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PTS (amphibious vehicle)
Encyclopedia
The PTS is a Soviet
tracked
amphibious
transport. PTS stands for Plavayushchij Transportyer - Sryednyj or medium amphibious transport vehicle. Its industrial index was Ob'yekt 65.
Introduced in 1965, it is large, with a substantial payload of 10 tons, two to four times the capacity of the BAV 485
, and better cross-country performance, at the cost of greater complexity, because it is tracked. The most common model is the improved PTS-M that is powered by a 350 hp diesel engine.
It resembles its antecedents, the BAV 485 and ultimately DUKW
, having a boxy, open watertight hull
, with six road wheels per side, front drive sprocket, rear idler sprocket, and no return rollers. Like the BAV 485, and unlike the DUKW, it has a rear loading ramp. The crew is seated at the front, leaving the rear of the vehicle open for a vehicle, which can be driven (or backed) in, rather than lifted over the side (as in the DUKW). To aid in facilitating this, the engine is under the floor.
Propulsion in water is by means of twin propeller
s, in tunnels to protect them from damage during land operations.
The PTS-M was adopted by the Soviet Army
and Warsaw Pact
forces, and has been supplied to Egypt,, the former Yugoslavia, Iraq, Uruguay and other nations.
The PTS-M also has a companion vehicle, the PKP, a boat-like amphibious two-wheeled trailer
, with fold-out sponson
s providing stability on water;the combination allows the PTS-M to accommodate an artillery tractor
, field gun
(up to medium caliber), its crew, and a quantity of ammunition, all in one load.
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
tracked
Caterpillar track
Continuous tracks or caterpillar tracks are a system of vehicle propulsion in which modular metal plates linked into a continuous band are driven by two or more wheels...
amphibious
Amphibious vehicle
An amphibious vehicle , is a vehicle or craft, that is a means of transport, viable on land as well as on water – just like an amphibian....
transport. PTS stands for Plavayushchij Transportyer - Sryednyj or medium amphibious transport vehicle. Its industrial index was Ob'yekt 65.
Introduced in 1965, it is large, with a substantial payload of 10 tons, two to four times the capacity of the BAV 485
BAV 485
The ZiS-485, army designation BAV , is a Soviet amphibious transport, similar to the DUKW....
, and better cross-country performance, at the cost of greater complexity, because it is tracked. The most common model is the improved PTS-M that is powered by a 350 hp diesel engine.
It resembles its antecedents, the BAV 485 and ultimately DUKW
DUKW
The DUKW is a six-wheel-drive amphibious truck that was designed by a partnership under military auspices of Sparkman & Stephens and General Motors Corporation during World War II for transporting goods and troops over land and water and for use approaching and crossing beaches in amphibious...
, having a boxy, open watertight hull
Hull (watercraft)
A hull is the watertight body of a ship or boat. Above the hull is the superstructure and/or deckhouse, where present. The line where the hull meets the water surface is called the waterline.The structure of the hull varies depending on the vessel type...
, with six road wheels per side, front drive sprocket, rear idler sprocket, and no return rollers. Like the BAV 485, and unlike the DUKW, it has a rear loading ramp. The crew is seated at the front, leaving the rear of the vehicle open for a vehicle, which can be driven (or backed) in, rather than lifted over the side (as in the DUKW). To aid in facilitating this, the engine is under the floor.
Propulsion in water is by means of twin propeller
Propeller
A propeller is a type of fan that transmits power by converting rotational motion into thrust. A pressure difference is produced between the forward and rear surfaces of the airfoil-shaped blade, and a fluid is accelerated behind the blade. Propeller dynamics can be modeled by both Bernoulli's...
s, in tunnels to protect them from damage during land operations.
The PTS-M was adopted by the Soviet Army
Soviet Army
The Soviet Army is the name given to the main part of the Armed Forces of the Soviet Union between 1946 and 1992. Previously, it had been known as the Red Army. Informally, Армия referred to all the MOD armed forces, except, in some cases, the Soviet Navy.This article covers the Soviet Ground...
and Warsaw Pact
Warsaw Pact
The Warsaw Treaty Organization of Friendship, Cooperation, and Mutual Assistance , or more commonly referred to as the Warsaw Pact, was a mutual defense treaty subscribed to by eight communist states in Eastern Europe...
forces, and has been supplied to Egypt,, the former Yugoslavia, Iraq, Uruguay and other nations.
The PTS-M also has a companion vehicle, the PKP, a boat-like amphibious two-wheeled trailer
Trailer (vehicle)
A trailer is generally an unpowered vehicle pulled by a powered vehicle. Commonly, the term trailer refers to such vehicles used for transport of goods and materials....
, with fold-out sponson
Sponson
Sponsons are projections from the sides of a watercraft, for protection, stability, or the mounting of equipment such as armaments or lifeboats, etc...
s providing stability on water;the combination allows the PTS-M to accommodate an artillery tractor
Artillery tractor
Artillery tractor is a kind of tractor, also referred to as a gun tractor, a vehicle used to tow artillery pieces of varying weights.-Traction:...
, field gun
Field gun
A field gun is an artillery piece. Originally the term referred to smaller guns that could accompany a field army on the march and when in combat could be moved about the battlefield in response to changing circumstances, as to opposed guns installed in a fort, or to siege cannon or mortars which...
(up to medium caliber), its crew, and a quantity of ammunition, all in one load.
Specification
- Rear axle clearance:
- Ground clearance:
- Front track:
- Rear track:
- Turning radius:
- Maximum speed (loaded, highway): 40 km/h (25 mph)
- Tyres:
- Fuel tank capacity:
- Fuel consumption:
- Top speed: 40 km/h (25 mph) (road)
(water) - Range: 300 km (186 mi)
Sources
- Hogg, Ian V., and Weeks, John. The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Military Vehicles, p.309, "PTS Tracked Amphibian". London: Hamblyn Publishing Group Limited, 1980.