MAZ 7310 - four-axle transporter of ballistic missile systems

2024 Author: Erin Ralphs | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-19 11:42

The large-sized four-axle all-wheel drive vehicle MAZ-543 (MAZ-7310 after the change in GOST) was produced by single prototypes since 1958. The machine went into serial production in 1962.

A bit of history

On June 25, 1954, at the initiative of Marshal G. K. Zhukov, the Council of Ministers of the USSR decided to establish design bureaus at the Minsk Automobile Plant to develop a multi-axle off-road wheeled vehicle for the Ministry of Defense. In a short time, SKB-1 and a pilot production support workshop were created at MAZ. The first developments were eight-wheeled ballast and truck tractors, which, after several years of production, were transferred to the Kurgan Wheeled Equipment Plant.

Military functions

The main purpose of the MAZ-7310 was the transportation of missile systems, after it turned out that a wheeled tractor copes with the task better than a tracked transporter. The Minsk plant was almost completely transferred to the production of rocket chassis.

The specifics of the application of the machine required a one-piece cabin to be divided into two side ones. Between them there was a space in whichthe nose of a ballistic missile was laid. The frame was also concave in the middle. The channel bars had a semi-elliptical configuration designed for loading ballistic missiles. Sometimes a couple of two MAZs was used to transport especially large missiles, since one car could not handle a multi-ton load.

Technical capabilities

Two MAZs in one team coped with the task. Helped dual steering. A couple of cars had as many as eight wheels that could turn in the right direction and thus provide the necessary maneuverability of the road train. The same machines worked at construction sites, at oil producing enterprises, in industry. The powerful MAZ-7310 was used to transport heavy, long and indivisible goods.

Gradually, the population ceased to be surprised when they saw a giant car with four pairs of huge wheels. In the early seventies, notes about huge military tractors began to appear more and more often. MAZ-7310, whose photographs were published in newspapers and magazines, no longer represented any secret for the masses. Self-propelled launchers and missile systems on these chassis were openly shown at a military parade on Red Square in 1965. Then MAZ-7310 began to regularly participate in all demonstrations organized by the USSR Ministry of Defense.

Application

In addition to using the car for military purposes, the MAZ-7310 has found application in the national economy. On the basis of the chassis wasmany different modifications have been created: dump trucks, flatbed trucks, pipe carriers, tractors, fire engines and snowplows. Wherever mobile equipment with high efficiency was required, the MAZ-7310 was used.

The car was of impressive size and could only be used in spacious areas, such as airports or sea berths for large bulk carriers. In 1973, the production of AA-60 for airfields was launched at the plant for the production of fire engines in Priluki. This was a real breakthrough, since the previous modifications created on the basis of ZIL-157, Ural-375, ZIL-131 could not cope with the task due to an insufficient supply of water and foam reagent. And a firefighter on the basis of the MAZ-7310 car took 10 tons of fire extinguishing agents, 12,000 liters of an aqueous solution and 900 liters of an effective foam substance into tanks.

During the winter, the fire version quickly cleared snow from the runway using a powerful cannon that fired snow up to 40 meters away. Since the MAZ-7310 is a universal model, the car was used both as a fire engine and as a snow plow. If necessary, the car could also pull a passenger plane to the starting position.

Powerplant

The MAZ-7310 was equipped with a D-12-525 diesel engine, created on the basis of the V-2 tank. The six-cylinder configuration with a V-shaped arrangement was the best suited for working on an 8 x 8 wheel scheme. The engine thrust was about 525 hp. With. when rotating 2000 revolutions per minute, which corresponded to the technicalrequirements in full. Thanks to the powerful engine, the car began to be called the MAZ-7310 "Hurricane". The transmission was a semi-automatic type, hydromechanical, four-speed.

Weight and dimensions

Machine specifications:

• gross weight - 43200 kg;
• gas tank capacity - 2 x 160 liters;
• fuel consumption - 98 liters per 100 kilometers;
• car length - 14300 mm;
• height - 3300 mm;
• width - 3180 mm;
• track - 2375 mm;
• wheelbase - 2200 x 3300 x 2200 mm;
• ground clearance - 400 mm.

Modernization

In 1977, the car was restyled, resulting in another, more advanced version of the AA-70. This "pozharka" could extinguish the fire with the help of powder. The car carried a third additional tank, designed to load three tons of reagent. The capacity of the water tank was reduced to 9.5 tons. The fire truck, created on the basis of the MAZ-7310 tractor, became the most effective mobile fire extinguishing equipment throughout the USSR. The Department of Defense purchased AA-70s in large quantities. All military airfields were equipped with fire engines of the Minsk Automobile Plant. Equipment was delivered to civil aviation on a residual basis - limits not chosen by the Ministry of Defense were redirected to Aeroflot.

About the same way, heavy-duty eight-wheeled MAZs fell from military units to "citizen". Cars were decommissioned in accordance withthe end of the service life established for military vehicles, and were sent to forestry. MAZ-7310 was an indispensable assistant in logging.