On September 9, 2015 at the National Academy of the State Border Service of Ukraine named after Bohdan Khmelnitsky, a meeting of commanders and technical specialists of the State Border Service took place. Within the framework of this event, new samples of KrAZ armored vehicles were presented. The border guards were introduced to the modernized models of KrAZ Cougar, KrAZ Spartan and KrAZ Shrek vehicles.
The Ukrainian armored vehicle KrAZ Cougar is produced at the Kremenchug Automobile Plant under the license of the United Canadian-Emirates company "Streit Group". The main purpose of the car is to conduct battles in the city and conduct police operations. The first sample of this car was presented in February 2013.
The KrAZ Cougar armored car is developed on the Toyota Land Cruiser chassis, has a traditional layout: the engine is located in the front part, the control compartment is in the middle, the troop compartment is in the rear of the vehicle. The crew is two people, transportation of several infantrymen is possible.
The body of the armored vehicle is welded, made of armored steel sheets, which are located at a certain angle. Reservations are made according to the CEN Level BR6 standard, which provides all-round protection against 7.62 mm bullets from a distance of 10 meters.
Several types of six-cylinder in-line engines can be installed on the Cougar armored car: gasoline Toyota 1FZ-FE 4, 5і and Toyota 1GR-FE 4, 0і with a capacity of 218 and 228 horsepower, respectively, and diesel Toyota 4, 0 TD with a capacity of 240 horsepower. The car is equipped with a five-speed gearbox. The volume of each of the two tanks is 90 liters.
Machine weight is 4, 2 tons, length - 5, 3 meters, height - 2, 1 meters, width - about 2 meters. The Cougar armored car can reach a maximum speed of 105 kilometers per hour. The tires are equipped with bullet-proof inserts "Hutchinson runflat system".
On the roof of the fighting compartment, it is planned to install machine guns of 7, 62 and 12, 7 mm calibers, as well as a 40-mm automatic grenade launcher, as well as various combat modules.
In the troop compartment, in the upper part of the sides, there are three embrasures on each side, designed to introduce small arms fire. Doors for embarkation and disembarkation of troops are located in the aft compartment.
In addition, additional equipment is installed (or can be installed) on the armored car, including a radio station, a winch designed for self-pulling the vehicle, or for pulling out other vehicles of similar or less weight, as well as a spare wheel, which is located on the doors of the troop compartment in aft of the machine. In addition, it is possible to install a video surveillance system.
The second piece of equipment presented to the border guards is the Ukrainian armored vehicle KrAZ Spartan. This car is also produced at the Kremenchug Automobile Plant under the license of the same Canadian company "Streit Group". The first demo was presented back in 2012.
The KrAZ Spartan armored car is developed on the basis of the Ford F550 chassis, has a standard layout with a front engine, aft troop compartment and a control compartment in the middle of the vehicle. The crew of the car is two people, just like in the KrAZ Cougar, transportation of several infantrymen is envisaged.
The car body is welded, armored steel sheets are angled. The armor provides all-round protection against 7.62 mm bullets from a distance of 10 meters.
Machine weight varies from 7, 8 to 8, 9 tons. Moreover, its length is 6 meters, width - 2.4 meters, height - 2.3 meters.
The car is powered by a Ford 6, 7 TD V8 engine with 400 horsepower. The tires have Hutchinson runflat system bulletproof inserts.
A six-speed gearbox is installed at KrAZ Spartan. The tank has a capacity of 257 liters. The armored car can reach a maximum speed of 110 kilometers per hour.
Like the KrAZ Cougar car, it is possible to install various combat modules on the roof of the fighting compartment, in particular, machine guns of 7, 62 and 12, 7 millimeters, as well as an automatic grenade launcher of 40 millimeters. On the sides of the troop compartment, there are also three embrasures on each side for firing small arms.
And, finally, the third sample of new military equipment for the army is the KrAZ Shrek, an armored vehicle of Ukrainian production, which was developed jointly with the Canadians on the basis of the KrAZ-5233BE vehicle. The car was created according to the MRAP standards in 2014 and in its characteristics it significantly surpasses the KrAZ Cougar and KrAZ Spartan. The cost of one such car is $ 1 million.
This vehicle has a V-shaped bottom. Ballistic protection (B6 + / STANAG 4569 of the second level) and mine protection are provided - one TM-57 mine (7 kg of TNT) under the bottom and two TM-57 mines (14 kg of TNT) under the wheels. The car is equipped with a YaMZ-238D engine, it is possible to install Deutz and Cummins engines. The gearbox is a nine-speed Fast Gear 9JS150TA-B.
The weight of the car reaches 16 tons, length varies from 7, 7 to 7, 9 meters, width - 2.5 meters, height - 3 meters. Transparent multilayer bulletproof glass. The inner layer is made of polycarbonate.
The armed forces use several modifications: KrAZ Shrek One TS, which is designed for operational transportation of subunit personnel and providing fire support, and can also be used as a carrier of various weapons and military equipment;
KrAZ Shrek One Ambulance - an ambulance vehicle with mine protection, which is equipped with medical equipment and is designed to provide first aid to victims and their further transportation;
KrAZ Shrek One RCV is a multifunctional vehicle equipped with mine protection, which is designed to work in hazardous areas. The vehicle is equipped with a crane with special equipment and remote control from the cab.
Despite the fact that all this technique is widely used in the conflict zone in eastern Ukraine, the need for its modernization was obvious, since there were many shortcomings. So, in particular, the chassis could not withstand the loads, breaking off the shock absorber brackets, there was no space for a spare wheel, the need for fuel that would meet the technical characteristics of the new generation engines. During the movement of vehicles over rough terrain, strong blows were felt to the steering column. And most importantly, the armored glass did not always withstand the second hit, the armor in the front of the cars was too weak, so when shell fragments hit, the cars were out of order. Not all windows were fitted with protective grilles. While the cars were moving, it was impossible to hit the target, as the cars were very shaken. In addition, the protection of the machine gunner was rather weak, the protective walls had to be raised higher.
At the same time, despite all these shortcomings, armored vehicles have already managed to prove their effectiveness. They perform all sorts of combat missions. In some cases, these vehicles are used as armored personnel carriers on the front lines. But, perhaps most importantly, they protect the lives of the fighters. Moreover, for the entire period of use, not a single case of death of the crew was recorded.
The presentation of armored vehicles was carried out in order to familiarize border guards with the technical capabilities and design of vehicles, as well as with those modifications that were made based on the comments and suggestions of the Ukrainian military.
Military experts highly appreciated the modernized equipment, in particular, the extension of the chassis, the use of larger rubber, and a split windshield. All these and other improvements, in their opinion, will significantly improve the tactical and technical characteristics and maneuverability of vehicles.
The new equipment, of course, should go into service, the military should know all the features of its use, but I really want this technique not to be used for its intended purpose, so that the conflict is finally resolved and there is simply no need to use it.
