WAR AND PEACE
In assembling his tanks for the invasion of Ukraine, tank transporters appear to have been largely absent from Putin’s the order of battle. Despite BAZ and Ural 8x8 prototypes in recent years, the Russian army’s principal tank transporter is the 300/400bhp KamAZ 65225. Based on a commercial truck, the 6x6, has limited cross-country performance.
Much as Putin’s the go-stop advance appears to have been over paved highways. The KamAZ should have been able to cope.
As well as moving tanks, winch-equipped tank transporters are also vital for recovering broken-down tracked armour. And Putin’s kit seems to have suffered excessive breakdowns and deficient maintenance support.
Tanks are prone to track failure and have high fuel consumption. The core role of tank and heavylift transporters is therefore conserving armoured vehicle track mileage and saving fuel.
For operational deployment, the optimal ratio is reckoned to be one transporter for every seven to ten tanks. In the 1991 Desert Storm war to free Kuwait after invasion by Saddam Hussein’s Iraqi forces, the Brits re-wrote the textbook. One Scammell Commander transporter was fielded for every three Challenger 1 main battle tanks.
The Brits built the world’s first tanks. Egged on by Winston Churchill, the Government’s Landship Committee signed off the Mk1 for production in 1916. With a fighting weight of over 31 tons, it was way beyond the carrying capacity of contemporary motor vehicles.
France was also working on tank
