Firefighters of Russian MoD to receives Zver mobile chemical protection TASS 81403173

"The Zver has passed the trials by special research institutes of the Defense Ministry," SOPOT Director General Gennady Kuptin tells Izvestia. "If all goes to plan, the system will be fielded with the firefighting units at ammunition and fuel depots. The Zver also will join the vehicular fleets of the rescue regiments being activated by the military districts. They are designed to deal with man-made and natural disasters, evacuate people and rebuild social infrastructure."

The Zver’s tanks are filled with 5 tons of silicon dioxide. Dumping it via a special delivery monitor in 1 min., the vehicle can cover several thousand square meters of land with the compound, remaining in safety 100 m away from the seat of the fire - a record-setting distance as far as fire engines are concerned. The distance is twice as long as that of the Defense Ministry’s in-service fire engines.

Another unique property of silicon earth is that the foam blocks the spreading of radiation and reduces the concentration of the chemicals and dangerous gases released into the atmosphere during fires. This enables the Zver to effectively put out fires at nuclear arms depots and contain radioactive contamination during accidents at nuclear powerplants and submarines. Ordinary water in such a case only aggravates the problem, because radioactive water is absorbed by the soil. The silicon dioxide foam both stops the spreading of dangerous substances and remains on the ground and thus can be easily removed.

The unique firefighting foam allows camouflaging combat vehicles. Silicon dioxide absorbs the signals of radars and spy satellites. According to Kuprin, the foam can protect vehicles for several months unless it is removed. If it has to be removed, rinsing a tank, an APC or a truck with lukewarm water will do the trick.

Expert Victor Murakhovsky reminded that several years ago, the Russian Defense Ministry had encountered a whole number of devastating fires and, as a result, devised a program on furnishing the ammunition depots with up-to-date fire-suppressant systems. The program is to be implemented in 2018. A special firefighting vehicle has been derived from the T-72 and T-80 tanks under the program, but it is less effective than the Zver is.