The MAZ-7310, known before the new Soviet classification as the MAZ-543 and nicknamed Uragan, Hurricane, is a Soviet four-axle all-wheel-drive heavy lorry of the Minsk Automobile Plant. It was designed as a cross-country chassis for missile launchers, command posts and other military equipment, and its derivatives carried weapons from the Scud to the Smerch.
MAZ-7310 at a glance
| Maker | Minsk Automobile Plant (MAZ), Belarus |
|---|---|
| Names | MAZ-543 before the new Soviet classification, then MAZ-7310 |
| First prototype | 1958; in series production from 1962 |
| Public debut | 7 November 1965, parade in Moscow |
| Layout | 8×8, four axles, two steered front axles |
| Engine | D12A-525A V12 diesel of 38.88 litres, 525 hp |
| Top speed | 60 km/h |
| Payload | 20,000 kg |
| Trailer weight | 25,000 kg |
| Weights | kerb 23,000 kg, gross 43,300 kg |
| Dimensions | 11,657 × 3,050 × 2,900 mm, ground clearance 400 mm |
| Turning radius | 13,500 mm |
History of the MAZ-7310
On Red Square
The MAZ-543 was designed in the 1960s and entered series production in 1962, after a first prototype of 1958. It was shown to the public on 7 November 1965, when a battery of 9K72 Elbrus missile systems, known in NATO as the SS-1c Scud B, drove across Red Square in Moscow. The cross-country wheeled chassis of the MAZ-543 carried missile launchers, mobile command and guidance posts, living quarters for the crews and much else. Some sources call the vehicle Uragan.
Construction
The MAZ-543 was a further development of the MAZ-537 series: a four-axle frame chassis with all-wheel drive, two steered front axles and the D12 tank diesel. Its two cabs were separate, made of fibreglass, with the driving position in the left cab. The engine was the V12 D12A-525A of 38,880 cc, giving 525 hp at 2,000 rpm and 2,206 Nm at 1,400 rpm through a hydro-mechanical transmission: a single-stage four-element torque converter, a three-stage planetary gearbox with manual selection, a two-speed transfer case with an inter-axle differential and planetary hub reductions. All wheels had independent torsion-bar suspension with 1500×600-635 tyres. The lorry weighed 23 tonnes empty and 43.3 tonnes fully loaded, measured 11,657 mm long, 3,050 mm wide and 2,900 mm high, and had a turning radius of 13.5 m.
The versions
The MAZ-543P was the basic chassis with a payload of 19,600 kg and the base for the 9P117 launcher of the 9K72 system and the 9P120 of the 9K76 Temp-S, and for the AA-60(543)-160 airfield fire engine of 1973. The MAZ-543A of 1967 raised the payload to 22,000 kg by rearranging the engine compartment; it carried the 9K58 Smerch rocket launcher and the KS-5571 crane. The MAZ-543M of the early 1970s had a substantially rearranged front with an extra engine bay, the right-hand cab removed and more room behind the crew cab. The MAZ-7310 of 1974 was a prototype lorry with a flat platform, and the MAZ-73101 of 1976 was the series chassis of that lorry; it could work with the two-axle MAZ-8385 trailer, making a train 20,550 mm long, and carried the AA-60 and AA-70 airfield fire engines. The MAZ-7313 of 1983 was a revised chassis with one tonne more payload at the same weight, the MAZ-73132 was a shortened chassis, and the MAZ-7911 had the more powerful D12AN-650 of 650 hp. In China the MAZ-543 was built as the Wanshan WS580 and later the WS2400.
Design and features
- Eight wheels driven: four axles with independent torsion-bar suspension and two steered front axles.
- Tank diesel: the D12A-525A V12 of 525 hp from 38.88 litres.
- Separate fibreglass cabs: the driver sat in the left cab.
- Missile chassis: from the Scud and Temp-S to the Smerch, plus airfield fire engines.
- Long trains: with the MAZ-8385 trailer the combination reached 20.55 m.
MAZ-7310 versions
- MAZ-543P: basic chassis of 19,600 kg for the 9P117 and 9P120 launchers.
- MAZ-543A (1967): payload raised to 22,000 kg, base of the Smerch launcher.
- MAZ-543M (early 1970s): rearranged front, right cab removed, larger crew area.
- MAZ-73101 (1976): series flat-platform chassis, also for airfield fire engines.
- MAZ-7313 (1983): revised chassis with one tonne more payload.
- MAZ-7911: chassis with the 650 hp D12AN-650 diesel.
The MAZ-7310 developed out of the MAZ-537 and was joined by the tractor unit MAZ-7410 in the next generation of heavy chassis. More are in the MAZ collection.
Sources
- MAZ-543/MAZ-7310, English Wikipedia: debut, engine, variants and Chinese production
- MAZ-7310, Russian Wikipedia: construction, dimensions, versions, technical data
