Russian impassability and muddy roads have spoiled the nerves of many of our enemies. But we ourselves often suffer from them. For example, what will happen if a rocket tractor with a Topol-M gets bogged down in the mud? Who can help you pull out a heavy vehicle with a dangerous load? And who should make sure that such excesses do not happen at all?
When the PM's editors were working on the May issue, it was white and white outside the window. On snow-covered roads, endless fields, blown by the March blizzard, we made our way to the location of the Teikovo division of strategic missile forces. There they promised to show us a car, which has no analogues in the world.
Manual exploration
Indeed, I had never seen anything like it before. The only thing this mighty four-axle vehicle can compare to is the rocket tractors that carry ICBMs. Before us appeared an engineering support and camouflage vehicle (MIOM), the latest modification of which (MIOM-M) has just entered service with the Russian army, or rather the Strategic Missile Forces. Such a machine should be unique, because nowhere else in the world there are mobile installations with ICBMs.
But we have this topic is actively developing, and along with the monoblock "Topol-M" in 2009, the RS-24 "Yars" with a multiple warhead got on alert duty. The emergence of a new generation of mobile ground-based missile systems (PGRK) inevitably led to the need for more advanced engineering technology.
We, of course, do not know whether a tractor with an ICBM ever got stuck in the mud, but it is obvious that the all-terrain qualities of a rocket transport are limited. And if it becomes necessary to relocate the missile system from point A to point B on the map, then first you need to find out whether the missile technology can actually make this path and take a position at the specified point. Are there impassable swamps there, is the forest road marked on the map littered with trees, are there any other obstacles to the work of the missilemen?
Engineering reconnaissance is called upon to answer all these questions, and, of course, there have been corresponding subdivisions in the Strategic Missile Forces for a long time. However, until recently, the technical equipment of these services remained, let's say, at an insufficiently high level. Engineering reconnaissance teams moved in conventional army "Urals", and a large share of manual labor was present in the work of the sappers. Just one example. In the arsenal of the engineering units of the Strategic Missile Forces there is such a device as a penetrometer.
It is used to assess the bearing capacity of soils, that is, it is used to find out whether the soil in a given area can withstand the weight of a rocket tractor, whether it will be able to drive through or even equip a launch position. In the old version, the mass of the penetrometer was 23 kg, which in itself is a lot, moreover, the use of the device was associated with serious physical exertion - for the test, the soldier had to drive a special bar into the ground.
And the problem is not only the wasteful expenditure of the warrior's forces, but also the loss of time, which is of particular value in everything related to ballistic missiles and nuclear weapons. That is why it was decided that the engineering reconnaissance of the Strategic Missile Forces should receive new equipment that will help carry out missions faster and more efficiently.
Covering the tracks
The 15M69 (MIOM-M) machine is built on the basis of the MZKT-7930 Astrologer chassis of the Minsk Wheel Tractor Plant, the very one that builds a number of heavy wheeled platforms for the Russian army, including tractors for Topoli and Yarsy (chassis MZKT-79221). The MIOM uses an 8 x 8 scheme, with the two front axles equipped with steering wheels. The tractor is supposedly powered by a 500-horsepower 12-cylinder diesel engine. So, if the rocket tractor does get bogged down, MIOM will have enough power to pull it from anywhere, and itself at the same time (of course, with the help of a winch).
The vehicle has a three-section structure: in the front there is a control compartment with a driver's workplace, then there is a living compartment (kung) for personnel and, finally, a cargo body. One of the main distinguishing features of the new engineering vehicle is a high degree of autonomy. She not only has a decent range of fuel, but also provides life, rest, food and medical care for a calculation of eight people for three days.
By army standards, it is quite comfortable inside the box - the premises for the personnel resemble a compartment of a passenger train. Four berths for alternate rest of the calculation and a small kitchen. But why does a car need such a large crew?
Everything will become clear if you just list the functions that MIOM is designed to perform and its calculation. Firstly, with the help of the machine, the overall cross-country ability of the terrain is checked. For this, the so-called size imitators are located on the body. In the stowed position, they are folded, but on command, the crewmen unfold these structures at an angle of 90 °, artificially increasing the dimensions of the MIOM in width and height.
If the simulators run into obstacles (for example, in the form of thick branches of trees), it means that the rocket tractor will not pass here and it is necessary to take measures to widen the passage. The soldiers work in rigging belts and with insurance: the height of the vehicle, even without imitators of dimensions, is 3, 9 m. Secondly, the task of the calculation includes a complex of radiation, chemical and biological reconnaissance of the terrain, as well as the clearance of mines. The machine is equipped with appropriate protection and allows you to overcome areas of contaminated terrain.
Thirdly, the crew has to perform camouflage tasks (camouflage means are still being tested). For this MIOM is equipped with a cargo body where metal containers are stored. In just five minutes, using a compressor driven by a diesel power plant, the contents of the containers are transformed into inflatable models, identical in appearance and dimensions to rocket tractors. The "false division" is designed to mislead the enemy observing from a height.
Another camouflage device is a grader attached to the rear of the machine. It not only helps to cope with snow blockages, but also … neatly covers the traces of rocket tractors that have just passed along a snow-covered or dirt road.
And what about the penetrometer? No, now you no longer have to carry it on yourself. The assessment of the bearing capacity of soils is carried out using a small cabinet mounted directly on the nose of the machine. The cabinet contains a hydraulic drive and a pressure gauge. The fighter of the crew screws a long rod with a small round platform at the end to the drive rod and rests it on the ground. Now you just need to start the drive, which will slowly press the rod into the ground, and look at the instruments.
The photo clearly shows the three-section layout of the engineering vehicle. The highest part is the central living compartment. Folded size imitators can be seen on the roof slope and on the side of the box.
Engineering support and camouflage vehicle 15M69
The unit is designed and manufactured by the Central Design Bureau "Titan" (Volgograd).
Carries out its tasks as part of the PGRK "Yars" or "Topol-M", as well as independently.
Length: 15900 mm.
Width in the stowed position of the platforms: 3300 mm.
The mass of a fully equipped unit with a crew of 8 people: no more than 42 643 kg.
Maximum speed: 70 km / h.
