B33 Zimbru
| B33 Zimbru | |
|---|---|
Romanian B33 Zimbru armored vehicles during a military parade on December 1, 2005 |
|
| General properties | |
| crew | 3 (commander, driver, gunner) + 7 men |
| length | 7.65 m |
| width | 2.09 m |
| height | 2.52 m |
| Dimensions | 14 tons |
| Armor and armament | |
| Armor | Armored steel, protection against 14.5 mm bullets |
| Main armament | 1 × oversized 14.5 mm MG KPWT |
| Secondary armament | 1 × 7.62 mm MG PKT |
| agility | |
| drive | 1240 V8 DTS diesel engine 280 hp |
| Top speed | 85 km / h (road), 9 km / h (in water) |
| Power / weight | |
| Range | 700 km |
The B33 Zimbru (Zimbru: dt .: European bison ) is an 8 × 8 armored personnel carriers from Romanian production, by the vehicle manufacturer Automecanica Moreni was produced. The successor to the B33 Zimbru is the Saur 1 , which, however, was not introduced into the Romanian armed forces.
development
The armored car was developed as a successor to the TAB-77 . The Socialist Republic of Romania received permission from the Soviet Union in 1987 to build 70 BTR-80 armored vehicles under license. The vehicle design was further developed and tailored to the requirements of the Romanian armed forces and the possibilities of the domestic armaments industry. Production was started in 1988 by the vehicle manufacturer Automecanica Moreni and continued until 1991. Manufacturing is complete and the model is no longer marketed. Furthermore, the B33 Zimbru is in the phase out of the army.
technology
The two front axles of the amphibious all-wheel-drive armored vehicle are steerable. The vehicle has a central tire pressure control system with which the air pressure in the tires can be varied while driving, in order to be able to set the specific ground pressure on the upper floor. The vehicle is powered by a four-stroke eight-cylinder 1240 V8 DTS engine from Roman Diesel, which has an output of 280 hp and is installed in the rear. The maximum speed on the road is approx. 85 km / h and the range of the Ministry of Defense is 700 kilometers. While driving, the driver could open the cover of the water jet drive from his seat via a hydraulic system and unfold a surge board on the tub bow. The vehicle reached a maximum of 9 km / h when driving in the water. A bilge pump and two bilge valves were installed in order to be able to pump any water that might have entered the vehicle while swimming . The B33 Zimbru can be transported on the Antonov An-22 , Il-76 and Lockheed Hercules C-130 military transport aircraft .
variants
- Zimbru 2000 : Further development of the B33 Zimbru with a larger interior volume for the teams. The armament consists of a remote-controlled weapon station with a 25 mm or 30 mm automatic cannon. The development of the Zimbru 2000 has been completed, but no production orders have been received.
- Saur 1 : The most modern version of the B33 Zimbru from the 2000s.
Users
-
Romania : 69 B33 Zimbru in 2010. Of the 70 originally built vehicles, one was converted to the Zimbru 2000 prototype.
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c d Army-guide.com: B33 Zimbru (English)
- ↑ a b Uzina Automecanica Moreni - PORTOFOLIU PRODUSE (Romanian)
- ↑ Description on GlobalSecurity.org (English)
- ↑ The Military Balance 2010, p. 157
