Last Tuesday, May 28, Minister of Defense S. Shoigu visited the 3rd Central Research Institute of the Ministry of Defense in Bronnitsy, where he was shown the latest developments in military vehicles. During this visit, both modified machines of old projects and new developments were demonstrated. Of all the types of equipment shown, the most interesting is the armored tracked vehicle DT-3PB, a prototype of which was first shown at the last event.
An armored transporter with a tracked chassis DT-3PB and a multipurpose vehicle DT-4P were designed and built at the Rubtsovsk Machine-Building Plant, now a branch of the Uralvagonzavod, in the course of work on the "Ice ax" theme. These machines are primarily interesting because they belong to the class of articulated tracked vehicles. DT-3PB and DT-4P consist of two main tracked modules connected by a special mechanism. According to the available data, the design of the connecting unit allows the conveyors to change the relative position of the modules in all three planes. Due to this, all-terrain vehicles have a higher cross-country ability than tracked vehicles with a classic chassis.
Both machines of the Ice Ax project have a similar layout and design. They are distinguished only by the presence of armor protection on the DT-3PB and the corresponding difference in weight and driving characteristics. The front link of the new articulated all-terrain vehicles is a power module that houses the power plant. According to the information published by Vestnik Mordovia, the civilian version of the vehicle shown in Bronnitsy is equipped with a 300 horsepower YaMZ 238B diesel engine produced at the Yaroslavl Engine-Building Plant. In addition to the engine and transmission, a cockpit with six seats is installed on the front link.
The second link is the active platform and can serve as the base for any required module. On the example of the DT-3PB transporter, demonstrated at the 3rd Central Research Institute of the Ministry of Defense, a certain box-like structure was installed, probably representing a cargo or passenger module. In fact, any of the offered units can be mounted in its place, depending on the wishes of the customer and tactical necessity. For example, on the civil all-terrain vehicle DT-4P, you can install a passenger cabin with 18 seats, a cargo body, a tank or a module for transporting long loads. The armored DT-3PB is capable of carrying up to three tons of payload, the DT-4P - a ton more.
There are no exact data on the DT-3PB armored vehicle for the armed forces yet, but Vestnik Mordovii cited some figures regarding the DT-4P civilian transporter. So, the equipped car of this model weighs about ten tons, seven of which are on the front power module. The deadweight of the rear link is more than half the size. At the request of the customer, a civilian vehicle can be equipped with one of three types of tracks: a track with a rubber-metal hinge, a belt track with rubber-fabric elements, or a cast track with an open hinge. The specific pressure of wide tracks on the ground does not exceed 0.2 kg / cm 2.
The engine, transmission and chassis allow the DT-4P all-terrain vehicle to accelerate on the highway to 55 kilometers per hour. Reverse speed - 10 km / h. The transporter has the ability to cross water obstacles by swimming at a speed of about 5-6 km / h. One refueling is enough to cover a distance of up to 500 kilometers. The characteristics of the DT-3PB transporter have not yet been announced, so for now it is possible to evaluate the project solely on the basis of data on its civilian version.
In addition to bulletproof booking (the protection class was not announced), the DT-3PB army transporter can carry weapons in case of a collision with the enemy. On the roof of the front link there is a turret for a machine gun. It is reportedly equipped with a remote control system. Judging by the photographs from Bronnitsy, the turret is designed for heavy machine guns such as the Kord. Perhaps, at the request of the customer, the Rubtsovsk Machine-Building Plant can equip its ATVs with other types of turrets for weapons of other models. Also on the roof of the front module there are two three-barreled smoke grenade launchers.
It should be noted that the machines of the Ice-ax project are not the first domestic articulated conveyors. Earlier, the Ishimbay plant of transport engineering has created two basic machines and several of their modifications under the general name "Vityaz". The equipment of this family has a carrying capacity of 3 to 30 tons and is actively used in those areas where transport vehicles with good maneuverability are required. The new transporters DT-3PB and DT-4P are similar in a number of technical solutions to the Vityaz and therefore may have great prospects.
Immediately after the appearance of messages about the machines of the Rubtsovsk plant, the public interested in this topic remembered a similar Swedish development. The BvS 10 armored transporter, created in the first half of the 2000s by Land Systems Hagglunds (a division of BAE Systems), entered service with the armies of several countries in the middle of the same decade. Since then, these machines have been actively used in various conditions, including in Afghanistan. On the basis of the BvS 10 all-terrain vehicle, an armored personnel carrier, command post, ambulance and repair and recovery vehicle were created. Despite a number of features (lack of mine protection, the complexity of the connecting mechanism, etc.), the BvS 10 armored vehicles deserved a generally positive assessment.
The prospects for a new domestic project of tracked articulated all-terrain vehicles are still a matter of controversy. Most likely, the Ministry of Defense will be interested in "Ice axes" and will order a certain amount of such equipment. Already, based only on the available information, we can talk about what tasks the army DT-3PB and civilian DT-4P will perform. Low ground pressure and, as a result, high flotation, help these machines to work on soft surfaces, such as deep snow, sand or swampy terrain. At the same time, the new transporters, most likely, will first go to serve in the northern regions of the country. In the summer of last year, information appeared, according to which it is DT-3PB or DT-4P that will become the basis for a new unified articulated tracked platform "Arktika", intended for operation in the North.
However, in the intervening time, there have been several more news about the Arctic program, which leave a lot of questions. For this reason, at the moment it is difficult to talk about the attitude of the Ice ax project to the Arctic program of the Ministry of Defense. Nevertheless, there is information about the existence of several prototypes of the DT-3PB and DT-4P machines, which are being tested, including in the Arctic. If the crossing of the northern routes is successful, then both machines will have a great future: due to the combination of its characteristics, the Ice Ax project has good prospects and should be of interest to the military and border guards, as well as some commercial structures.
