ZIL-135: the eight-wheeled rocket carrier

The ZIL-135 was a large eight-wheeled military truck developed by ZiL in the late 1950s. Its two petrol engines each drove the four wheels on one side, a layout that gave it great mobility and made it the carrier for the Luna-M tactical rocket and later the BM-27 Uragan system.

ZIL-135 at a glance

History of the ZIL-135

Designed for rockets

The ZIL-135 was created in the Special Design Bureau of ZiL under V. A. Grachev at the start of the 1960s, originally as a tractor for towed artillery. It was built from 1963 to 1995 and exported widely. Its purpose became carrying and launching the 9K52 Luna-M surface-to-surface rocket, known in NATO as the Frog-7. The cab was protected against nuclear, biological and chemical contamination so that the rockets could be fired without exposing the crew, and the six-man crew could emplace or displace the system in three minutes.

Two engines, one per side

The truck had two ZIL-375Ya V8 petrol engines of 180 hp each, mounted behind the cab, one driving the four wheels on the left and the other the four on the right. This gave the vehicle additional survivability: if one engine failed, the other could still move it. There were eight driven wheels and only the front and rear axles steered, which allowed very tight turns; the ground clearance was 580 mm. To save weight and lower the centre of gravity the designers at first dispensed with spring suspension altogether. The 135L and 135LM later received independent torsion-bar suspension with hydraulic dampers on the outer axles, while the two middle axles stayed rigidly attached to the frame. The cab was made of glass-reinforced plastic to save weight.

Versions

The family grew to more than twenty variants. The ZIL-135B was an amphibious version, the ZIL-135E a non-amphibious development of it, the ZIL-135L had improved suspension and the ZIL-135LM a manual gearbox, after which production moved to the Bryansk plant. The ZIL-135K carried the S-5 missile and the ZIL-135KM the P-5 Pyatyorka. The ZIL-135P of 1965 was an amphibious landing transport, a tracked-wheeled barge able to work in the Arctic and the Baltic and Barents seas, withstand a force-five storm and break thin ice; it passed its tests but was never adopted. The ZIL-135SH was a prototype with zero turning radius, using a generator-driven front axle.

The Bryansk years

The manual gearbox of the 135LM caused serious problems, because the two engines had to be kept in synchronisation by careful adjustment of carburettors and ignition, and in practice one engine usually led and the other lagged, wearing both out faster. These faults showed clearly during the war in Afghanistan. From 1967 the Bryansk plant built the BAZ-135MB, a simplified development of the 1962 ZIL-135M with a single diesel engine and one gearbox. In this cheaper form the chassis was produced for about 30 years and served as the launcher for the BM-27 Uragan rocket system, as well as for the SPU-35V and Tu-143 and Tu-243 drones.

Design and features

• One engine per side: two 180 hp V8s, each driving four wheels, for redundancy and mobility.
• Eight-wheel drive: steering on the front and rear axles only, with 580 mm of ground clearance.
• NBC-protected cab: the crew could fire the rockets without leaving a protected cabin.
• Weapon carrier: launcher for the Luna-M, the S-5 and later the BM-27 Uragan.

ZIL-135 versions

• ZIL-135 (9P113): launcher for the 9K52 Luna-M rocket, 1959.
• ZIL-135B and 135E: amphibious and non-amphibious versions.
• ZIL-135L and 135LM: improved suspension and a manual gearbox.
• ZIL-135P (1965): amphibious landing transport, not adopted.
• BAZ-135MB: Bryansk version with a single diesel, built for about 30 years.

The ZIL-135 shared its V8 family with the ZIL-131 army truck, and other military ZiLs are in the ZiL collection.

Sources

• ZIL-135, English Wikipedia: role, engines, variants, specifications
• ЗИЛ-135, Russian Wikipedia: design, suspension, ZIL-135P, BAZ-135MB