"Shell" (armored personnel carrier): specifications (photo)

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

The idea to arm and then armor a car for participation in hostilities was born some time after its creation. Back in 1897, in Russia, the inventor Dvinitsky proved the possibility of installing a rapid-fire small-caliber gun on a machine. Despite the fact that this was then confirmed by successful tests, the commission from the Artillery Committee did not recommend the design of even a prototype of a new combat vehicle. How and when did the first armored vehicles appear? What were the early models of cars and what have they become today? More on this later in the article.

Historical facts

The "military motor car" became the first combat-ready armored vehicle. It was demonstrated in London, in 1902, on April 4th, by an engineer from England, Simms. This project was developed by the summer of 1898. The car was protected by a six-millimeter open-type armored hull, three machine guns were covered with shields. The power of a four-cylinder engine running on heavy fuel reached 16 hp. With. However, militarythe British ministry was as short-sighted as the Russian ministry in rejecting Simms's idea. But in the same year, 1989, a batch of semi-armored armed trucks was built by a French company.

The first Russian armored personnel carriers

The construction of these machines from the First World War was led by Dobzhansky. They were designed at the Russian-B altic plant. The carrying capacity of the machines reached two tons. The colonel was familiar with the production of armored trucks at the French Creusot factory. Moreover, Dobzhansky even participated in their design. In Russia, armament and armoring of vehicles was carried out at that time near St. Petersburg, in Kolpino, at the Izhora plant. Due to the fact that the front needed protected vehicles, the chassis of serial trucks were simply sheathed with chromium-nickel rolled sheet steel, which could not be penetrated from two hundred paces by a pointed bullet. Protection to the body was fastened with rivets. During the construction, it was necessary to abandon the rotating tower. Three heavy machine guns of the "Maxim" system were used as weapons. They were installed in the embrasures of the frontal sheet and sides.

Special Purpose Vehicles

The ambulance transport armored personnel carrier (armored personnel carrier) was designed at the Izhora plant in 1939. It was intended to transport troops, the wounded and various cargoes. It never entered mass production. It was created on the basis of the GAZ-AA truck with a "box-shaped" body welded from six-millimeter armor plates. Forlanding of the crew, consisting of troops and two people, there were two doors on the sides of the hull, and one in the rear wall. The total weight of the car was 5.24 tons. The engine power of the car was 40 liters. with., and the speed of movement reached forty kilometers per hour. The increase in cross-country ability was provided by removable large-link chains. When driving on a good road, they were attached above the rear wheelbase along the hull. The car was equipped with a radio station. The capacity of its fuel tanks is more than a hundred liters. This volume provided a reserve of traffic on the highway for a distance of 250 kilometers.

Post-war technology

The experience of the offensives of 1944-1945 showed that it is necessary to support armored units in the form of additional motorized infantry units. The best solution was the use of off-road vehicles, which had light armor, which provided protection for the fighters from shrapnel and small arms bullets. The development of the first such car was carried out under the leadership of Rubtsov, the leading designer at that time. The development of the first domestic armored vehicle, the index of which was "object 141", was carried out in the Design Bureau of the Gorky Automobile Plant based on the GAZ-63. A two-axle model with all leading wheelbases was designed to transport eight infantrymen. The machine had an open body on top, which was welded from sheets of 6-8 millimeters. The rear wall was equipped with a landing door, for the crew the entrances were equipped on the sides of the car.

BTR-MDM"Shell"

This machine, which has the index "object 955", was designed in the Design Bureau of the Tractor Plant in Volgograd. The mass and dimensions of the car provide a quick overcoming of water barriers and air transportability. "Shell" is an armored personnel carrier designed to replace the "D" model in the troops. The vehicle is equipped with a 7.62 mm machine gun. It is located in the commander-gunner's turret. The left front part is additionally equipped with one more of the same machine gun.

Case

"Shell" - an armored personnel carrier, sheathed with welded sheets. In the middle and front part there is a cabin with a landing party and a vehicle crew. Special niches are arranged above the caterpillars. The engine compartment is located at the rear of the case. In the stern there is a hatch through which the team dismounts. In front of the car is the driver-mechanic. To get out of it, three hatches are arranged in the roof. They are located above the seats of the driver-mechanic and troops. A tower is installed on the roof on the left side of the building. Under it is the place of the commander-gunner. For the tower installation, an external power system is provided, as well as a vertical guidance mechanism. In the central part of the car, double seats are installed along the sides (three on each side). They are landing. In addition, along the sides there are brackets in which stretchers with the wounded are installed.

Communication and guidance devices

The area is monitored by a driver-mechanic."Rakushka" is an armored personnel carrier equipped with three periscope devices. The central observation device can be replaced by a night vision device. In front of the car, in front of the hatch on the right, a sight is installed, through which fire is fired from a course machine gun. The turret is also equipped with a commander-gunner's sighting system for firing and monitoring the terrain.

Transmission and engine

"Shell" is an armored personnel carrier equipped with a power plant. It is located at the rear of the vehicle (in the engine compartment). The engine of the car is boxer, equipped with a fan cooling system and turbocharging. In the same block with the motor is a mechanism that provides rotation and transmission. It includes a two-shaft reversible gearbox and a jet shaft drive.

Chassis

The "Rakushka-M" machine is equipped with four supporting and five support rollers on each side. They are covered with small-sized caterpillar tracks with rubber-metal hinges. The track rollers are mounted on pneumatic springs. The Rakushka-M armored personnel carrier has a variable three-mode clearance: maximum, working and minimum.

Conclusion

There are several modifications of the car. The basic one - "BTR-MD" - was designed on the basis of a combat vehicle of the "D" model. Developed and upgraded version based on amphibious assault vehicle"BDM-4M". Two units of this equipment were placed at the disposal of the airborne troops in 2013. Before the end of the first half of the current year, 2014, ten armored personnel carriers "Rakushka-M" should be transferred to the Airborne Forces.