Thanks for the link Jonathan!
via Janes.
Additionally, no matter what you say about the Russians, they obviously have one thing we don't. Check out the vid below....
The Russians have a plan. They're not wandering from crisis to crisis. They're focused on a set of goals that might not seem clear at present but we can get inklings. I've already talked about how they appear to be making real moves on the Arctic. It appears that the issues in Crimea and Ukraine are aimed at creating a buffer against NATO. They're making investments in Chechnya to quiet the rebellion there and they're solidifying alliances around the globe.
China is stumbling (economics is there Achilles heel....when the global recession is acknowledged they're in for a terrible time) and might be a long term threat at best...Russia is who we should really be watching in the short term.
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| All pics via http://nevskii-bastion.ru/ |
The Russian Ministry of Defence (MoD) is to acquire a large batch of GAZ-3344 tracked articulated all-terrain vehicles (ATVs), the civil and military versions of which were demonstrated on 4-5 August at the Russian MoD's Innovation Days 2014 exhibition at the Alabino test range near Moscow.Canada better watch out. Russia isn't just talking about moving on the far north, they're acquiring vehicles to make it a reality.
News of the acquisition was revealed to IHS Jane's by Valentin Kopalkin, director-general of Zavolzhsky Caterpillar Tractor Manufacturing Plant (ZZGT), which will manufacture the vehicles.
The GAZ-3344 is conceptually a new vehicle type for Russia, although Western manufacturers such as Hägglunds and Sisu have produced tracked articulated ATVs for some time, the distinctive characteristic of which is their extremely high offroad mobility. Such vehicles comprise a forward drive module and rear mission module, the tracks of the latter also being powered by an articulated drive coupling.
While touring the Innovation Days exhibition, Russian Defence Minister Sergey Shoigu tested the GAZ-3344, after which he said the MoD would buy a large batch. Shoigu said the MoD was interested in procuring five GAZ-3344 variants: logistics vehicle, troops carrier, weapon carrier, ambulance, and firefighting vehicle.
The GAZ-3344 is due to complete trials by the end of this year and by February 2015 is scheduled to enter service with the Russian armed forces.
According to Kopalkin, the ZZGT plant will start producing 600 GAZ-3344s a year as early as January. The plant will manufacture the vehicle chassis and weapon carrier module, and will assemble the vehicle, ordering other modules and components on a co-operative basis.
Additionally, no matter what you say about the Russians, they obviously have one thing we don't. Check out the vid below....
The Russians have a plan. They're not wandering from crisis to crisis. They're focused on a set of goals that might not seem clear at present but we can get inklings. I've already talked about how they appear to be making real moves on the Arctic. It appears that the issues in Crimea and Ukraine are aimed at creating a buffer against NATO. They're making investments in Chechnya to quiet the rebellion there and they're solidifying alliances around the globe.
China is stumbling (economics is there Achilles heel....when the global recession is acknowledged they're in for a terrible time) and might be a long term threat at best...Russia is who we should really be watching in the short term.
