Aerotecnica Coltri Spa is one of the world's largest manufacturers of high pressure breathing air and industrial gas compressors. http://www.coltri.com/

The core business of WISS is the production of technologically advanced special fire trucks, fire fighters and work lifts. http://www.wiss.com.pl/

MSA is a world leader in the design and manufacture of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and Workplace Safety. The priority areas of the company are self-contained breathing apparatus, stationary and portable gas and fire detection systems, PPE against falls from a height, head, eye, face and respiratory protection, gas analyzers. http://www.msasafety.com/

SAFER® innovations from Techplast Ltd. based on a 65% reduction in cylinder weight compared to a steel cylinder. The effect of lightness is achieved through the use of a PET liner and high-quality carbon and aramid (Kevlar) fibers. http://www.safercylinders.net/

STAKO is a world leader in the design and manufacture of pressure cylinders, which are widely used in many industries. Mission to become the world's best manufacturer of pressure cylinders for air, LPG and CNG. http://www.stako.pl/

Worthington is a global manufacturer of high pressure cylinders. Kienberg seamless steel cylinders are known for their unique quality in more than 70 countries around the world. The latest innovation is the Longlife Powercoat powder coating technology, which has set a new standard for exterior coatings. http://worthingtonindustries.at/en/

CJSC Eliot was founded in 1998 in St. Petersburg. It is a developer and manufacturer of fire-resistant materials and personal protective equipment for firefighters. The organization supplies personal protective equipment for the needs of the Ministry of Emergency Situations, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Ministry of Defense, enterprises of the oil, gas and chemical industries. http://www.zaoeliot.com/

KZPT is engaged in the production of protective helmets and helmets for special purposes from hardened resins with glass mat. Дaннaя тeхнoлoгия в тeчeниe мнoгиx лeт пpoизвoдcтвa дaлa вoзмoжнocть cпeциaлизaции зaводa в пpoизвoдcтвe выcoкокaчecтвeнных и фyнкциoнaльных шлемов, котopыe пoлyчили пoлoжитeльнyю oцeнкy кaк пoльcких тaк и зapyбeжных пoльзoвaтeлeй. http://www.kzpt.pl/

LLC "BLIK" - 7 years of leadership in the production of professional flashlights for industrial and military purposes! The BLIK company develops and produces professional battery-type flashlights for search and rescue activities and general industrial purposes. The products of the enterprise are in demand in the bodies of the Ministry of Emergency Situations and the Ministry of Internal Affairs, for metro services, border guards, housing and communal services, etc. http://www.ooo-blik.ru/

LLC "Tierney and Henderson" is the exclusive distributor of the largest Russian manufacturer of hydraulic rescue tools (GASI) - the plant "Agregat". The new tool features a much wider range, improved performance, a more reliable and compact control unit, a more convenient connector type that allows you to connect a tool without depressurizing. http://tierney-henderson.ru/

Fireco is a leader in the manufacture of special telescopic masts made of high quality aluminium. They install halogen or LED lamps, antennas, radars and cameras. Fireco also manufactures motor pumps and high pressure kits for first responder vehicles. The wide range of telescopic masts also includes the Aquamast series, which is equipped with a fire monitor for extinguishing fires in tall buildings. http://www.fireco.eu/

The F.M. "BUMAR-KOSZALIN" - has been supplying more than ten types of car lifts for more than seventy years, including: fire telescopic lifts designed for rescue operations, civil lifts. Many years of experience, knowledge and potential, together with a modern technological idea, as well as the company's design capabilities, allow us to expand the range of products offered, thereby strengthening the position of the WISS Group on the international market. http://www.bumar.pl/

VTI Ventil Technik GmbH has been designing and manufacturing valves for medium and high pressure cylinders since 1946. It is the largest supplier to all countries of the world. The company's products meet all applicable requirements, and even surpass them in some respects. http://www.vti.de/

JANKO DOLENC s.p. since 1979 has been manufacturing gloves and safety shoes. In 2000, they began to produce boots for firefighters and rescuers, and their certification was also carried out. Currently, the company has 32 employees on 1400 sq. m of production space. http://www.brandbull.si

The company “Latakva Fire Service” operates in the field of sales of fire equipment, firefighting maintenance and repair, as well as in the production of fire protective compositions throughout Latvia and the Baltic. https://www.latakva.com/en/

Since 1993, the company has been supplying equipment to the fire brigade and other emergency services, and has been manufacturing fire and rescue equipment.

Vehicles today are an integral part of the fire department. After people, this is its most important element. Belarusians can justifiably be proud of their own achievements in this field.

In Soviet times, such an industry as the creation of fire equipment did not exist in the BSSR. After the collapse of the Union, the topic began "on the knee", gradually developing into a fairly powerful industry. We recall the evolution and consider manufacturers of fire equipment from Belarus.

In 1993, the Republic of Belarus adopted the "Fire Safety" program, which included a point for the creation of a tank truck on the chassis of the Minsk Automobile Plant. The military NPO "Agat" was engaged in the development of design documentation, and the production of the first prototype was carried out by the "Neman" plant in the city of Lida. During the tests, the first-born of the Belarusian fire engine industry caused a lot of criticism. "The first pancake", as usual, came out lumpy. The car did not pass the test, subsequently the cockpit of the combat crew was removed from it and the car was converted into a foamy course. As a "foam" car "serves in stock" so far.

But the creators of fire trucks, by that time already accumulated experience, did not despair. In 1995, the processing of design documentation began. As a result, 95% of this documentation has undergone radical changes. The second copy of the tanker was built at the Dzerzhinsky Experimental Mechanical Plant. The car successfully passed the tests, although this time not all the ideas of the designers received a start in life. That car, which remained the only copy, serves in Dzerzhinsk.

In the meantime, the Belkommunmash Production Association took up the production of fire equipment for forestry. We started with tanks for forestries, and then decided to design a tank truck for the Ministry of Emergency Situations. The designers who worked on the creation of the Belarusian tank truck at Agata met again at Belkommunmash. Within eight months, design documentation was developed, and in July 1998, the first show of the novelty took place. The third Belarusian fire truck on the MAZ-5337 chassis turned out to be a very successful and well-designed vehicle. It was equipped with a Rosenbauer NH-40 fire pump with a capacity of 4000 l / min, or 66 l / s. The capacity of the water tank was 4700 liters, the foam tank - 450 liters.

"Belkommunmash" to this day makes fire engines, although this activity is not particularly advertised. Why dont know. "Belkommunmash" fire trucks turn out to be very good, structurally elaborated, made of good materials and even beautiful in their own way. However, in the center of public attention are trolleybuses, trams or electric buses, which are especially fashionable now. Just know that in addition to public transport, Belkommunash also creates fire equipment.

The Brest company STiM is very well known in professional circles. The company's motto is "We know everything about road markings". The company deals with everything related to road marking equipment and technologies. We have our own production of marking machines.

But, probably, few of the current employees of the company remember that a fire truck was made here in 2006. The fire tanker ATs-3.15-40 became the "first pancake" in the fire theme of STiM. The tank was not very successful, but STiM entered the history of the Belarusian fire engine industry. The only copy built remained to serve in Brest.

Minsk LLC "Midivisana" has been designing and manufacturing vans for more than five years: isothermal, commercial, rotational, repair. The products of "Midivisana" in Belarus are now well known under the trademark "Lyubava". Once upon a time, the enterprise was almost a "garage-cooperative" manufacturer of simple "booths", but today it is a well-equipped production facility that produces very high-tech products.

Fire fighting equipment is not the company's specialization, but at least one model of a fire tank truck was created here.

The MAZ-Kupava plant is a recognized master in the manufacture of van bodies for any purpose on any chassis. There is also experience in manufacturing special vehicles for the Ministry of Emergency Situations.

As an example, we show an ATS technical service vehicle with a KS 5225-01 body on a MAZ 631705-370 chassis. In fact, this is a mobile repair shop for fire equipment. In the passenger compartment there are three seats with seat belts, a filing cabinet. A workbench with a vice, drilling and grinding machines, a tool cabinet, a lathe, a niche for a generator with an installed generator, compartments for gas cylinders are installed in the locker and tool compartment. A hydraulic manipulator is mounted at the rear of the vehicle.

The Minsk-based InterRakurs-Plus was once just a dealer of the Russian Pozhtekhnika plant, but in the process of "evolution" it became a separate manufacturer that produces fire trucks of its own design. A feature of the "interracursian" machines is that the combat crew cabin looks like a single whole with a standard chassis cabin, but at the same time these are two independent structures. The cab of the truck rises while the CBD stays in place.

Fire articulated lifts are made in Vitebsk. The local enterprise "Vitstroytekhmash" is a prominent player in the market of building hydraulic lifts. The manufacturer claims that it is the only machine-building plant in the CIS that provides a conveyor-type assembly with the ability to produce up to 45 models of lifts per month.

Fire articulated lifts are a higher class of equipment. They mastered it, however, using a large number of imported parts. In the production of working equipment, materials and components from such European manufacturers as Oleo Meccanica Industriale Componenti S.r.l (Italy), Comer Industries S.p.A. (Italy), Sandern Schneid-und Umformatechnik (Germany), Badestnost (Bulgaria), Galli Erio SRL (Italy), MP Filtri (Italy), Hydraulfunktion AB (Sweden).

The 24-meter articulated hoist AKP-24(5337А2) is the result of cooperation between Belarusian and Polish manufacturers of fire fighting equipment. Built by Fabryka Maszyn BUMAR-Koszalin. But the installation of the superstructure and the preparation of the chassis was carried out by the Belarusian SOOO "Plant of Modern Fire Equipment" from Minsk. A compact lift for urban conditions is already massively "in service" with the Ministry of Emergencies. There are a number of other interesting fire engines in the range of the plant.

The undisputed leader of the Belarusian fire and automotive industry is Pozhsnab SOOO from Borisov. Once a small manufacturer, and now a significant player in the market not only in Belarus, but also in Russia. "Pozhsnab" began as a trading company in the "fire" direction, at one time thinking about its own production. We started with the installation of equipment in the bodies of other manufacturers, then we began to assemble tank trucks ourselves. Today, tanks manufactured by Pozhsnab can be found in almost every fire station in Belarus.

The production program includes not only tank trucks, but also almost all variants of special fire and rescue vehicles: foam and powder extinguishing vehicles, combined fire extinguishing vehicles, airfield, staff, smoke exhaust vehicles, equipment for diving and rescue service and much more, dozens of options. "Pozhnab" is not only the leader of the domestic market, but also a significant player in foreign markets. A lot of Borisov fire engines serve in Russia, there are even in Turkmenistan.

The Ministry of Emergency Situations itself has been the official certified manufacturer of fire equipment for several years. In each region, since the Soviet years, there have been powerful fire-technical centers (PTC), read - repair enterprises. They overhauled equipment there, and over time, proven technologies made it possible to design and manufacture fire engines from scratch. Today, all PTCs in all regions of Belarus are certified manufacturers, each has its own international WMI code.

But that's not all. At various times, both the Minsk Motor and Bicycle Plant and the Minsk Tractor Works were engaged in fire fighting equipment. MMVZ made tricycles for firefighters, and MTZ made special mine fire vehicles and special fire equipment for forestries. It is also noteworthy that MAZ produces its own two-row cabins for fire trucks.

Have you noticed that in Belarus it is almost impossible to find an old fire engine ZIL? And, probably, already in each fire station of the Republic of Belarus there will be at least one Belarusian-made vehicle. Most of the large parts are equipped with Belarusian equipment.

In the late 1950s and early 1960s, giant trucks of unprecedented size and power appeared in the USSR. One of the famous novelties of that period is the four-axle all-wheel drive (8x8) MAZ-543 chassis.

At the initiative of the Marshal of the Soviet Union G.K. Zhukov on June 25, 1954, a resolution of the Council of Ministers of the USSR was adopted on the organization of special design bureaus (SKB) at the Moscow ZIS plant and the Minsk automobile plant MAZ to create multi-axle off-road wheeled vehicles for the Ministry of Defense. At ZIS, the SKB was headed by V.A. Grachev, at MAZ - B.L. Shaposhnik. During 1954, SKB-1 and a pilot production shop (PTS) were opened in Minsk.

The first development of the new "Mazovsky" design bureau was a family of four-axle eight-wheeled ballast and truck tractors MAZ-535 and MAZ-537. These machines, which became serial in 1957, were produced for many years first by MAZ, then, from the mid-60s, by the Kurgan Wheel Tractor Plant. The second basic four-axle model MAZ-543 was designed in 1961. This truck was developed as a chassis for mobile missile systems. As a result of research and testing, it turned out that a wheeled chassis is much better suited as a mobile rocket launch pad than a tracked one.

The specific purpose of the machine determined, for example, such a feature as two low and narrow two-door cabs on the right and left. Between them was the hood of the engine compartment - in the transport position, the rocket could be laid so that its nose was between the cabins - this was an important difference from the MAZ-535/537, which had a conventional cabin installed in front of the engine compartment. Both narrow cabs MAZ-543, like the hood, were made of fiberglass.

The aggregate base of the MAZ-543 has retained a number of solutions tested on the MAZ-535/537. For example, the engine was a twelve-cylinder V-shaped diesel D-12-525, produced by the Barnaul plant and based on the V-2 tank engine of the Great Patriotic War. It featured overhead camshafts, four valves per cylinder, and a dry sump lubrication system. The gearbox of all four-axle MAZs of those years was automatic, hydromechanical, four-speed. The frame was called "trough-shaped" because of the concave shape of the crossbars - this also reduced the overall height of the installation. The undercarriage was distinguished by independent wheel suspension with longitudinal torsion bars and planetary wheel reduction gears. The wheels of the first and second axles were steerable. The car received a proper name - "Hurricane".

Several dozen types of weapons were mounted on the MAZ-543 chassis. But, in addition to the army, these machines, as well as the MAZ-537, found many areas of application in the national economy. These machines worked at the construction sites of oil, gas and industrial enterprises throughout the country. They were used for transportation on special multi-axle trailers of especially heavy indivisible and oversized cargo. Sometimes a huge industrial plant was transported by a "coupling" of several MAZs - two cars, attached one after the other, pull the load in front, and another car pushes from behind. Flatbed trucks, ballast tractors, dump trucks, pipe carriers, timber carriers were created on the MAZ-543 chassis. It should be noted that the existence of a series of trucks MAZ-543 was not a secret to the Soviet public. Already in the early 70s, automotive and technical magazines wrote about these machines, their various modifications were exhibited at VDNKh. Even self-propelled rocket launchers have taken part in military parades on Red Square since 1965. And, of course, firefighters decided to take advantage of the enormous capabilities of such a car.

In 1973, at the Fire Engine Plant in Priluki, Chernihiv Region, the production of a huge airfield fire engine AA-60 (543) -160 was mastered on the MAZ-543 chassis, developed by the Priluki OKB-8, which was engaged in fire fighting equipment. The main specialty of the novelty was the airfield fire service. Machines of this and subsequent modifications of the Hurricanes were used mainly in large airports that received large passenger and transport aircraft. More than 10 tons of fire extinguishing agents were included in the tank and the foam tank: 12,000 liters of water and 900 liters of foam. This mass was required to suppress a fire on such an airliner as the IL-62 or TU-154 and ensure the evacuation of passengers. In fact, for rescue work in case of fires on aircraft of this class, the efforts of airfield fire engines based on ZIL-157, ZIL-131 or Ural-375 were often not enough.

In addition, there were cases when it was necessary to extinguish spilled fuel at airfields. Here, the power and weight of the fire engine also played a significant role. MAZ-543 firefighters were on combat duty directly at the airfields. Between the cabins above the engine compartment there was a fire monitor that rose, lowered and rotated with the help of hydraulic cylinders. This system was controlled by a crew member from the cockpit. From the barrel, the machine could shoot a stream of water of 60 liters per second at a distance of 70 meters or 36 cubic meters of foam at 40 meters. Foam generators with four nozzles were located in front of the bumper and behind the bottom - each for extinguishing spilled fuel.

In 1977, a modernized fire engine AA-60 (7310) 160.01 appeared. The base chassis of the truck by that time had been renamed according to the new GOST to MAZ-7310. The new model was distinguished by an autonomous engine that powered the PN-160B fire pump and was installed in the tail section behind the tank. This second engine was a 180-horsepower V-shaped eight-cylinder ZIL-375 gasoline engine taken from a heavy truck. This was followed by a modification of the AA-70 (7310) -220, which provided for the possibility of powder fire extinguishing. It was distinguished by the presence of a third tank for two tons of powder. Accordingly, the capacity of the main water tank had to be reduced to 9450 liters. Finally, in 1986, the base model of the four-axle vehicle was upgraded and received the MAZ-7313 index, and, accordingly, the number in brackets in the name of both fire engines changed. In addition to airports, fire "Hurricanes" were used, for example, in large industrial enterprises.

Of the dozens of produced fire engines based on the Minsk Hurricanes, many still serve at airfields in various countries of the former USSR. The Museum presents an experimental modification made on the basis of AA-60 (7310)-160 in one copy at the All-Russian Research Institute of Fire Protection in Balashikha near Moscow. This fire truck does not have a rear engine compartment, it was equipped with an autonomous engine and a pump of much lower power. The pump engine was taken from a Volga passenger car, and the pump was taken from an ordinary fire truck. But this MAZ-7310 can act as a tractor for a large-capacity trailer tank, converted from a tanker. Such a machine is designed to transport more than two dozen tons of water and foam, which allows you to fill the tanks and pumps of other fire trucks (on the chassis of ZILs, Urals, KAMAZ trucks) away from water bodies and water supply. This firefighter "Hurricane" for a long time served on combat duty in one of the parts of the Balashikha region, and was used during fires of a high degree of complexity, for example, during a fire at an oil depot in Noginsk in 2005.

Technical specifications

Calculation	4 people
dimensions	14300x3180x3300 mm
Wheelbase	2200x3300x2200 mm
Track	2375 mm
Ground clearance	400 mm
Engine	diesel, V-shaped, 12-cylinder, D12A-525
Working volume	38.8 l
Power	525 HP at 2000 rpm
water tank capacity	12000 l
Foam tank capacity	900 l
blast distance	70 m (water), 40 m (foam)
Full mass	43200 kg
Max speed	60 km/h
Fuel consumption	98 l / 100 km

Heavy truck MAZ-7310 Hurricane is a civilian version of the model 543. Serial production of vehicles began in 1976. The all-terrain vehicle is used as a flatbed truck, as well as a platform for mounting firefighters and special superstructures.

History of creation

The development of a new army all-terrain vehicle, designed to transport military equipment and mount missile weapons, began at the MAZ plant in the late 50s. The design of the machine was based on the nodes of the already produced MAZ-537. Thanks to this, the creation of the truck was completed already in 1962. The new all-terrain vehicle, designated MAZ-543, was presented to the public in 1965 during a parade dedicated to the anniversary of the October Revolution. The vehicles shown were equipped with a launcher for the 9K72 Elbrus rocket.

After 9 years, a civilian on-board version of the car was presented at VDNKh. The technique was distinguished by a simplified design, in which there was no army special equipment. Deliveries began after 2 years, but the all-terrain vehicle was not widely used in car fleets. The main volume of produced cars was supplied to the construction sites of oil and gas pipelines in Siberia. Also, the technique was used as a special airfield fire truck and as a ballast tractor.

Specifications

At the heart of the car is a frame made of riveted and welded elements. The side spars are equipped with internal reinforcing pads. The elements are placed along the upper and lower edges along the entire length. The front part of the frame is equipped with a bumper and a towing device, and towing eyes are installed on the side of the side members at the rear.

A V-shaped 12-cylinder diesel D-12A-525A is used as a power plant.

The motor is equipped with an air supply system under atmospheric pressure and a mechanical plunger pump. The power unit develops a maximum power of 525 hp. at 1400 rpm. An overdrive gear is connected to the engine, the torque from which is supplied to a hydraulic 1-stage transformer.

Paired with a transformer is a planetary 3-speed gearbox. The distribution of power over the axles is carried out using a mechanical transfer gearbox. The design of the unit has 2 speeds and an additional center differential with the possibility of blocking. Each axle has a wheel gear and an additional planetary gear in the hub. The transmission of torque between the nodes is carried out by cardan shafts.

The all-terrain vehicle is equipped with an individual torsion bar suspension for each wheel. The design has additional levers that provide wheel travel in the vertical plane and fixation in the horizontal. To reduce the rigidity of the assembly, a hydraulic shock absorber is used. On the steered wheels there is a steering knuckle with a joint of equal angular velocities.

Dimensions and technical characteristics of the car in the standard delivery:

• length - 11657 mm;
• width - 2975 mm;
• base of the front and rear bogies - 2200 mm;
• the distance between the inner axles of the bogies is 3300 mm;
• height - 2950 mm;
• clearance - 400 mm;
• load capacity - 20000 kg;
• curb weight - 23,000 kg;
• trailer weight - 25000 kg;
• speed on the highway - 60 km / h;
• fuel supply - 520 liters in the main tanks and 180 liters in the reserve;
• fuel consumption - 125 liters per 100 km (on the highway);
• the length of the road train with the MAZ-8385 trailer is 20500 mm.

The all-terrain vehicle has 2 cabins, between which there is an engine compartment. Each cabin is designed for 2 people, there are 2 doors in the side panels. Windshields are rigidly fixed in openings, equipped with cleaners. Cabins are heated by individual radiators connected to the engine cooling system. Air is circulated through the honeycombs by means of electric fans.

The left side cab is equipped with a steering column, gearshift lever and other controls. The steering is equipped with a hydraulic booster for each of the 2 axles. When turning, the wheels deviate on the 1st and 2nd axles at a different angle. The all-terrain vehicle is equipped with drum brakes with pneumatic control.

Modifications

Based on the 4-axle truck, there were a number of modifications:

1. The first prototype of the new civilian vehicle was built with an onboard all-metal platform. In the future, such machines were built serially under the index 7310. The design provided for joint operation with a 2-axle trailer MAZ-8385.
2. The plant supplied chassis model 73101 for operation as a lash carrier and installation of various equipment. On the basis of the chassis, airfield fire trucks of models AA-60-160 and 160-01, as well as AA-70-220 and APS-70 were built.
3. On the basis of a chassis of standard length, a crane KS-5573 was produced, designed to move a load weighing 25 tons. The technique was used in the construction of oil pipelines in remote areas of Western Siberia.
4. The modified chassis with a load capacity increased by 1000 kg received the MAZ-73131 index. The car has been mass-produced since the beginning of 1983. A flatbed truck with similar design changes was designated as MAZ-7313.
5. For the installation of special equipment, a chassis variant was supplied, which was distinguished by shortened frame spars on the rear overhang and a rear bogie base reduced to 1700 mm. At the same time, the distance between the inner axles of the bogies was reduced to 2470 mm. On the basis of the chassis, the MAZ-7510 dump truck was built in small series, designed to transport 11.5 m³ of soil weighing up to 19,000 kg. The use of a shortened chassis made it possible to reduce the overall length of the car to 10235 mm.
6. Ballast tractor MAZ-73132, built on a shortened version of the machine. Used at army airfields for towing aircraft.
7. On the modified chassis, crane installations KS-6571 were mounted, designed to work with a load weighing 40 tons. The machines were produced by the Im. January Uprising", located in Odessa.

These cars were secret only in the process of their development and introduction into production, and the secrecy stamp was imposed only on the types of weapons and special equipment mounted on them. As a result, with the start of the production of army four-axes, they immediately had civilian versions capable of performing their functions in the country's armed forces and in the national economy.

The impetus for the implementation of this process was a government decree of January 1966, obliging the Minsk Automobile Plant to send 5–10% of its military products to peaceful needs every month.

MAZ-543P (1966–1974)

In pursuance of the instructions of the highest authority, in the same year, the plant introduced a multi-purpose airborne version of the MAZ-543P with a payload of 19.6 tons, made on the MAZ-543 military chassis. Its main external differences from combat vehicles were a low-sided all-metal cargo platform with wooden lattice extensions, the absence of special army equipment and blackout devices.

During the first year, 80 MAZ-543P vehicles were assembled, and before the end of production, a total of over two thousand vehicles were born. Initially, they were planned to be used at enterprises of the oil and gas complex of the USSR in remote regions of the country with a poorly developed road network, but gradually the range of their application expanded to industry, construction and logging.

In the 1970s, a prototype tractor with an experimental gas turbine engine with a capacity of 1,100 hp was built and tested on the MAZ-543P chassis. With. Yaroslavl Motor Plant.

MAZ-7310 family (1973–1991)

The intensification of work on civilian versions of military vehicles took place in the early 1970s and was directly related to the implementation of a promising project for a more powerful army family "Oplot" (we will talk about it ahead). The idea of ​​combining developments and the introduction of two unified types of vehicles at once, military and civilian, could significantly reduce the costs and time for expensive surveys and made it possible to simultaneously test different types of vehicles with different units and assemblies.

In reality, it was not possible to achieve high results in this matter: the new national economic versions were still based on the units of machines of the 543rd series and had nothing in common with the Oplot family. As a result, new vehicles for civilian sectors of the economy were only light modifications of well-known army trucks without shielded electrical equipment, blackout devices, communications equipment and other military attributes. All of them had their own marking and dual purpose, but they never took root either in the national economy or in the Soviet army.

The MAZ-7310 tractor vehicle, adapted for towing heavy trailers, appeared first in 1973. Its base was the MAZ-543 army chassis with a 525-horsepower diesel engine and a hydromechanical transmission. The main external distinguishing feature of the car was a high-sided all-metal cargo platform. On each side, she had two metal sides, reclining separately or together with the middle rack and equipped with lattice extensions, with which their total height reached two meters. Invisible from the outside, the novelty was also wide-profile 14-ply tires. A 22-ton chassis MAZ-73101 with a reinforced rear suspension became a variant of the onboard vehicle.

In 1974–1975, the MAZ-7310 vehicle coupled with the MAZ-8950 two-axle trailer passed state acceptance tests at 21 Research Institutes. It was not accepted into service, but in the Soviet army, in small quantities, these vehicles were used for secondary rear transportation, for installing simple add-ons and as training equipment. Traditionally, they were all green, but on the "citizen" they were distinguished by an absurd and immediately striking bright yellow-orange color.

In 1974, this range was supplemented by two more civilian vehicles: a prototype of the 19-ton MAZ-7510 construction dump truck and a reinforced MAZ-7910 chassis with rear suspension units from the Oplot series. The latter version served for the transportation of long pipes, rolled metal, sawn wood (assortments) and remained in production for 12 years.

For experimental purposes, an experimental combat laser complex "Drift" was mounted on two MAZ-7910 chassis, which consisted of a technological machine with a quantum generator and a launcher with a telescopic laser beam guidance system. There is no information about his further fate.

In the national economy, cars of the MAZ-7310 family and their derivatives were planned to be used primarily for the delivery of large indivisible goods and towing trailers weighing up to 25 tons in remote regions of the USSR with a harsh climate. By the forces of transport enterprises, additional fuel tanks with a capacity of up to 1,220 liters were mounted on them, which ensured a record high power reserve - up to 1.5 thousand km, which made it possible to cover long distances in the complete absence of gas stations and repair shops.

In 1986, the MAZ-7310 series was replaced by a modernized 21-ton MAZ-7313 truck and a MAZ-73131 chassis with a payload of about 23 tons. They were also based on the MAZ-543 units, but they began to use reinforced spar frame assemblies and chassis more widely. parts from the army scale "Oplot".

This program was completed by an experienced short-wheelbase airfield tractor MAZ-73132 with a shortened all-metal cargo platform and a 23-ton log truck MAZ-73136 with a two-axle trailer. In general, all the main operational parameters of the 7310/7313 series did not differ from the basic military versions.

In the civil service, where for high power and good cross-country ability, these cars in the driver's environment received the nickname "Hurricane", they turned out to be too unusual for Soviet drivers, complex, expensive and did not receive distribution in the "civilian". Small-scale assembly of a number of versions continued until 1991.

Truck cranes on the chassis of the MAZ-7310 family

On the civilian chassis MAZ-73101 and MAZ-73131, the Odessa Plant named after the January Uprising and its successor OJSC Krayan mounted equipment for heavy multi-purpose dual-purpose hydraulic truck cranes. In the army, they no longer found proper use and were used mainly in the national economy for general lifting work and in construction.

Since 1981, a 25-ton KS-5573 truck crane on the MAZ-73101 chassis has been in production - a direct successor to the military model KS-5571. It was created for operation at the oil producing enterprises of Western Siberia, but in single samples it served in large northern military formations of the Air Force and Navy of the USSR. It also mounted an autonomous power unit of 50 liters. With. and a two-section boom 14 m long.

In the 1990s, its development was the KS-5574 variant on the MAZ-73131 chassis with a three-section boom extending 32 m in length, and the new successor of the 5571 model in terms of overall design and equipment was the KS-6571 multi-purpose 40-ton hydrocrane with 18- meter boom and its own power unit to drive the working equipment.

Fire trucks in the MAZ-7310/7313 family

The most famous purpose of the machines of this family was heavy-duty airfield fire trucks with high cross-country ability for prompt rescue operations and extinguishing aircraft fires directly on the runways of large airfields of the USSR Air Force and in adjacent territories.

Airfield fire engine AA-60 (7310)-160.01 on MAZ-7310 chassis (author's photo)

The first attempt to create our own dual-purpose multi-axle fire engines took place in 1975, when the AA-60 (7310) -160.01 airfield vehicle appeared on the MAZ-7310 chassis. It was a massive red car with a gross weight of 43 tons, which developed an incredible speed of 60 km / h on concrete pavements of military and civilian airfields, which made it possible to deliver fire fighting equipment to an emergency aircraft in a relatively short time.

In those days, ordinary water remained the main means of extinguishing a fire, which was transported in a tank with a capacity of 12 thousand liters, and to increase efficiency, special substances were mixed with it to form a large amount of foam that prevented the combustion process. To eject water and foam onto a burning object, a powerful fire monitor and special nozzles under the bumper served to distribute them over the ignition surface. To drive the water pump, the car was equipped with an additional 180-horsepower motor.

In the mid-1980s, fire fighting equipment began to be rearranged on the MAZ-7313 chassis, which led to the creation of an upgraded version of the AA-60 (7313) -160.01, which generally did not differ from its predecessor.

In 1979, on the basis of the MAZ-7310, a new fire truck AA-70 (7310) -220 was built with a tank for 9.5 thousand liters of water for traditional firefighting with plain water and foam. The "highlight" of this machine was the use of a new method of extinguishing fires with fire extinguishing powder, which, under air pressure, was ejected through a second fire monitor of small diameter.

Later, this equipment was mounted on a modernized version of the AA-70 (7313) -220. In this series, for the first time, a version appeared with a regular fire monitor between the cabins and two hoses on a six-meter lifting mast, which served to fight fire at height or over large areas.

Compared to their foreign counterparts, heavy Soviet fire engines did not meet stringent international requirements for speed and dynamics of movement through airports, but for the first time all of them made it possible to come close to a higher level of development of our fire vehicles.

In this article, we have mentioned the little-known family of Minsk army vehicles "Oplot" several times. For a number of reasons, he was not destined to replace the 543rd generation, which was outdated by that time, but nevertheless it is worth talking about these promising military vehicles. The next article will be devoted to them, which, according to tradition, will also be released on Thursday.