55 years ago, an all-terrain vehicle was created at the Kirov plant, which was officially named "Penguin". It was developed in the design bureau of the plant (now OJSC "Spetsmash"), which was led by the outstanding tank designer Joseph Yakovlevich Kotin.
Tracked all-terrain vehicle "Penguin" (object 209)
In 1957, the famous polar researcher, corresponding member of the USSR Academy of Sciences Somov M. M.
The fact is that the polar explorers urgently needed a powerful all-terrain vehicle for a comprehensive study of Antarctica. Somov told Kotin about the prospects that opened up for researchers of a distant and mysterious continent, and managed to captivate the chief designer with the idea of creating a mobile all-terrain laboratory for polar explorers, and Joseph Yakovlevich enthusiastically took up a completely new business for him.
Extreme operating conditions in unprecedented low temperatures, unhindered movement on loose snow and smooth ice required new approaches to the design of the machine.
Somov began to visit the chief designer often, they became close and made friends, without losing touch with each other until the end of their lives.
The Antarctic all-terrain vehicle received the official name "Penguin" and the factory code - "Object 209". Taking into account the extremely tight development time and the requirement for high reliability of the new machine, it was necessary to have approved and proven design solutions. As a base, they chose the PT-76 amphibious tank and the BTR-50P armored personnel carrier developed earlier in the design bureau, which have proven themselves in the troops during operation in the Arctic.
For this, along with the creation of a reliable wheelhouse for the work of the researchers, special astronavigation instruments and serious modifications to the chassis and chassis were required. A new track was developed with an unprecedentedly low specific ground pressure - less than 300 g / cm 2. With a weight of "Penguin" of almost 16 tons, this figure was commensurate with the specific pressure on the ground of a person.
Recalling the great urgency of this work, N. V. Kurin - at that time the deputy. The chief designer wrote: “It was in the spring, somewhere in the middle of May, and the next expedition had to sail no later than October in order to catch the summer season, which began there in December…”.
Considering the tight deadlines set for the manufacture of a batch of "Penguins" (the image of a penguin appeared on board the machine), which were to be prepared by the time of the departure of the Antarctic expedition, Kotin made an extraordinary decision: from the very beginning of assembly, he attached a designer to each of the five machines being created - responsible for the prompt solution of problems arising during the assembly. As such "nannies", he appointed initiative young designers - recent graduates of universities. Among them were Popov N. S. - subsequently general designer; A. I. Strakhal - future chief designer of the project; as well as already experienced tank builders of the Kotin "guard" - MS Passov, IA Gelman, NV Kurin; young engineers Sharapanovsky B. M. and Tkachenko Yu. D.
… According to the conclusion of the polar explorers, the "Penguin" proved to be a very convenient vehicle for route research. It was distinguished by a number of advantages, and most importantly - high reliability in work. The all-terrain vehicle confidently overcame jams, with a height of 1.5 m. The researchers liked the engine very much, which provided towing of sleds with a load of 12 tons, and work at a reduced atmospheric pressure, typical for Antarctica. The advantage of the machine is its good living conditions, allowing it to work in the wheelhouse without outer clothing, at an external temperature of up to minus 50 ° C. The power reserve was striking - without refueling - 3, 5 thousand km.
The first trip to the central regions of Antarctica was led by the famous polar explorer E. I. Tolstikov. On September 27, 1958, a detachment of researchers, including four Penguin all-terrain vehicles, set out on the route from the Pionerskaya station. Two months later, having covered 2,100 km, we reached the region of the sixth continent farthest from all points of the coast - where the Pole of Inaccessibility polar station was organized. Among the researchers were employees of the Kotinsky design bureau G. F. Burkhanov, and later, already as part of the 5th Antarctic expedition, the second envoy of the Kirovites - engineer designer B. A. Krasnikov.
As a sign of respect to the creators of this vehicle, two Penguin all-terrain vehicles were installed at Mirny and Novo-Lazarevskaya stations for eternal parking. Member of the expedition, driver-mechanic N. P. Pugachev. received a government award, and the chief designer Kotin J. Ya. - badge of honor "Honored Polar Explorer".
During the work of five Antarctic expeditions with the help of ground all-terrain vehicles, more than ten trips into the interior of the continent were made, over 15 thousand tons were transported, the Pole of Inaccessibility and the South Geographic Pole were reached. Good "traces" remained in Antarctica from the tankers of the design bureau of the Kirov plant.
