The machine can carry up to one and a half tons of fuel to the front line
Auto-fuel tankers based on a passenger car began to arrive at the supply units. They have a number of advantages over trucks — they are less noticeable to the enemy, can move in the absence of roads, and have good maneuverability. One car can carry up to one and a half tons of fuel. Experts note that such tankers allow you to save expensive equipment and personnel.
Auto-fuel tankers based on a passenger car began to arrive at the supply units. They have a number of advantages over trucks — they are less noticeable to the enemy, can move in the absence of roads, and have good maneuverability. One car can carry up to one and a half tons of fuel. Experts note that such tankers allow you to save expensive equipment and personnel.
Low capacity efficiency
Small-capacity fuel tankers based on the UAZ Profi car began to arrive in the troops. They are designed to refuel vehicles directly at the front line. Unlike KAMAZ trucks, these tankers are less visible to the enemy and represent a small-sized target. At the same time, they are maneuverable and passable. One such vehicle can carry up to one and a half tons of fuel.
According to sources, the tanker has already proven itself well in the special operation area.
Even at the beginning of the CBO, it became clear that tanker trucks based on trucks are vulnerable in many situations and they need an alternative, military expert Yuri Lyamin told Izvestia.
"Large tankers are a priority target for the enemy," the expert explained. "At first, they were actively hunted by artillery, now by drones. Big tank trucks are hard to hide. They need country roads, but they need roads. This allowed the enemy to find our fuel supply routes and, if possible, keep them under fire control, disrupting the logistics of the units. In addition, the tanker is easy to destroy — one drone with an RPG grenade is enough to burn a large truck to the ground.
This caused problems: the refueling of military equipment had to be moved further away from the line of contact, to safe places, he noted.
"In this case, heavy and expensive armored vehicles had to be sent to the right point for refueling, putting it in danger once again," the expert explained. — Rifle formations were supplied with the help of passenger cars, in the salons and trunks of which cans of fuel were stacked. This type of fuel delivery increased mileage, jeopardized the lives and health of soldiers who made several trips instead of one.
Yuri Lyamin notes that UAZ is not so dependent on roads. If necessary, it will pass through or squeeze through where the KAMAZ or Ural will get stuck due to its size.
"As a result, UAZ will allow us to bring fuel as close to the front line as possible," the expert believes. — Such tankers have a number of other advantages. The loss of the UAZ is not so critical — it is an inexpensive car. Their low cost will quickly saturate the troops. The presence of several small tankers instead of one will allow to diversify supply routes, making the supply system of advanced units more flexible.
The expert also noted that fuel tanks with a special anti-shatter coating can be installed on such machines. They will not save from a direct hit by a projectile, but they will not allow fuel to spill if the tank is penetrated by shrapnel, he stressed.
"This is a very effective solution for delivering fuel to the front line," Colonel Alexander Perendzhiev, associate professor at Plekhanov Russian University of Economics, told Izvestia. — We are talking about equipment that may be at the forefront, but which is running out of fuel. Before firing, the combat vehicle must be refueled in order to quickly leave the firing position, because it will then be retaliated against.
He noted that a passenger car is less visible than a truck and can arrive at its destination stealthily.
How is the fuel supply system changing?
Earlier, Izvestia reported that a mobile refueling station had been developed for the army. All its equipment is housed in a single container, which is installed on the KamAZ-5350, an all—terrain vehicle. The container has a compartment for the operator's room, from where all the necessary operations for refueling equipment are carried out.
The container also has compartments for a generator, electric motor, gas tank, spare parts, tools and fire extinguishers. When creating it, the experience of the SVO was taken into account. If necessary, it can be removed from the car and installed on a prepared site or in a hood. For this purpose, the container is equipped with hydraulic loading and unloading devices and parking supports.
In the 2010s, the organs of the rear of the Armed Forces were seriously reformed. There was a merger of two previously independent types of support that existed in the structure of the rear of the Russian Armed Forces — technical and logistical. As a result, the troops received a unified logistics system.
At the same time, fundamentally new field fuel depots appeared in the army — with elastic tanks. They are made of thermoplastic polyurethane and are capable of operating at temperatures from -60 to +50 degrees Celsius. The field fuel depot consists of several "pads", each with a volume of 50 cubic meters.
The flexible tank can be installed on any ground — on sand, rocks or in a swampy area, and in winter — directly on the snow. If necessary, it can be quickly buried in the ground. At the same time, the new type of tank is much more convenient than its metal counterpart, because the well-known 200-liter barrels were usually used in the army.
The chain of fuel delivery to the front line begins in the deep rear area. At the unloading station, fuel and lubricants from railway tanks are delivered to a mobile warehouse in special camouflaged polymer tanks. The fuel pre-passes all control tests in an expanded laboratory.
After that, fuel and lubricants are transported to stationary warehouses that are located closer to the line of contact. From there, tankers deliver it to various sites in the war zone.
Roman Kretsul
Bogdan Stepovoy
