement has already been built. It has huge low-pressure tires, each weighing a quarter of a ton. In fact, this is a snow and swamp-going vehicle that can be effectively used in the vast expanses of our country.
KamAZ-Arctic, photo: vestikamaza.ru
The all-terrain vehicle presented in 2017 runs on the classic KAMAZ V8 engine and is equipped with a manual gearbox. The novelty will be certified as a snow and swamp vehicle. From the point of view of its design, this is an absolutely new development; KamAZ has never created anything like it before. To work in the Arctic and regions of the Far North, a new car must meet very stringent requirements. It should function at ambient temperatures of minus 50-60 degrees Celsius. Move in complete off-road conditions: not only on snow cover, but also in conditions of low-bearing soils, in conditions of spring thaw, work on winter roads. According to Sergei Nazarenko, chief designer of innovative vehicles at STC KamAZ, the key feature of the new all-terrain vehicle is the articulated frame: the car makes a turn not due to its wheels, but due to the “breaking” frame. This decision was dictated by the large dimensions of the wheels used: they are very wide for an Arctic all-terrain vehicle, which do not provide a resource sufficient for a normal turn.
Another important feature of the new product from Naberezhnye Chelny is its very wide tires. With the help of such tires, the problem of cross-country ability of a car is successfully solved in special climatic conditions and on unstable soils: tundra, swampy areas, firn snow (dense coarse-grained snow). The tires installed on the all-terrain vehicle can be of two standard sizes: 700 mm wide (“Dimension” version) and more than 1000 mm wide (“Oversized” version). The use of the "Gabarit" version allows the Arctic all-terrain vehicle to meet the permitted traffic rules parameters, which in turn allows the KAMAZ novelty to move freely on public roads, the all-terrain vehicle can reach speeds of up to 50 km / h. At the same time, the “Oversized” version with wide tires is intended for movement on soils with low bearing capacity. The ground clearance of the KAMAZ-Arctic all-terrain vehicle is also impressive - 677 mm. As Nazarenko notes, thanks to the listed qualities, the novelty can be used as an "alpha mobile" - a vehicle that will lead the movement of a convoy of other cars, leading ordinary off-road trucks. The carrying capacity of the new northern giant is estimated at 13 tons.
One of the features of the Arctic all-terrain vehicle is the presence of a full-fledged comfortable living compartment for three people. Inside the residential module there are sleeping places, a gasoline generator, electric inverters, a supply of drinking water, a kitchen with a hob and a microwave oven, a toilet and even a shower. Also inside there is a TV, satellite phone. The design of the residential module was carried out by specialists from SKB MAMI. The specialists of this enterprise managed to fully combine the utilitarian properties of the all-terrain vehicle with a rather stylish appearance and well-thought-out ergonomics, which meets all the criteria for a comfortable and autonomous stay in a residential module. You can get to the module using a special folding ladder. The residential module of the KamAZ-Arctic all-terrain vehicle, which will be officially certified as a snow and swamp vehicle, is a full-fledged living space in which you can live or wait for help in the most severe climatic conditions for at least three days. “At least three days, but rather a week or even more,” noted Sergei Nazarenko, chief designer of innovative vehicles at STC KamAZ. Additionally, air conditioners are provided in the residential module, which will help isolate its inhabitants from the northern "beast": mosquitoes, midges and midges.
Residential module, photo: vestikamaza.ru
In the summer of 2018, the new Arctic all-terrain vehicle "KamAZ-Arctic" will again appear at various exhibitions, and in the second half of the summer it will go to the cold regions of our country. In addition to Yakutia, the car is also waiting in Yamal. The second all-terrain vehicle with 8x8 wheel arrangement will be ready by the end of this year. It is already known that it will receive a P6 power unit (this is a new KAMAZ six-cylinder in-line engine, created in cooperation with the German company Liebherr and coming close to the best foreign counterparts), a new K5 cab and an automatic gearbox.
"KamAZ-Arctic", render skb-mami.ru
Residential module, render skb-mami.ru
