#soviet #history #beast
By the early 1960s, the USSR's increased need for a more advanced ATV was becoming obvious as the single-unit tracked snow and swamp-going vehicles in operation at that time could not carry payloads in excess of 5 tonnes (4.9 long tons; 5.5 short tons). To fill the need for such vehicles, a specialized design bureau was established with the task of developing articulated tracked vehicles. Also a military vehicle able to operate on USSR northern borders was deemed necessary.
In February 1971 the first two ATVs, designated DT-LP and DT-L, were produced for the State trials. Three types operational today (DT-10P, DT-20P and DT-30 ATVs) entered service in 1980s. In 1982, the Ishimbai Transport Machine-Building Plant (Ishimbaitransmash) assimilated the series production and turned out the first batch of the DT-10P ATVs.
In late 1981, trials of the DT-30P and DT-30 two-unit ATVs were completed. These trials were carried out in severe weather and terrain conditions in various military districts and demonstrated that the vehicles possessed high cross-country ability and load-carrying capacity and could be used effectively to transport military hardware and non-military equipment in severe climatic conditions of the northern part of Russia, in Siberia, and Far East, as well as in the desert. Eventually their performance was found superior to demands, as they outperformed all Russian-made and foreign vehicles of this class.
An intensive research and development program continued up to 1985, creating standardised series comprising:
two-unit transport vehicles DT-10, DT-20 and DT-30, with a load-carrying capacity of 10 or 20 or 30 tonnes (9.8 or 19.7 or 29.5 long tons; 11.0 or 22.0 or 33.1 short tons), respectively;
two-unit amphibious transporters DT-10P, DT-20P and DT-30P with similar specifications as the regular transporters.
Today, Vityaz CTVs are in use throughout the whole territory of Russia, as well as in Arctic and Antarctica. They are an invaluable part of the transport services for prominent companies such as Gazprom JSC, Rosneftegazstroi, Rosneftegaz JSC, etc. They serve as primary transport vehicles for the personnel who service the oil and gas pipelines throughout Russia, for geologists and scientists who research the remote and isolated regions. For different industries were produced several specialised versions: DT-30K crane, DT-30E excavator, refuelling vehicles, mobile workshops, mobile oil refineries, passenger transporters, fire-fighting vehicles. Vehicles of kind are in demand not only in Russia, but throughout the countries of the Middle East and Asia, as well as in North and South America.
