Kartik BLT
Encyclopedia
Kartik is an armoured vehicle-launched bridge
(AVLB) designed and developed by CVRDE and Research and Development Establishment
, Pune
. It is a second generation Indian Bridge Layer Tank (BLT), first introduced in 1989.
Tank's hull with seven Bogie wheel stations, the same used for the M-46 Catapult
integrated to a hydraulically operated bridge laying system.
The 20 metres (66 ft) long 'KARTIK' 60 Military Load Class (MLC) bridge is 4 m wide thus one of the widest tank bridges in the world.The bridge can accommodate two-lanes traffic of jeeps and one lane traffic of 3
tonners, t-72s and BMPs.
It is compact for transportation and fits in a space of 10.5 m length, 3.5 m width and 3.96 m height. To keep it light, RDE-40 Al alloy along with innovative geometry have been used . The use of high pressure hydraulic drives and actuators instead of electro-chemical drives give advantage of reduced weight. The high pressure hydraulic system gives the muscle power to lift the bridge in the folded climbing gradients or descending slopes.
The basic vehicle is powered by indigenously manufactured 6-cylinder, opposed piston, vertical in line, water cooled, two stroke CI engine with uni-flow scavenging coupled to a semiautomatic transmission with 6 forward and 2 reverse speed . suspension is provided by trailing arm type torsion bar with all road wheel stations the vehicle also has secondary torsion bars and double acting telescope shock absorbers in the two front and rear stations. Low ground pressure, adequate power-to-weight ratio improved suspension and final drive result in good mobility of the vehicle.
Armoured vehicle-launched bridge
An armoured vehicle-launched bridge is a combat support vehicle, sometimes regarded as a subtype of combat engineering vehicle, designed to assist militaries in rapidly deploying tanks and other armoured fighting vehicles across rivers. The AVLB is usually a tracked vehicle converted from a tank...
(AVLB) designed and developed by CVRDE and Research and Development Establishment
Research and Development Establishment
Research and Development Establishment is a laboratory of the Defence Research & Development Organization . Located in Pune, its primary function is development of mobility equipment for Indian Army Corps of Engineers-External links:*...
, Pune
Pune
Pune , is the eighth largest metropolis in India, the second largest in the state of Maharashtra after Mumbai, and the largest city in the Western Ghats. Once the centre of power of the Maratha Empire, it is situated 560 metres above sea level on the Deccan plateau at the confluence of the Mula ...
. It is a second generation Indian Bridge Layer Tank (BLT), first introduced in 1989.
Hull
It features an elongated VijayantaVijayanta
The Vijayanta main battle tank was built in India based on a licensed design of the Vickers Mk.1. The Vijayanta was the first indigenous tank of the Indian army. The prototype was completed in 1963 and the tank entered service in 1965. The first 90 vehicles were built by Vickers in the UK...
Tank's hull with seven Bogie wheel stations, the same used for the M-46 Catapult
M-46 Catapult
The M-46 Catapult is a self-propelled gun developed in India by Combat Vehicles Research and Development Establishment of DRDO. It is based on the conversion of ageing British/Indian Vijayanta tank's hull mounted with Russian 130mm M-46 field gun....
integrated to a hydraulically operated bridge laying system.
Bridge
The Kartik AVLB uses a scissors style bridge of Eastern European design such as Polish/East German BLG-60. The bridge is folded for carriage and scissored out for usage and is deployed and recovered from the front of the vehicle.The 20 metres (66 ft) long 'KARTIK' 60 Military Load Class (MLC) bridge is 4 m wide thus one of the widest tank bridges in the world.The bridge can accommodate two-lanes traffic of jeeps and one lane traffic of 3
tonners, t-72s and BMPs.
It is compact for transportation and fits in a space of 10.5 m length, 3.5 m width and 3.96 m height. To keep it light, RDE-40 Al alloy along with innovative geometry have been used . The use of high pressure hydraulic drives and actuators instead of electro-chemical drives give advantage of reduced weight. The high pressure hydraulic system gives the muscle power to lift the bridge in the folded climbing gradients or descending slopes.
The basic vehicle is powered by indigenously manufactured 6-cylinder, opposed piston, vertical in line, water cooled, two stroke CI engine with uni-flow scavenging coupled to a semiautomatic transmission with 6 forward and 2 reverse speed . suspension is provided by trailing arm type torsion bar with all road wheel stations the vehicle also has secondary torsion bars and double acting telescope shock absorbers in the two front and rear stations. Low ground pressure, adequate power-to-weight ratio improved suspension and final drive result in good mobility of the vehicle.
Armament
Air Defense Machine Gun is provided for effective ground and anti aircraft role. Blt crew has been provided with their personal weapons for self protection.Deployment
The multi-span assault bridge with fully decked roadway and foldable deck mechanism has been successfully developed and accepted by Indian army. As of 2003, India has produced 34 Kartik AVLBsCEASE
The Canal Embankment ASsault Equipment (CEASE) is a special type of bridging system developed by the Research & Development Establishment (Engineers) (R&DE(Engrs)), Pune. It is suitable for high bank canals up to 4.5m. as encountered in India's western borders. As of 1998 user assisted technical evaluation of the system has been completed successfully. Six tracked vehicles of CEASE has been developed as variants of Vijayanta.See also
- BLT T-72
- Arjun BLT
- Sarvatra
- AFFS
- Sakav