DTN News: Russian Hummer GAZ 2975 Tigr Is Rolling

DTN News: Russian Hummer GAZ 2975 Tigr Is Rolling (NSI News Source Info) MOSCOW - June 5, 2009: The "Tigr" ("Tiger"), which is often referred to as the "Russian Hummer", was developed by the GAZ Automobile Works for special-purpose militia units. The GAZ-2975 Tigr was officially taken into service at the end of 2006 and manufactured in 2007. The vehicle is intended to carry and protect personnel. It can accommodate up to 10 officers armed and in full gear. The vehicle has been field- and combat-tested before being sent to serve with OMON. Its armor can defeat 7.62-calibre ammunition and can withstand shell fragments. The GAZ-2975 "Tigr" is a Russian high-mobility multipurpose military vehicle, manufactured by GAZ. It is the military version of the GAZ-2330 "Tigr" and has been referred to as "the Russian Humvee" (while the civilian GAZ-2330 has been referred to as "the Russian Hummer"). The GAZ 2975 as Tigr [which means Tiger] is equipped with a powerful diesel engine with the turbocharging and air cooling system and a five-level manual gearbox.The independent torsion suspension of all the wheels, telescopic shock-absorbers and regulated pressure tires ensure exceptional crosscountry ability, high speed of 80 km/hour over rough terrain and up to 140 km/hour on the road. «Tiger» is capable to force a crossing over water ways with the depth of 1.2 meter. Various types of bodies may be installed on the chassis: armored, passenger, cargo ones, etc. The solid design, exclusive flotation ability and reliability of the automobile GAZ-2975 Tigr allows anyone to use it, even under the harshest conditions. Everyone who could steer Tiger, retains the strong impression from power and a running characteristics of this - without exaggeration to tell - "brutal" machine. Tigr causes lively interest both in managers of the oil-and-gas companies, and to the same extent representatives of military departments. The automobile GAZ-2975 Tigr is a joint development of OA GAZ and its affiliated firm "industrial - computer technologies". It was submitted for the first time in March, 2001 at the IDEX exhibition in Abu-Dhabi (United Arab Emirates). New development met all operational requirements on reliability, safety, and ecology. On the automobile is a turbodiesel with intercooler - Cummins B-180 (USA) - with a manual gear box. Installation of more powerful engines up to a volume of 6 litres both Russian, and foreign manufacture is possible. Equipped with independent suspension of all wheels, Tigr is capable to move on roads and impassability with speed of 120-140 kms / h. Exclusive flotation ability is promoted by the increased ground clearance and automatic regulation of pressure in tires. The automobile is equipped with the steering booster. Carrying capacity of Tigr is 1.5 tons. On VII Moscow International auto show "MIMS-2002" the automobile GAZ-2975 Tigr was awarded with a lot of various awards, including a nomination for "Best special automobile". The vehicle was designed at the expense of United Arab Emirates. The pilot production of GAZ-2330 “Tigr” started in 2004. In 2005 only 96 vehicles were made, mostly for MVD. The vehicle is very expensive now (by the Russian standards, of course), 60-65.000 US$ a piece. The main problem is the lack of appropriate Russian-made diesel engine. Now all Tigrs use the US engines Cummins ?-180 or B-215. This partly explains the high cost and unwillingness of the army to purchase this version. Though specialists consider GAZ-2330 a very successful vehicle. It is of the same class and dimensions as HUMVEE, but differs from the technical point of view and has the higher cross-country ability. It uses many original decisions and its very reliable running gear is unified with BTR-80 (in particular, suspension is the same). The demand for Tigr, especially for armored GAZ-233036, has considerably increased in 2006 and GAZ extends the producing facilities to 1000 vehicles per year. In 2007 the organized export will begin. But the decisive turn can be expected only in summer of 2008 when the Yaroslavl motor plant will begin producing the new engine YaMZ-536. Technically it occupies the same niche as the Vodnik. The Vodnik has been chosen over the Tigr, though other Russian paramilitary units might like it. Basically the standard armoured patrol vehicle has for some time been the BRDM-2. This has been superseeded recently by the Vodnik which is a modular family of vehicles including armoured and unarmoured vehicles. Without a Russian engine there is no way the Army will adopt this vehicle. They don't even really need it, they already have a vast array of vehicle types available to them for a wide range of tasks. 2330 Tigr Solid construction, high passability and reliability of automobile GAZ-2330 Tigr make it possible to use it under any, even most complex conditions. All, to whom it had the occasion to govern “the Tigr”, remain under the strong impression from the power and the running qualities of this without the exaggeration to say “brutal” machines. “The Tigr” in the identical degree causes lively interest both in the managers of enterprises in the natural gas field and in the representatives of military departments. By the specialists of joint stock company “GAZ” is developed the special-purpose automobile, which satisfies very high demands in the rational design both of the exterior forms and interior for the automobiles of this class. New development answers all operating requirements on the reliability, safety, ecology. On the automobile is established [turbodizel] with cooling of super-charging air Cummins V -180 (USA) with the mechanical gearbox. The line-up of automobile provides for the installation of the more high-powered engines with a volume of 6,0 liters both Russian and foreign production. The GAZ-2330 “Tigris”, equipped with independent torsion bar suspension of all wheels, it is capable to be moved both along the roads of general use and on the complete impassable road. To the high passability of automobile contribute the complete drive of wheels, increased road clearance and automatic pressure adjustment in the tires. Automobile is equipped with the hydraulic amplifier of steering control. Load capacity of the Tigr is 1,5 tons. At the Moscow international automobile exhibition “MIMS-2002” the automobile GAZ-2330 Tigr was honored a whole series of different rewards, including in the nomination “best special automobile”.