BAW (amphibious vehicle)

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BAW
BAW in a Polish museum (2007)

BAW in a Polish museum (2007)

General properties
crew 2
length 9540 mm
width 2485 mm
height 2660 mm
Dimensions 7150 kg (empty weight)
agility
drive Six-cylinder carburetor engine
110 hp
Top speed 60 km / h
Power / weight
Range 530 km (road)

BAW is the name of an amphibious vehicle developed in the Soviet Union . The all-terrain unarmored vehicle was used in the Soviet Army and other armed forces of the Eastern Bloc to translate vehicles and technology over water hazards. The name BAW stands for БАВ - Russian большой автомобиль водоплавающий and basically means large buoyant motor vehicle . This designation was used in the Soviet armed forces, the designation of the manufacturer is ZIS-485 (ЗИС-485).

In addition to the BAW, there is also the GAZ-46 , which was called MAW (short for малый автомобиль водоплавающий, German small buoyant vehicle ).

development

The experience of World War II had shown that armed forces needed ways to overcome water obstacles. Pontoon and other bridges had the advantage of great load-bearing capacity, but required a lot of time to erect and, for reasons of capacity, could not be erected over all water hazards. Bridge-laying tanks, on the other hand, were very mobile, but could only bridge narrow watercourses. As part of the Lend-Lease Act , the Soviet Union received amphibious vehicles DUKW from the USA , with which vehicles, guns and soldiers could be transferred. The vehicle was quick to relocate, all-terrain and enabled the transport of most types of Soviet artillery and trucks. Since the DUKW proved itself, the vehicle should be rebuilt in the Soviet Union after the supplies from the Lend Lease Act expired. The Zavod imeni Stalina (Завод имени Сталина) was commissioned with the development . The truck ZIS-151 and later the ZIL-157 served as the basis . The first test samples were completed in 1950. After successful testing, series production began in 1952 under the designation ZIS-485 in the Stalin factory, but series production was later relocated to the Brjanski Avtomobilny Sawod (Брянский автомобильный завод). Production was stopped in 1965. The vehicle was added to the armament of the Soviet Army in 1953.

The original plan was to manufacture the amphibious vehicle under the designation DAZ-485 in Dnepropetrovski Avtomobilny Sawod, Ukraine . However, since the plant did not start the planned mass production of vehicles until years later in a completely different context, the idea had to be discarded. The project remained recognizable, however, from the standardized type designation. According to the valid designation system from 1945 , the number 485 was intended for vehicles from DAZ, not for ZIS.

construction

BAW tailgate
Propeller and rudder of the BAW

The construction basically follows that of the DUKW. The vehicle is not self-supporting, the watertight welded structure was placed on the frame of the ZIS-151. The structure is open at the top and divided into three sections. In the front part is the motor and the outlets for the cooling air. In the middle part is the driver's cab with the controls and the seats for the driver and commander. The control elements were also adopted from the ZIS-151. The loading area is located in the rear of the vehicle. The tailgate can be folded down to make loading easier. A winch installed in the front of the vehicle can also be used for loading and unloading. It is driven by the drive motor.

The engine was taken over from the BTR-152 armored personnel carrier , the power transmission again from the ZIS-151. It is a six-cylinder petrol engine, which at 2900 min -1 outputs power of 81 kW (110 hp). The displacement is 5550 cm³. The ancillary units were adapted for use in an amphibious vehicle. The engine also received a rev limiter. The gearbox is driven with five non-synchronized forward gears via a two-disc dry clutch. All axles are permanently driven, and there is no differential lock. In the water, the BAW is driven by a propeller. The vehicle is steered in the water by a rudder, which is located in the jet of the propeller.

The construction enables high performance on the road, but could only be used to a limited extent off-road. Since there is no differential gear lock, problems arose when driving on steep embankments. The maximum speed on the road is 60 km / h and on the water is 7 km / h. On land and on the water, the payload is 2500 kilograms. Obstacles up to a height of 400 millimeters can be exceeded, the climbing ability is 58%. The BAW can transport a gun, a smaller truck up to the size of a GAZ-63 or up to 28 soldiers.

With the introduction of the ZIL-157, the frame, power transmission and controls of this truck were used for the BAW. The vehicle was now given the designation ZIL-485A, the military designation was BAW-A.

commitment

In the Soviet Army, the BAW was used in the translation companies ( Russian переправочная-десантная рота ) of the engineer battalions ( Russian инженерно-саперный батальон ). There were two such companies with twenty vehicles per division. In armed forces based on the Soviet model, the translation forces equipped with BAW were structured similarly. The BAW was replaced in the Soviet Army in the translation companies from the mid-1960s. The vehicles that became available were assigned to the bridge-building battalions as auxiliary vehicles.

The BAW was used in the National People's Army (NVA) from 1956 onwards, but was only rated as suitable to a limited extent.

literature

  • Wilfried Copenhagen: The land forces of the NVA , Motorbuch Verlag, Stuttgart, 2003, ISBN 3-613-02297-4 .

Individual evidence

  1. Information according to DV 17/5
  2. History of the Dnepropetrovsky Avtomobilny Sawod with comments on the DAZ-485 (Russian)

Web links

Commons : BAW  - collection of images, videos and audio files