The fifth generation floating medium transporter is designed to move personnel of military units, armored vehicles and bulky cargo through water obstacles. The newest representative of special equipment, created in the design bureau of the Omsk transport engineering plant, during its relatively short existence, managed to surprise many with its capabilities and characteristics. However, at shows and exhibitions of military equipment, it became unobtrusive against the background of modern domestic tanks and armored personnel carriers.
PTS-4
If you look at the continuity, the Omsk floating tracked conveyor is not a successor of the PTS-1/2/3 series of transporters created at the Luganskteplovoz plant. Now this is a "foreign" plant and the equipment is also foreign. The ancestor of the Omsk novelty can be considered a tracked conveyor, created at the Izhevsk plant in the 50s of the last century, called K-61. By the way, at the next of the exhibitions, Omsk representatives put one of the K-61s next to PTS-4, so to speak, for a better idea of what the Russian industry has achieved over the years. It would be unfair to compare these decisions of Soviet and Russian thought, since it is already clear that the new representative of tracked floating vehicles is ahead of its "great-grandfather" in all characteristics.
If we compare it with the PTS-3, then the PTS-4 weighs 8 tons more, can take two tons more payload, and has received a modern booking. The transporter received an 840-strong multi-fuel engine, which made it possible to achieve good speed characteristics when driving on water and land. The installed fuel tanks allow him to move on water for 10.5 hours or cover 600 kilometers on land. The PTS-3 was developed on the elements of the undercarriage of the T-64 tank (still a Ukrainian development), while the PTS-4 was built on the elements of the undercarriage of the Russian T-80 tank.
Of the modern technologies applied, I would like to note that the PTS-4 has a machine gun, provided with remote control with a transportable combat stock of 400 rounds, armoring of the control compartment and hinged shielding of the chassis.
PTS-4 was created as a hot replacement for the outdated PTS-1/2, which are still used in the Russian Army. The same PTS-3 became foreign equipment, therefore the Omsk transport engineering plant began to develop a new tracked floating vehicle for moving people, equipment and cargo, which, by the way, is also engaged in the modernization of the T-80 tank (T-80U and T-80UK) and equipment for crossing water obstacles. Therefore, I would very much like the first customer to be the Russian military department, and not interested foreign customers.
Main characteristics of PTS-4:
- full weight - 33.1 tons;
- control compartment (cabin) double version;
- payload land / water up to 12/18 tons;
- ground / water movement speed up to 60/15 km / h;
- length - 8.3 meters;
- width -3.3 meters;
- engine power - 840 hp;
- range on the ground up to 600 kilometers;
- cruising range on water up to 10.5 hours;
Armament:
- closed-type anti-aircraft gun - remote-controlled 12.7 mm machine gun with 400 rounds of ammunition transportable.
