KMZ ATS-59

     Notes: Though the ATS-59’s primary role is that of an artillery tractor, it has also seen use as a personnel carrier.  The cab is forward, with the engine behind it. This prevents the full cargo area from being used, as the engine projects into this area.  The cab is steel, with a hatch on the right side of the roof and doors on either side.  The ATS-59 can tow a load of 14 tons, or carry 3 tons in its bay.  Some ATS-59s have had the rear cargo area replaced with a heavy-duty fifth wheel; these vehicles tow trailers mounting the SA-2 surface to air missiles. 

     The ATS-59G tracked logistics carrier is primarily used as an artillery tractor.  In this role, the vehicle can tow a load of 14 tons, or carry a load of 3 tons.  It is a development of the ATS-59, with a much larger cab to allow the entire crew to ride inside.  The engine has been moved under the cab.  There is a hatch on the roof of the cab with a machinegun mount; however, no weapon is provided with the vehicle.  The cargo area has a canvas cover over bows. The ATS-59 is powered by an A-650 V12 diesel developing 300 horsepower.

    This vehicle is used by Russian and former Pact forces, Russian allies and client states, and by Yugoslavia.  The Egyptians also use this vehicle, and some of them have been modified to carry a 30-round 122mm Grad rocket launcher. Another variant is the OST combat engineering tractor. In April 2023, an example of an ATS-59G was seen armed with a 2M-3M naval gun in Ukraine, in use by Russian forces.

Likhachev BAV-485

     Notes: The Soviets received a number of DUKWs from the US during World War 2 for use in amphibious operations.  Though they liked the DUKWs capabilities, they felt there was room for improvement, and also wanted to use indigenous trucks as a basis.  The BAV-485 (sometimes called the Zil-485) was designed to this end, and it was first fielded in 1952, based on a Zil-151 6x6 truck chassis.  The biggest change from the standard DUKW body was the addition of a drop ramp in the rear of the vehicle, along with ramps carried on the sides of the vehicle when not in use.  This not only allowed troops to rush out of the vehicle in a fight, but it also allowed the loading of small field guns, larger mortars, and even small vehicles into the cargo compartment.  The BAV-485 uses a central tire regulation system, but the controls are on the outside of the vehicle on the air lines leading to the tires themselves.  The layout of the BAV-485 is otherwise virtually identical to the DUKW, with an engine at the front, a small area behind the engine compartment with two seats from which the vehicle is driven, and a rear cargo area with folding bench seats along the sides plus one behind the driver’s area.  This cargo area may be covered with bows and a canvas tarpaulin.  Most are seen unarmed, but a few have a post behind the front seats upon which a DShK is normally mounted (but not included in the price of the vehicle).  The powerplant of the BAV-485 is a ZIS-123 gasoline engine developing 110 horsepower.

     A later version of the BAV-585, the BAV-485A (also known as the Zil-485A, or simply the BAV-A), uses a Zil-157 6x6 truck as its basis.  It’s a more robust chassis with a more advanced design; unfortunately, the BAV-485A loses 1 horsepower in the bargain.  The engine is the ZIS-157K gasoline-burner developing 109 horsepower. One improvement is the central tire regulation system, which on the BAV-485A is adjustable from the driver’s controls.

     Though formerly in service throughout the former Warsaw Pact and Soviet Union, the BAV-485 and BAV-485A were later largely replaced by the K-61, and then the PTS series.  Some examples may still be found in out-of-the-way former Soviet client states (especially Vietnam), but most are now used by civilians and civilian agencies ranging from private users to scientific research organizations.  Some may also be found in museums and in the hands of collectors.  Sadly, most have simply corroded and degraded away into scrap.

GAZ-53

     Notes: One of the oldest military trucks still in regular service, the GAZ-53 is still in service in former Warsaw Pact countries in the Twilight 2000 timeline.  It is a truck resembling many commercial cargo trucks around the world, with a wooden floor for the cargo area as well as removable wooden fence-type sides and a canvas top.  Most of the parts and chassis of the GAZ-53 series are taken from an older truck, the GAZ-51, other than the cab, which is new for the GAZ-53; the chassis is also extended over that of the GAZ-51. The engine is quite powerful for a truck of its weight, but as it is a gasoline engine, it is also a bit fuel hungry. The GAZ-53 series may carry an additional fuel tank in the cargo bed, as the expense of cargo. The GAZ-53F and GAZ-53 may haul 4 tons on roads; the GAZ-53A and Madara 400 may haul 5 tons on roads.  Towing in all variants is limited to 4 tons. The GAZ-53 series are 4x2 vehicles with limited off-road capability.

     The original variant of this truck, the GAZ-53F, is powered by a much less powerful engine, a ZMZ-51A gasoline engine developing 75 horsepower. The main variant, the GAZ-53 (with no suffix), is powered by a ZMZ-53 V8 light alloy-block gasoline engine developing 120 horsepower. The GAZ-53A has a reinforced suspension and can carry more cargo. All variants have a 4-speed transmission, synchronized only on the third and fourth gears. License production took place in Bulgaria, and in the 1970s, powered by locally produced versions of a Perkins turbodiesel engine, at first 80 horsepower, but later 100 horsepower. These versions were called the Madara 400.

     Variants include water and fuel tankers, a dump truck, a tractor truck, and a crane truck. Civilianized GAZ-53s may have modifications and outfitting limited only by the imagination and fabrication capabilities. Over 4 million GAZ-53s were produced, making it the most produced truck of the Soviet Union. Some 3000 Madara 400s were produced every year throughout the 1980s.

KAMAZ-4350

     Notes: This is a newer Russian medium truck.  It is part of a family of trucks, including the KAMAZ-5350 and KAMAZ-6350.  It is mostly a conventional design, but has a long range due to its high-efficiency engine.  It is otherwise a conventional cabover truck. Prototypes appeared as early as 1991, but full production did not start until 2003. The engine of the KAMAZ-4350 is a KAMAZ-740.11.240 240-horsepower V8 diesel. The transmission is a standard five-speed gearbox, with a two-stage off-road reduction being connected.  This means that there are effectively 10 gears available, plus reverse. The KAMAZ-4350 is capable of fording 1.75 meters for short distances, or one meter for longer distances. The driver has access to a central tire inflation system.

     The KAMAZ-43501 is a short wheelbase variant with a lower cargo capacity. The KAMAZ-43502 has a 260-horsepower KAMAZ 740.652-260 Euro4 compliant engine and a higher cargo hauling capacity. The Kamaz-4350 can be fitted with cab armor, along with an armored cab and engine floor; most of the cab armor is ballistic nylon plate, but the floor armor is light alloy.

     Twilight 2000 Notes: Production began in 1993 in the Twilight 2000 v2.2 timeline; there were a good number of these trucks in service by the beginning of the war. The KAMAZ-43502 does not exist in the Twilight 2000 timeline.

*The AV listed is for the cab only; the rest of the truck is not so armored. The cab floor and engine compartment floor AV is 4Sp.

Kharkiv MT-L

     Notes: Developed at about the same time as the GT-T (see Russian Light Unarmored Vehicles), the MT-L is also called an over-the-snow/amphibious carrier; however, in its base form, it is not so much an over-the-snow vehicle as it has a rather high ground pressure and will sink in powdery or deep snow.  A variant, the MT-LV, uses wider, lighter tracks and is much better at negotiating snow and ice.  The MT-L is also good at traversing mud, swamps, and small bodies of water, and is amphibious without preparation.  The MT-L spawned a variety of tracked vehicles, including the MT-LB and PT-76.

     The MT-L is a medium-sized vehicle that is able to transport a surprising amount of cargo or troops for its size.  The enclosed cab may carry the driver and up to 7 other people; the rear area, covered with a canvas tilt, may seat up to ten additional troops.  Both compartments have a heating system, and the engine and mechanical components are likewise winterized.  There are large doors on either side of the cab, and there is also a roof hatch.  The engine is in the center of the vehicle, and is a YaMZ-238V diesel developing 240 horsepower, coupled with a six-speed manual transmission.  The rear cargo area has fold-down seats and has a tailgate at the rear; the canvas tilt used with the MT-L has three plastic windows in the sides and one in the rear.  The MT-L is capable of towing up to 7 tons, but if this much weight is towed internal cargo carrying capacity is reduced to 2.5 tons.  Despite its age, the MT-L is still in widespread service with Russia and her former republics, and remained in production for decades.

Ural-355M

     Notes: It is an updated Ural-355, which was in turn an updated ZIS-150 from World War 2 production.  The truck was called the UralZIS-355M at first and Ural-355M from 1961 due to de-Stalinization. Production continued until 1965. It is a standard-format cargo truck, with a wooden cargo color and drop fence-type sides and a drop wooden tailgate.  The floor of the cargo box is likewise of wood. The Ural-355M has limited cross-country capability, as it is a 4x2 drive vehicle, but it has good on-road speed. Engine power is decent for a vehicle of its time period, being a Ural-353A 95-horsepower gasoline-burning engine, coupled with a 5-speed manual transmission. The cab is enclosed and is all-metal and is behind a large hood over the engine.

     Despite the large amount of Ural-355Ms built (some 192,500) the truck is rare today, as most of them were worn out by use, first by military, then civilians. There are perhaps 20 working examples in Russia today, and about that number in the hands of collectors and museums worldwide; there are also a number of non-working static displays.

     Twilight 2000 Notes: This old truck is only in limited use by Russian forces, primarily by Category 3 and Mobilization-Only units. 

Ural-375

     Notes: A 6x6 truck with good cross-country performance, the Ural-375 is the carrier for a BM-21 rocket launcher system.  The layout is conventional, with a fully enclosed cab behind the engine and a cargo bed at the rear, though the base Ural-375 had a canvas roof for the cab.  The Ural-375D, the most produced variant, as a proper steel roof for the cab. The standard vehicle has a drop tailgate and canvas cover.  The cab has a heater, and a modified form is insulated for use in Northern Russia. The engine is a ZIL-375 V8 gasoline engine developing 180 horsepower, with considerable torque.  The Ural-375 can tow 5 tons cross country and 10 tons on a hard road; it can haul 4.5 tons on a hard road. The vehicle’s fuel is divided into two tanks, one with 300 liters, and a reserve/emergency tank of 60 liters. The Ural-375 has power assisted brakes and steering.

     The Ural-375 is also used as a tanker, decontamination vehicle, workshop, fire engine, crane, recovery vehicle, and as a SA-4 Ganef SAM launcher; the Ural-375 has about thirty variants. The Ural-375 and its variants were produced from 1961 to 1993.

Ural-43206

     Notes: This development of the Ural-4320-10 was designed for export, and many were sold to Middle Eastern nations aligned with Russia; in addition, a few hundred were taken into Russian, Polish, and Czech service.  The number of wheels has been reduced to 4; this results in less load carrying capacity, but also results in a truck that is less expensive to maintain and operate.  Most of the parts of a Ural-4320-10 will work in a Ural-43206, but the engine is a different, less powerful, more fuel-efficient YaMZ-236 180-horsepower model.  The variant Ural-43206-41 model has a powerful YaMZ-236NE2 turbodiesel developing 230 horsepower. A feature is a winch, with a 7-ton capacity, using 60 meters of cable. The Ural-43206 can haul 5 tons on hard roads and can tow 7 tons cross-country.

     The Ural-43206-0551 is an artillery tractor variant; its cargo capacity is smaller due to a shorter cargo bed, but it has an enlarged four-door cab seating six.

Zil-130

     Notes: This aged Russian-built vehicle serves on with the armed forces of many vehicles, though in Russia the Ural-4320-10 and other vehicles were replacing it.  The Zil-130 served as the basis for the Zil-131, and production lasted from 1962 through 1994, with nearly 3.4 million being produced in that time. The cab of the Zil-130 has room for the driver and two passengers. The Zil-130 is conventional, with the engine at the front, cab in the center, and rear cargo area. The standard engine of the Zil-130 is a 6-liter V8 gasoline engine developing 170 horsepower, coupled with a 5-speed manual transmission, but the Zil-130AN is powered by the less expensive, and much less capable, Zil-157K gasoline engine developing 109 horsepower. The Zil-130 can tow 6.4 tons. However, the Zil-130 is a 4x2 drive vehicle that has poor performance off-road.

     Various other styling and cost-cutting changes were applied to the Zil-130 over the decades, with major modernizations taking place in 1966 and 1977. The Zil-130E featured a tropicalization kit and a shielded electrical system, allowing it to conduct deeper fording operations; it is otherwise identical to the standard Zil-130. The Zil-130G is a long bed, long-wheelbase variant with a 4.5-meter wheelbase instead of the standard Zil-130’s 3.8-meter wheelbase.

     The Zil-130 comes in several versions, including cargo/troop carrier, dump truck, tanker, and decontamination vehicle. There is a plethora of other variants.

Zil-131

     Notes: The replacement for the Zil-157, this 6x6 medium truck has a greater load capacity, more powerful engine, and power steering and brakes.  The Zil-131 may be regarded as a fully militarized version of the Zil-130, and the two trucks share many components. The cab is heated and is triple insulated, with an adjustable driver’s seat and a double passenger seat. The fuel supply is actually divided into two tanks, each with 170 liters. The brakes and steering are power assisted. The truck has a central tire pressure regulation system for extra mobility in soft terrain. The engine is a Zil-131 (specially designed for the truck) V8 gasoline engine developing 150 horsepower; however, the Zil-131A is equipped with the Zil-130’s engine, developing 170 horsepower, and the Zil-131N uses the newer Zil-5081 gasoline engine, developing 150 horsepower, and has been given a long-life design. Another engine variant is found in the Zil-131D which is equipped with a YaMZ-236 diesel rated at 180 horsepower; this is a very rare variant. Two other rare variants were the Zil-131N1 and Zil-131N2; these had a D-245.20 105-horsepower and Zil-0550 132-horsepower diesel engine respectively. All these are coupled with a 5-speed manual transmission. The Zil-131 may haul 5 tons on roads; it may tow 4 tons off-roads, or 5 tons on roads.

     The Zil-131 is used for cargo or troop transport, and as a prime mover for the D-30 howitzer.  Other versions include dump truck, fire engine, SA-6 towing vehicle, decontamination vehicle, tanker, and even as a well-drilling platform.  It is also used as the basis for the BM-14 and BM-21 MRLs.

     Twilight 2000 Notes: The Zil-131D does not exist in the Twilight 2000 timeline.

Zil-151

     Notes: Originally designated the ZIS-151, this is an ancient Russian truck produced in the late 1940s and early 1950s, and now found primarily in backwater portions of the Third World.  It is an entirely conventional design, with the engine in front, crew cab, and rear cargo area.  The cab was at first made of wood, but these were soon replaced with an all-steel cab. Hard body models and conversions of this truck are common.  Late production versions can be distinguished by the flatter hood and radiator cover they have (the same as on the Zil-157). The Zil-151 is powered by a Zil-121 gasoline engine developing 92 horsepower, coupled with a 5-speed manual transmission. The chassis has a 6x6 drive and features both leaf springs and double-acting shock absorbers, leading to a firm but even ride. The two rear wheels have double wheels and tires. The Zil-151 has power brakes, but not power steering.

     The BM-13 Katyusha MRLs were placed on the Zil-151, replacing their previous mounts, the ZIS-6 and US-made Studebaker US6 trucks. The Zil-151 also served as the base chassis for the BTR-152 APC. The Zil-151 also spawned a large number of hard-bodied versions, with installations ranging from command vehicles to communications trucks. There were several tanker variants for fuel and water, decontamination vehicles, crane trucks, and shop vans and repair vehicles. The Zil-151D is powered by a diesel version of the Zil-121 engine; it is rare.  For that matter, the Zil-151 is today rare, except in North Korea, where they were produced until 1986; they were essentially worn out to dirt, with a few lucky ones having found a home in museums and static displays, and some of the unluckier ones being towed out to ranges for use as targets.

Zil-157

     Notes: This 6x6 medium truck was being replaced in Bloc service by the Zil-131.  It is essentially a variant of the Zil-151 and was produced from 1958 to 1994, with almost 800,000 built in that time. The Zil-157 is very similar to the Zil-151, but the cab is slightly different, and the rear bogie has single, larger tires instead of smaller, double wheels; the Zil-157 is also physically a larger vehicle. The layout of the vehicle is conventional, with a front-mounted engine, a cab behind the engine for two people, and a cargo bed with a variety of bodies and configurations. The engine is a Zil-157 104-horsepower gasoline engine, but from 1961 the Zil-157K was produced with a 109-horsepower gasoline engine. The brakes are power assisted. The Zil-157 can haul 4 tons on road; it can tow 2.5 tons cross country, or 3.6 tons on roads. Most of these trucks have a front-mounted winch with a 4-ton capacity. The spare tire is under the right front of the cargo box.

     The Zil-157 is used for many roles, including cargo/troop carrier, semi-trailer towing vehicle, SAM and FROG missile towing vehicle, decontamination vehicle, tanker, firefighting vehicle, crane truck, bridge carrier, and as the basis for various MRLs (such as the BM-24 and BM-14). The 1978 BTR-157KD variant of the BTR-157K has a slightly larger cargo capacity (3 tons off road and 5 tons on roads), but is otherwise the same as the BTR-157K.

Zil-164

     Notes: This was the replacement for the ZIS-150 truck of post- War 2 vintage, replacing the ZIS-150 in production in 1957, and differed outwardly only in the style of the radiator grille (many horizontal slots instead of a few vertical ones) and bumper (a simple bar instead of a curved bumper).  It fostered over a score of variants and was in front line service for over 20 years.  The Zil-164 was also popular on the Eastern Bloc civilian market. The base Zil-164 has a 97-horsepower gasoline-burner for an engine, but the Zil-164A has a 100-horsepower engine. The Zil-164 may haul 4 tons on the road, tow 3.5 tons cross-country, and tow 4.5 tons on roads.

     Twilight 2000 Notes: Most Zil-164s were replaced by the Zil-130, but some soldier on in secondary former Warsaw Pact service and in Third World countries.

ZIS-150

     Notes: The ZIS-150 was one of Russia’s first post-war designs, being first built in 1946.  It replaced the ZIS-5 on the assembly line in 1947. In 1956, the designation was changed to Zil-150 due to de-Stalinization, but the year after that, the Zil-150 was replaced in production by the Zil-164. The ZIS-150 is partially based on the Lend-Lease International K-7 of US manufacture. The first LRIP examples used an 82-horsepower gasoline engine, but testing revealed that this was too weak an engine for its designated role, which was a frontline troop and cargo transport. The engine therefore was replaced with one of 95 horsepower. This is coupled with the first Soviet use of a five-speed manual transmission. Most ZIS-150s were built with the spare tire on the right side behind the cab, but some later examples placed the spare tire underneath the cargo bed at the right front.

     The ZIS-150 is a conventional layout vehicle found primarily wheezing along in Third World backwaters.  Like the Zil-157 and Zil-164, some 20 variants and sub-builds of the ZIS-150 were produced. The Chinese CA-10 Liberation is a modification of the ZIS-150. The ZIS-150A is a dual fuel (LNG and gasoline) powered version of the standard ZIS-150. The Zil-164 may be regarded as a variant of the ZIS-150.