Upgraded two-unit tracked amphibious transporter
The upgraded two-unit tracked amphibious transporters belong to a class of articulated vehicles and offer unique capabilities of moving over soft terrain (swamps, salt marshes, shifting sands, wetlands, dirt roads during the muddy season, etc), high towing performance, the ability to negotiate barriers and water obstacles at full load without preliminary preparation.
The DT-10PM and DT-30PM are intended for transporting personnel, equipment and military hardware in the most challenging road and climate conditions, without prior reconnaissance and route reinforcement, as well as for mounting weapons and military hardware.
The idea of an articulated vehicle is quite simple – to combine two transport platforms, fitted with active tracked running gears, into a single entity. The first unit accommodates a power plant with transmission and a cabin, while the second one carries a passenger/cargo compartment. The units of the transporter are articulated via a rotary coupling of unique design, which has three degrees of freedom. Rotation in the horizontal and vertical planes is done by means of power cylinders. When there are no control signals, vertical jack-knifing cylinders act as shock absorbers. Mutual rotation of the units occurs arbitrarily, depending on the sideways movement of the second unit.
The units use all-welded watertight monocoque hulls, independent torsion bar suspension and rubberized-fabric belt-type tracks with metal grousers. The upgraded versions are fitted with an 800hp long-life fuel-efficient liquid-cooled high-speed turbocharged diesel and hydromechanical transmission.
The chassis of the DT-10PM and DT-30PM transporters can be used for mounting various weapon systems and special process equipment. With their capability of bypassing jammed and damaged vehicles under difficult road conditions and approaching them from either direction, the two-unit transporters are indispensable as recovery vehicles.
