AM-50

AM-50 based on the Tatra 813
	A Slovak AM-50 laying a rapid bridge over the Torysa (1995)
General properties
crew	2
length	10,030 m (without bridge) ; 10,700 m (with bridge)
width	2,450 m (without bridge) ; 3,150 m (with bridge)
height	2,830 m (without bridge) ; 3,580 m (with bridge)
Dimensions	17.35 tons (without bridge) ; 24.45 tons (with bridge)
	Armor and armament
Armor	unarmored; the AM-50EX version offers a lightly armored cab against small-caliber bullets
Main armament	unarmed
Secondary armament	unarmed
agility
drive	V12 diesel engine of the type Tatra 930-17; 184 kW (250 PS)
Top speed	80 km / h (road) ; 15–30 km / h (off-road)
Power / weight

The AM-50 ( A utomobil m ostní 50, in German: bridge vehicle ) is a military rapid bridge system from Czechoslovak or Czech production and conceptually comparable to the nature of bridge-laying tanks. However, the AM-50 system only uses all-terrain military trucks.

Development history

The AM-50 express bridge was developed in the late 1960s and delivered to the Czechoslovak People's Army in the early 1970s . The original version was designed on the basis of the four-axle Tatra 813 (8 × 8) truck , which represented the ideal compromise between off-road and road driving properties. The drive unit is a V12 diesel engine of the Tatra 930-17 type with 17,640 cm³ displacement, which developed 250 hp. The two-door driver's cab offered five seats and had an integrated NBC protection ventilation system.

The main users of the express bridge system are the successor states of Czechoslovakia, the Czech Republic and Slovakia , as well as India and Pakistan .

technology

AM-50 with folded bridge in transport configuration

Each Tatra carries a folded bridge segment, which in the transport state has a length of 8.0 meters, a width of 3.15 meters and a height of 2.1 meters. When extended, the bridge is 13.5 meters long and the width increases to 4.21 meters. A maximum of eight segments can be connected to form a bridge that is almost 108 meters long, with a trench depth of between 2.0 and 5.5 meters. The load-bearing capacity of the bridge is 50 tons.

variants

AM-50

Original version.

AM-50B

Use of the Tatra 815 (8 × 8) truck model as the base vehicle while retaining the original folding bridge.

AM-50EX

Use of the Tatra 815-7 (8 × 8) as a base vehicle, which is equipped with a lightly armored driver's cab. The bridge structure was largely taken over from the AM-50. The load capacity has been increased and the hydraulic system revised, and the supports are adjusted hydraulically. The vehicles have snow blades.

Web links

Automobile mostní AM-50. Description and dates on the site of the Czech Ministry of Defense (Czech)

Individual evidence

↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d Martin Smíšek: AM-50 Mostní automobil. August 1, 2003. From Valka.cz (Czech), accessed January 6, 2020.
↑ Antonín Marek: Znáte Tatru AM 50? Stometrový most vám postaví na počkání. In: Zajímavosti. January 11, 2018. From Autoroad.cz (Czech), accessed January 6, 2020.
↑ Bridge Layer AM-50. Ministry of Defense & Armed Forces of the Czech Republic. From Army.cz, accessed January 6, 2020.
↑ TATRA FORCE T 815-7. In: Nákladní automobily. From Tatra.cz (Czech), accessed January 6, 2020.

[valka-1] Martin Smíšek: AM-50 Mostní automobil. August 1, 2003. From Valka.cz (Czech), accessed January 6, 2020.

[2] Antonín Marek: Znáte Tatru AM 50? Stometrový most vám postaví na počkání. In: Zajímavosti. January 11, 2018. From Autoroad.cz (Czech), accessed January 6, 2020.

[3] Bridge Layer AM-50. Ministry of Defense & Armed Forces of the Czech Republic. From Army.cz, accessed January 6, 2020.

[4] TATRA FORCE T 815-7. In: Nákladní automobily. From Tatra.cz (Czech), accessed January 6, 2020.