The armored car ZIL "Punisher": technical characteristics and photos

In recent years, our defense industry has focused, in addition to tanks and infantry fighting vehicles, on the development and production of armored vehicles. One of these is ZIL "Punisher". His appearance immediately attracted the attention of both journalists and ordinary fans of military equipment. But is it really only a car exterior that is unique?

In general, this project was originally aimed at creating a machine with improved armored protection for the needs of special units. However, given the availability of a well-proven "Tiger", the car will have to survive in the conditions of strong competition, even if it is adopted. In principle, the project is currently actively developing and almost finished.

Ironically, industry sanctions do not interfere. For the sake of justice it is worth noting that the ZIL "Punisher" at the moment looks more like a civilian jeep from the future, but not a combat vehicle. By the way, it is for this reason that private persons are actively interested in acquiring it .

Start of development

By the spring of 2002, the Ministry of Defense was finally clear that the troops were urgently required a light armored car. Initially, it was a chassis with a payload of up to two tons. It was then that the project received a conditional (at that time) designation "Punisher". In the domestic press, the name "Bedbug" is occasionally found.

Initial design requirements

Presumably, initially there was no development funding from the MoD, so the contestants had to conduct all the surveys exclusively at their own expense. Whatever it was, but the plant began designing a machine that would be designed for possible operation in off-road conditions. As the main users were supposed as the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, and other profile departments.

That is why the task of designing the body so that the crew could conduct a round-fire from it, using its own small arms, arose. There was no special choice in the location of the team: the driver on the left front seat, the commander to his right, between them was supposed to mount a wide lodgement for the airborne arrow, which, if necessary, could counter fire through the lifted center section of the windshield.

Five-minute objectivity

At that time Andrei Stepanov, a young and ambitious engineer, worked at the plant. He really wanted to make an armored car "Punisher". Russia was already extremely interested in this class of cars, and therefore the money for the project was allocated regularly. But ... Stepanov raved about the Dakar rally, and therefore he tried to make a new car so that it could be used not so much in combat as in the sporting role. The result of this approach was quite expected ...

That is why the assembly used mass imported components without regard to the possibility of real combat use of the machine.

Composition and number of crew

Initially, it was calculated that eight paratroopers could sit inside the body, sitting back to back, and three or four more would be located in the stern compartment. Thus, in the project the crew could reach 14-15 people. Between the wheel arches of the prototype was such a distance that the shooter, if necessary, could defend the car using the upper aft hatch. Initially, it was not intended to equip the armored car with folding seats and other elements that would facilitate its use for the transport of goods.

Works on ZIL

AMO "ZIL" immediately "got involved" in this epic, as experts expected to use the achievements of their long-standing project ("Blue Bird"), throwing the entire running without any particular changes. As a result, the work on both projects was simply "stalled," since the engineers were not able to pull at once the two directions. Despite this, the new armored car ZIL "Punisher" could still appear. Ironically, the Moscow authorities played a decisive role in this.

At the same time, Luzhkov became interested in the works, at that time he held the post of the mayor of Moscow. He breathed new life into the project, the plant's management again ordered to stand up for the drawings. Neither shaky nor waggish, but the project came up to 2009 in the version of "Bedbug", and there was already a large-scale acting mock-up. In principle, by that time there was more than one armored car "Punisher", but two at once, and the first one strongly resembled the current "Tiger" and was much more attractive for potential customers.

But, for a number of reasons, its further development was stopped. In the same year 2009, the mayor leaves his post, but the plant receives as a subsidy the latest tranche for development. It was enough, and in 2012 the first prototype saw the same light. Some believe that his name is "Bug", but it's not. This name was worn by the preceding sample.

Main technical characteristics

Do you remember what we said about the sanctions? On the ZIL 4x4 "Punisher" is installed Italian (!) Four-cylinder diesel Cummins, which develops power up to 185 hp / s. It is conjugated with the German five-speed automatic transmission ZF. Is there any engineering component in this miracle of engineering thought?

Is and such. From all-wheel drive KamAZ took the transfer case, as well as bridges and suspension practically unchanged. The length of the ZIL "Punisher" is 6330 mm, its width is 2397 mm, and the height - 2566 mm. Without considering the hanging of the armor, the "clean" chassis weighs 4.5 tons. In the fully armored version, its weight is equal to 8 tons at once. It is reported that only up to 10 people (crew with paratroopers) can be accommodated in the car.

The speed along the highway should reach at least 120 km / h. On dirt roads - about 30 km / h. The information in the press slipped that the armored car ZIL "Punisher" can independently cross the water obstacles due to its positive buoyancy, but the manufacturer in this regard does not particularly apply.

A new engine ... and new problems

But! Subsequently, the Italian power plant refused to YaMZ-7E846. That's just not all that good. It turned out that all this miracle will consume more than 50 liters of fuel (or even 100) per 100 km of run! That's really really, the future has come ... According to this indicator SUV "Punisher" can compete with the tank, although the level of security and close to it is not like.

One way or another, but the management of the plant has already understood its "failure", and therefore the engine has been improved for a long time. In what state this project is now, for certain is unknown.

Crew location, visibility

The commander and the driver are placed in the cockpit, which is carried forward from the engine, and six paratroopers are located in their compartment, sitting with their backs to each other. And two others put their faces back (between the wheels), so that as a result of a full circular view. All glazed surfaces are divided into sections and are located at an angle, in order to reduce the probability of breaking through in case of firing a machine from small arms.

At night and under difficult weather conditions, a system of six video cameras answers for the review, with a couple of them can work as external mirrors, and the remaining four are responsible for providing a full circular view. Thus, the futuristic ZIL "Punisher" boasts a lot of sophisticated electronic stuffing.

The feature is also in the opening of doors: as in an armored personnel carrier, they recline down and up. As a result, a step is formed, not only convenient for the landing and landing of fighters, but also not beyond the limits of the structure. The upper leaf can be reclined separately, which allows more or less aimed fire from personal small arms on the move.

On the protection of the crew

External armor protects the crew from automatic weapons fire, as well as fragments. External door fastenings are designed to minimize the likelihood of damage in the event of an attack. Armchairs for paratroopers (folding), suspension of a special form protect people in the event of a car bombing on a mine. The folded seats almost do not take up space, allowing almost instantly to transform the salon to transport the wounded soldiers or cargo.

In principle, this makes the armored car multifunctional, which can be used immediately in several ways. This was always appreciated by the military.

As for the specific caliber, which bullets can protect the armor, it is reported about the ability to withstand 7,62х54R and 7,62х51 NATO. To put it mildly, it is rather weak. Even older BTR-80s have better security. Compare this with the "Tiger 6A", which can withstand the impact of a bullet with a caliber of 12.7 mm. This is what ZIL "Punisher" is characterized by. The price of this development did not reach the press, and therefore is not known for certain.

The main advantages of the machine

If you compare the car with a standard BTR, it immediately attracts attention its exceptional simplicity and cheapness. In a word, a good technique for light infantry. If you try to hang more armor, install powerful weapons and strengthen the base to carry more cargo, the result will be a standard armored personnel carrier with all its shortcomings. Such a lot of RF. ZIL "Punisher" claims to occupy a slightly different niche.

Many shortcomings

Despite all of the above, specialists still have a lot of questions for this project. Here are just some of them:

• Why did you need to use so much glass, even armor? When such a measure at least somehow increased the security of the combat vehicle?

• The complete absence of a turret on the roof in general looks extremely strange. In the end, this is not a pleasure crew!

• As for the "Tiger", it is generally not clear what ZIL "Punisher" exceeds it? And is it superior?

• Finally, a huge number of imported components. Why spend a lot of money on the German automatic transmission and the Italian diesel? In the end, this is not an important project. Domestic analogue in this case is clearly far from ideal.

Particularly strange looking side windows. What was the purpose of making them located at an angle of 90 degrees? There is absolutely no hope that this "armor" will stand up even under the fire of something like PKM, not to mention a more serious machine gun. There is no information from the manufacturer about the actual carrying capacity. The information about 800 kg slipped, but if it is so - everything is completely bad.

Carrying capacity and other

Even if you drop the driver and the commander, in the car should sit 10 paratroopers in full arms. The weight of each is clearly not less than 100 kg. So, two have to throw out, so that the car coped with the load? In general, there are a lot of ambiguities. In any case, the machine is clearly not intended for further modernization in terms of increasing armor protection. So yourself "Punisher". The car ZIL could be better ...

In addition, the crew can not stand any criticism: if under the bottom something more powerful than a defensive hand grenade explodes , then people will have a very hard time. Normal cars of this class have a special system of seat suspension, which allows you to minimize the effect of the blast wave in case of a collision on the mine. In the variant under consideration, nothing similar is close.

Other "incidents"

And quite absurd is the number of holes in the armored hull: hefty openings for doors and windows, a sunroof ... Most likely, this "monster" has no chance to withstand a more or less powerful mine, so for direct work in the war zone The car is clearly not suitable. Neither the headlights, nor mirrors, nor even the optics of video cameras are in any way protected from fire even by hand-held small arms.

In addition, the photographs show absolutely naked bridges, traction and other details. This is suitable for a civilian truck, but somehow it does not fit with the appearance of the machine, which must move in the zone of a possible military conflict.

Thus, at present the prospects for this development in the troops are very, very doubtful. Can the army of ZIL "Punisher" appear on the arsenal? The characteristics of this machine are such that they are unlikely to interest the military. Rather, this project is suitable for the same "Dakar".

Here it is necessary to note the state of the ZIL plant itself . "Punisher", a Russian armored car, is unlikely to be produced at a virtually stopped enterprise. Perhaps, the project "will come up" at the expense of private buyers. We already wrote at the very beginning of the article that they show interest in the car because of its extremely specific appearance.