Arctic Brigade on snow
With new vehicles, Russia’s Arctic soldiers speed up across winter landscapes.
The Arctic Brigade is filling up with new winter vehicles, among them snowmobiles and amphibious carriers, the Russian armed forces’ press service informs.
Among the new snow-going transporters is the powerful «Vityaz» (DT—10MP) track carrier, a 27 ton heavy and 800 horsepower strong caterpillar which can operate on land as well as in shallow waters. According to Murman.ru, the Brigade got a total of 30 of the vehicles last year. The «Vityaz» can carry 10 tons of goods, manufacturer company Vityaz informs.
The Brigade has also got a series of the lighter «Ruslan» (TTM-4902PS-10) vehicles, the 300 horsepower carrier which is capable of transporting up to 22 people and provide overnight bed space for five. The Ruslan has this winter been under testing in the Northern Fleet, the Army press service informs.
Also regular snowmobiles have been on the acquisition list of the Arctic Brigade. Last year, about 30 snowmobiles of the model A1 were obtained and several more arrived to the northern bases in 2016, mil.ru reports.
The A1 is based on the civilian Taiga Patrol 551 snowmobile. It has 65 horsepowers and a maximum speed of 80 km/h. It is 320 kg heavy and designed for the needs of the military men. In addition to attachments for two pairs of skies, it has attachments for a grenade launcher, a AK-74 machine gun, as well as a rifle, the Northern Fleet informs.
The Russian Arctic Brigade was formally established in early 2015. It is based partly on the 80th Independent Motor Rifle Brigade in Alakurtti and the 200. Independent Motor Rifle Brigade in Pechenga, both of them located near the borders to Norway and Finland.
