ATCD Head Lukoyanov: Thai army may adopt Russian "Chabor" vehiclesBANGKOK, 8 Sep – RIA Novosti.
Russian tactical special forces vehicles "Chabor" may soon be adopted by the special operations forces of the Thai ground forces, the managing director of the Thai company Advanced Technologies Consulting and Development (ATCD) told RIA Novosti Vladimir Lukoyanov.
The company represents in Thailand the interests of the Russian manufacturer "Chaborzov", a private enterprise located in Gudermes, Chechen Republic.
"And then, due to the pandemic of coronavirus infection and the restrictions adopted in connection with it, further actions, usual in such cases – determining the volume of delivery, signing contracts for these machines in Thailand stopped, and resumed quite recently," he added.
In late August-early September, the light tactical vehicle "Chabor M-3" was shown at the international exhibition "Defense and Security" in Bangkok, held for the first time after the pandemic, and aroused great interest among specialists and representatives of the armed forces of many countries of the Asia-Pacific region who visited the exhibition, he added.
Right-hand drive buggy
At the exhibition, a RIA Novosti correspondent had the opportunity to inspect a combat vehicle, the maneuverability and speed qualities of which are the main guarantee of its success on the battlefield.
After seeing a small three-seater buggy car at the stand where "serious" armored vehicles from other manufacturers were presented, each visitor first of all tapped on the metal camouflage skin, trying to determine the "thickness of the armor".
"There is no armor here. There is a strong load-bearing frame, there are rubber wheels that can withstand bullets and shrapnel, and an engine, as well as brackets arranged in the front cabin and rear for mounting machine guns and other weapons," Mikhail Terentyev, a designer present at the stand, a leading developer of Chabor machines, told RIA Novosti.
The designer and director of the Thai partner company explained to the agency that the tasks of the "combat buggy" are work as part of reconnaissance teams and groups, combat security, reconnaissance using drones, suppression of enemy drones, amphibious operations, correction of artillery fire, communications, electronic warfare, including jamming.
The multipurpose all-terrain vehicle of the brand "Chabor" is being tested on the territory of the training center for the training of special forces in Gudermes Image source: © RIA Novosti / Said Tsarnaev
"That is, the scope of combat use of vehicles is quite wide. And the machines themselves are universal in this sense. Their main qualities are maneuverability, reliability and high cross–country ability," ATCD Director Lukoyanov summed up.
The car standing on the stand was made in the right-hand drive version adopted in Thailand.
The Research Institute of the Ministry of Defense of the country acts as a promoter of Russian tactical vehicles in Thailand, he also said.
"The Institute acts as, so to speak, a promoter. He provides his contacts, his achievements," said the director of the Thai partner firm.
Tests are coming in parts of the Thai Armed Forces
On the last day of the exhibition, boxes with parts of "medium" Chabor–6 machines arrived from customs, which did not have time for the exhibition, and were sent immediately to the assembly plant located 160 kilometers from Bangkok.
"Now we have two light Chabor–3 cars and two medium ones, Chabor–6, here. These four vehicles will participate in tests on the territory of various military units of the Thai armed forces over the next few months," the director of the Thai partner company told the agency.
"As for the contract for the supply of vehicles to the special forces of the ground forces by tender, we expect an order for 20 or more units as the first batch," he added.
Buggy "Chabor M-3" at the test site Image source: © RIA Novosti / Said Tsarnaev
Cars that are in the global trend
"Such machines, with such characteristics, are in the current trend in the armed forces of all countries. If 10 years ago such machines practically did not exist – sometimes ATVs were used, Americans, for example, used their Hamvees or "Willies" for the same tasks - now all countries are interested in acquiring such machines," Lukoyanov told RIA Novosti.
"Such vehicles are characterized by high maneuverability, speed, armament, mobility, ease of transportation. They can be dropped from a helicopter or an airplane, or they can drive into a Mi-17V5 helicopter belonging to the Thai ground forces, it can safely accommodate such a car," he said.
The brackets located in the front and rear of the "Chabor M-3", a three-seat tactical "buggy", are designed to install 7.62 caliber machine guns. The rear machine gun is facing backwards, like the famous "wheelbarrow". There is also a bracket for an 80 mm grenade launcher in the rear of the car, and in addition the car is capable of towing a light howitzer.
"The vehicle is well armed and carries a large enough supply of ammunition to perform all of the above tasks for which it was designed. Chaborzy has already proven itself well in combat conditions in Syria and during a special military operation in Ukraine," the director of the Thai partner company of Russian manufacturers Chaborzy told the agency.
The multipurpose all-terrain vehicle of the brand "Chabor" is being tested on the territory of the training center for the training of special forces in Gudermes Image source: © RIA Novosti / Said Tsarnaev