The automotive industry of the Soviet Union primarily focused on the development and creation of new models of freight and public transport. It was these directions that were marked by a large number of interesting and even exotic cars. Today we will talk about five little-known projects that never burned out, although at one time great hopes were pinned on them.
1. Rocket truck
In the midst of the Cold War, the Soviet Union tried to create more and more means of transporting and launching missiles. In 1962, a unique truck was created at the ZIL plant to carry out hidden launches. The car received the designation ZIL-135V. It was assumed that such ZILs would shoot directly behind enemy lines, after which they would be delivered there by air using a Mi-10 transport helicopter. The 135B was supposed to shoot with 4K95 missiles. The project was carried out until 1965, after which it was closed as unnecessary.
2. Waterfowl "Ural"
The Ural-379/395 family of trucks was born back in 1966. Four years later, in 1970, the Ministry of Defense of the Soviet Union instructed engineers to create an amphibious truck. This is how the three and four-axle vehicles Ural-379P and Ural-395P appeared. Trucks could carry from 4-7 tons, were driven by the latest 2E640 diesel engine with a capacity of 200 hp, and most importantly, they could float. When partially loaded on water, the Urals accelerated to 6 km / h. It is not known how the cars showed themselves in tests, but it never came to serial production.
3. Bus from infection
The Soviet Union was constantly preparing for the Third World Atomic War. Therefore, a large number of special equipment was created in the country. In 1973, the KPP-66 bus was created at 23 Research Institute of the Ministry of Defense to counter radiation and bacteriological contamination. The vehicle with lead and synthetic protection was created on the basis of the well-known GAZ-66. KPP-66 could perform the functions of an ambulance or command vehicle in the zone of increased contamination. True, in 1974 the project was closed. In the series 66 did not go.
4. Heavy rocket carrier
You can hardly find an even more impressive Soviet wheeled vehicle than the heavy MAZ-7907 rocket carrier. The development of a unique centipede began in 1983 at the SKB-1 facilities of the Minsk Automobile Plant. The created machine could lift a load weighing up to 150 tons, with a dead weight of 65.8 tons. It was assumed that the rocket carrier will be used to transport the latest systems of the Celina-2 class. The machine was set in motion by several power units with a total output of 1,200 hp. The four front and four rear axles of the heavy rocket carrier were pivoting.
Continuing the topic, read about US-012: why the soviet truck, which worked on wood, did not reach the customer.