The GAZ-2330 Tigr is a Russian 4×4 multipurpose all-terrain vehicle, designed at the Gorky Automobile Plant group, first shown in 2001 and built in series at the Arzamas Machine-Building Plant. It exists as an armoured military and police vehicle and as an unarmoured utility vehicle, and several countries use it. This page collects the key figures, the history, the variants and a short list of questions people ask about it.
GAZ-2330 Tigr at a glance
| Type | 4×4 multipurpose all-terrain vehicle, armoured and unarmoured versions |
|---|---|
| First shown | 2001 (IDEX exhibition, as Tiger HMTV); the production GAZ-2975 “Tigr” was shown in 2002 |
| Series production | Arzamas Machine-Building Plant, from 2005 (English Wikipedia: official adoption at the end of 2006, manufactured from 2007) |
| Units built | more than 2,000 by May 2020, delivered to 16 states |
| Engines | Cummins 5.9 L turbodiesel (B180, B205, B214), GAZ-562 3.2 L turbodiesel, YaMZ-534 on the Tigr-M |
| Power | 180–215 hp (Cummins versions); 197 hp (GAZ-562) |
| Transmission | 6-speed manual or 5-speed automatic (GAZ-2975 prototype) |
| Tyres | 335/80 R20, central tyre inflation system |
| Ground clearance | 330–400 mm |
| Approach and departure angles | 52° / 52° |
| Wading depth | 1.2 m |
| Curb weight | 5,300 kg (GAZ-2975 prototype); armoured versions are about 700 kg heavier than the steel-body ones |
| Payload | up to 1,500 kg (Russian Wikipedia) |
| Top speed | 140 km/h; 160 km/h with the 420 hp engine |
The sources disagree on ground clearance (400 mm in Russian Wikipedia, 330 mm for the civil Tigr-2 in English Wikipedia) and on payload (Russian Wikipedia says 1,500 kg, English Wikipedia says half a ton). Weights are for specific versions, so they are not interchangeable.
History of the Tigr
From a Gulf order to a Russian vehicle
According to Russian Wikipedia, the customer for the first vehicle was the Bin Jabr Group of the United Arab Emirates, which financed the development and the prototypes. The main contractor was a subsidiary of the Gorky Automobile Plant, and the chief designer was Alexander Korshunov. Three prototypes, called Tiger HMTV and including an armoured one, were shown at IDEX in Abu Dhabi in 2001. The Emirati side then ended the contract, kept the prototypes and part of the documentation and, from June 2005, built its own similar armoured cars under the name Nimr.
GAZ kept the finished design. Three cars of a second series, with a different look and interior, were built in 2002 and shown as the GAZ-2975 Tigr. Two prototypes then went to a Moscow special-purpose police unit for trials, and the Russian Ministry of Interior became the customer.
Series production and exports
The Arzamas Machine-Building Plant organised series production of the Tigr in 2005. English Wikipedia gives a slightly different timeline: pilot production of 96 vehicles in 2004, official adoption by the Russian Army at the end of 2006, and regular production from 2007. A modernised Tigr-M with a YaMZ-534 diesel, more armour and an NBC (nuclear, biological, chemical) protection system entered Russian service in the first half of 2013.
Production abroad followed. English Wikipedia reports that China received 110 vehicles between 2008 and 2010, some of them assembled by Beijing Yanjing Motor Company as the YJ2080C and YJ2081C. Belarus developed the Lis-PM from Tigr kits, and a Slovak company received manufacturing rights in 2017. By May 2020 the Tigr had been exported to 16 states, and more than 2,000 vehicles had been built.
Design and features
- Layout: frame chassis with the engine at the front, the crew compartment in the middle and the cargo area at the rear.
- Suspension: independent suspension on all wheels with torsion bars, hydraulic shock absorbers and anti-roll bars. Russian Wikipedia says the double wishbone suspension and the central tyre inflation were borrowed from armoured personnel carriers.
- Drivetrain: two-speed transfer case with a lockable centre differential and limited-slip differentials.
- Equipment: power steering, automatic tyre inflation, engine pre-heater and an electric winch. The unarmoured GAZ-233001 can also have air conditioning, a stereo, electric windows and ABS.
- Armour: welded, heat-treated plates 5 mm thick (7 mm on the SPM-2). The armoured body is removable, so one chassis can carry a passenger body, an armoured body or a cargo platform.
- Limits: the Tigr cannot swim; Russian Wikipedia lists this as its main drawback against armoured personnel carriers.
Tigr variants
- GAZ-2975: the prototype, an unarmoured three-door estate before certification.
- GAZ-233034 SPM-1 and GAZ-233036 SPM-2: armoured versions with ballistic protection of class 3 and class 5 respectively.
- GAZ-233014 STS: the army special transport vehicle, class 3 protection.
- GAZ-233001: an unarmoured five-door vehicle; the civil version was made in a small series from 2008.
- GAZ-3121 Tigr-2: an experimental civil SUV shown at the Moscow motor show in September 2006. English Wikipedia gives its length as 5.7 m and its weight as 3,500 kg.
- SP46: a ceremonial two-door convertible of 2007 with an Allison automatic gearbox, a Cummins B205 engine and a weight cut to 4,750 kg.
- Tigr-M: the modernised version with a YaMZ-534 diesel, in service since 2013; from 2017 it also carries the Arbalet-DM remote weapon station.
More Russian military trucks and off-roaders are in our GAZ collection. The GAZ-3937 Vodnik is a heavier relative of the Tigr.
GAZ-2330 Tigr questions and answers
What does Tigr mean?
Tigr is the Russian word for “tiger”.
Who builds the Tigr?
The Arzamas Machine-Building Plant, which belongs to the Military Industrial Company group. The vehicle itself was designed in the Gorky Automobile Plant group.
What engine does the Tigr have?
Most vehicles use a 5.9 L Cummins turbodiesel of 180–215 hp. Early prototypes used a 3.2 L GAZ-562 diesel, and the Tigr-M has a YaMZ-534 diesel.
Is the Tigr amphibious?
No. It can wade through water up to 1.2 m deep, but Russian Wikipedia notes that it cannot swim.
Can a private person buy a Tigr?
A civil unarmoured version, the GAZ-233001, was made in a small series from 2008, and Russian Wikipedia says a wider retail sale was planned for 2009. We have not found a source saying that a mass-market version existed.
Which vehicle is based on the Tigr?
English Wikipedia calls the GAZ-3937 Vodnik a heavy modification of the civil GAZ-2330 Tigr.
Sources
- Тигр (бронеавтомобиль), Russian Wikipedia: history, design, variants, prototype data
- GAZ Tigr, English Wikipedia: production timeline, exports, engines, performance
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