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Development of Russian Ural Tornado-U truck is at final stage

The development of the Tornado-U advanced truck has reached its final stage, according to the Red Star (Krasnaya Zvezda) newspaper of the Russian Ministry of Defense (MoD). The Tornado-U new military truck of enhanced cross-country capacity and carrying capability was presented at the Army 2015 international military-technical forum.

Ural-63704-0011 Tornado-U 6x6 military truck chassis at Russian Arms expo 2015.

A special expedition to test modern and advanced automotive vehicles has been finished in the South of Russia. The specialists of the Main Automotive-Armored Directorate conducted determinative tests in dusty and mountainous terrains. At present, the gathered information is being analyzed. In accordance with preliminary estimations, the Tornado-U automobile has shown a good performance.

A technical enquiry issued by the directorate laid the official groundwork for the beginning of the development of a truck with an increased carrying capacity. The MoD scrupulously formed and listed the requirements to the automobiles of this class, pointing out the required power output of engine, speed, carrying capacity, level of protection and accordance with the existing standards and other official documents. The head of the Main Automotive-Armored Directorate Lieutenant General Alexander Shevchenko signed the decision to develop the automobiles.

The Ural-63704-0011 Tornado-U is based on a three-axle truck chassis with a flat body intended for the transporting of weapons, military hardware and cargoes and the towing of transport and special semi-trailers attracted the attention of specialists and visitors. The truck had a laden weight of up to 30 t and a carrying capacity of up to 16 t. It could transport a semi-trailer with a weight of 12 t. The vehicle was powered by a diesel multifuel engine with a power output of 440 h.p. that provided a maximum speed of 100 km/h.

The MoD highly evaluated the demonstrated automobile and initiated studying of the relevant offers. As a result, the truck was tested in various climatic zones, ranging from dusty mountains to low temperatures. No armed forces in the world have in their inventories a truck that can be successfully used in hot and extremely cold climates, in dusty and snowy weather conditions and in a mountain terrain at an altitude of up to 4,000 m. However, Russia's military may become the first to receive such a vehicle.

The preliminary trials of the prototypes have been finished, and a special committee is to summarize the works undertaken. Then, the MoD will start the state trials scheduled for early 2018. According to the Red Star, the truck was not reprimanded, and the declared specifications were confirmed.

The newspaper quotes a critical opinion, according to which the truck is powered by an engine that has insufficient power output. However, this is an evidence-free claim. Several years ago, the MoD brought into service the Ural-63704 bolster-body truck used to transport armored vehicles. The road-train has a maximum weight of 65 t, and the military operates it flawlessly. The Ural-63706 Tornado-U has inherited the aggregate base of the bolster-body truck, having a weight of 30 t. Therefore, the aforementioned allegation is susceptible of proof, the Red Star newspaper concludes.