She can climb an almost sheer wall, she is not afraid of off-road, on which KamAZ will sit, she will overcome a puddle where a tank will drown. 42. TUT. BY exclusively tested the newest Belarusian reconnaissance and patrol vehicle "Cayman", which will be shown for the first time at the parade on July 3.
To do this, we went to Borisov to the landfill of JSC "140 repair plant". Before us, only army specialists and the star of Hollywood action movies Dolph Lundgren have been behind the wheel of this armored vehicle. We learned why the "Cayman" does not sink and what happens if you press the button with the image of a turtle on the dashboard.
The girl who builds armored vehicles
The director of the enterprise, Alexander Churyakov, himself came to accompany the journalists on a small tour of the plant. According to him, the head of state instructed them to create a light armored vehicle.
- Development of an armored car from scratch took us three years. The prototype was assembled last year. Then many media wrote that the "Cayman" was built on the basis of the BRDM-2, but this is not the case. We only used a couple of elements of the armored hull of this Soviet armored vehicle in the running model. In serial armored cars, the hulls are as unique as the vehicles themselves. In its class, "Cayman" is cheaper than most competitors with high combat effectiveness. However, its designer will tell you more about the car.
Having finished this phrase, the director pointed to a fragile girl who was standing a little further from one of the assembled Caymans. The armored car owes its unusual appearance, high cross-country ability and protection to her - the chief designer of the enterprise Olga Petrova.
- When developing the "Cayman", we tried to make it as reliable and maintainable as possible. An armored car with minor combat damage can be repaired right in the field by the crew, - says Olga. - The car is able to protect the crew from bullets and shrapnel. In the frontal part, the protection of the "Cayman" is higher than that of the BTR-80. Armor corresponding to the fifth class confidently holds armor-piercing incendiary bullets fired from an SVD sniper rifle. The Cayman also has mine protection - the bottom is partially V-shaped, the floor in the places where the landing force and the crew are located is reinforced with additional armor.
Olga graduated from BNTU with a degree in instrument-making and household appliances, and got to the 140th plant on the advice of a friend: "… if you want colossal experience in the field of design, come to the enterprise." In August of this year, it will be exactly nine years since the girl has been working at the enterprise.
By the way, "Cayman" is not the only brainchild of Olga, the girl has developed a project for the modernization of the BTR-70MB1. The new vehicle is in no way inferior to the BTR-80 in terms of combat and operational capabilities. The novelty was appreciated in the Belarusian army and adopted.
Belarusian by 67 percent
When developing the Cayman, one of the most important requirements was a high degree of localization. According to Alexander Churyakov, many structural elements were redesigned. For example, a transfer case and a water propulsion system. The latter allows the "Cayman" to swim at speeds up to 8 km / h. But the most important thing is that an armored car, like other vehicles, does not need time to prepare to overcome a water hazard. The car can drive into the lake on the move, and the propellers are switched on by the toggle switch from the passenger compartment while driving.
If water gets into the case, the driver will be informed about this by a special sensor on the panel. A pump is turned on from the passenger compartment, which pumps out the remaining liquid.
“This car has 67% of Belarusian components, and we plan to increase this figure in the future,” says Alexander Churyakov. - For example, an engine assembled with a reinforced box developed at the Smolensk Aggregate Plant is supplied by the Minsk Motor Plant. We are still buying bulletproof tires in Russia, but now we are negotiating with Belshina on the development of such tires. The propulsion system that allows the Cayman to float is our own development. It was created from scratch, specifically for this armored car.
Following the tanks
In order to find out what the Cayman is capable of, we go to the nearest training ground, where the crews of tanks and infantry fighting vehicles are being trained. The terrain rugged by caterpillars, with huge muddy patches flooded with water, at first glance seems overwhelming for a wheeled vehicle.
But, as the creators assure, for "Cayman" this is a common habitat. Check it out? First, an experienced test driver demonstrates what this car is capable of. Before our eyes, the armored car easily drives up a hill covered with clay and sod at an almost 45-degree angle.
Then, at the request of photographers, he climbs a high hill in order to effectively crash into a huge puddle. Seven tons of steel raise a wave of spray and mud, and the armored car goes into this mess up to the hull. The driver is asked to wait a couple of minutes to get a good shot.
All this time "Cayman" stands in the middle of a small mud lake and, like a real predator, in whose honor it got its name, basking in the sun. The armored car gets out of the water captivity with such ease, as if it moves on the asphalt.
Swallows pits for breakfast
It's time to get behind the wheel of the Cayman himself. The dashboard is not much different from a regular car. At the bottom there are three pedals: gas, brake, clutch, so the time to get used to is minimal. The instructor immediately warns that the pedals are tuned for the armored personnel carrier - soldiers are being trained on the Cayman, and this is more familiar to them.
Indeed, the pedals are rather tight, but getting used to it is a matter of minutes. Under the hood of the "Cayman" there is a 170-horsepower diesel engine, which consumes 24-25 liters per hundred off-road. By the way, the power reserve of the armored car reaches 1000 km, which is enough to drive almost twice from one end of Belarus to the other. By the way, the motor has a high torque - 515 Nm.
The first gear is short, it is needed to get under way, then you need to turn on the second and, adding gas, go to third, in which the "Cayman" usually moves off-road.
The transmissions are turned on in a rather unusual way. The first is down and to the right, the second is down and in the middle, the third is up. The fourth and fifth did not have to be used. They are needed more for driving on the highway, where the Cayman is able to reach speeds of 116 km / h.
Meanwhile, the car starts to move. Out of habit, I hesitate to engage the second gear, but the armored car does not stall, but calmly waits until I find the gear.
The Cayman rides over rough terrain very smoothly. The machine simply does not notice the pit. The passengers do not notice them either - it seems that you are driving on a flat road.
This is the merit of the suspension of the armored vehicle. It is independent here, with two levers per wheel. Fitted with shock absorbers and reinforced springs.
The handling of the "Cayman" deserves a separate mention. The steering wheel turns with one hand, and the car is very sensitive to any manipulation. Feels like a real foreign car.
Terrible on the outside, comfortable on the inside
The Cayman looks very large, protected and unapproachable. Peering into its narrow loophole mirrors, you worry that visibility will be worse than ever. I immediately remember the common joke about parking by the sound. But this is only the first impression.
Cameras are installed at the front and rear of the Cayman, which give the driver an excellent view. The frontal bulletproof glass has a double heating circuit: the inner one saves from fogging, and the outer one - from icing.
The wipers are hidden under an armored visor. By the way, the mechanism of operation of the side window brushes is practically eternal - it is set in motion by hand.
The display to which the image from the cameras is translated is quite large and informative. You can also display navigation information, data on the state of systems and units of a combat vehicle and other information on the screen.
Well, and "Easter eggs" for those who have read the material almost to the end. There are two interesting buttons on the Cayman's dashboard, one depicting a bunny, the other a turtle. What are they for?
It turns out that everything is simple: the turtle is in low gear, the hare is in high gear. In my opinion, a cool design find. It would seem a trifle, but it adds great coziness inside and relieves tension, which is so much in military service. Looking at the buttons, you just want to smile and be sure to press one of them - at least just like that.
Places inside the "Cayman" more than enough. The crew of the armored car - six people - will be accommodated here in comfort. You can get inside through a side door or a pair of hatches above the driver's and passenger's seats. Another large hatch is located in the middle of the fighting compartment. You can lean out of it and shoot from a Kalashnikov machine gun (PK), from an AGS grenade launcher or from a 12.7 mm machine gun. In this case, the folded hatch cover is an armored back for a soldier wielding a machine gun or grenade launcher. The shooter himself is on the transfer case cover.
It will also work in "civilian life"
As a result, the car made a good impression. A wide range of weapons, up to the installation of a remotely controlled Adunok module, and high maneuverability make the Cayman a formidable enemy.
But it seems to me that an armored car has a place in civilian life. The spacious interior can accommodate several people at once, the car keeps afloat perfectly, it has a huge power reserve, and it can move along the roads.
Four-wheel drive, centralized tire inflation and high torque from a diesel engine will help to cope with any off-road conditions and not depend on service.
In civilian design, it is an indispensable thing for a fishing trip with a large company, and you can fish right from the board in the middle of some remote lake, where the way is ordered by ordinary transport. After all, there are civilian versions of the BRDM, why not have one for the "Cayman"?
