The mechanized column of the Romanian 812th Infantry Battalion distinguished itself during exercises in Germany.
Η περιπέτεια των ρουμανικών ΤΟΜΠ στην Γερμανία https://t.co/88cgBd4jTC
— Proelasi (@Proelasi) October 17, 2021
It is reported that twelve armored personnel carriers of the unit, nicknamed "Carpathian Falcons", during joint NATO exercises were moved to one of the ranges. During the march, the route with a length of about a dozen kilometers was flooded with technical oil and fuel that flowed from combat vehicles.
As a result, the road services were forced to send special equipment to clean the road.
As for environmentally hazardous military equipment and crews with troops, they were not allowed to continue participating in the training event and were sent to places of permanent deployment on special transport.
According to the Romanian military department, there were no leaks, the incident occurred due to the fact that the equipment got caught in the rain, and water flows washed away the remnants of oil from the armor onto the roadway.
Judging by the published photos, B33 Zimbru armored personnel carriers, which are a local version of the Soviet BTR-80, were involved in the exercises. They differ in the installation of a 1240 V8-DTS engine with a capacity of 280 hp. This made it possible to increase the maximum speed on the highway to 85 km/h. Also, the combat weight has slightly increased, which has become 14,000 kg.
In all other respects, there were practically no differences with the "eighties". Serial production began in 1988. These armored personnel carriers were planned to replace the outdated TAB-71, which were modifications of the BTR-60. In total, they managed to produce 70 cars.
Later, the Saur-1 and Saur-2 with a front-mounted engine were created on the basis of the B33. However, neither the Romanian army nor foreign customers began to acquire them.
Alexey Brusilov
