Demining ur 77 meteorite. Domestic weapons and military equipment. and other "Snakes of Gorynychi"

Fashion & Style

During the Second World War and after it, not only engineering ammunition itself, in particular anti-tank and anti-personnel mines, but also tactics and methods of their use were rapidly developed. For example, a new element appeared order of battle- mobile barrier detachment (POZ). Its task is to quickly move to the direction of a possible breakthrough, advance, offensive or counterattack and, literally under the nose of the enemy, set up a minefield in order to delay the enemy and make it difficult for him to maneuver. To quickly lay minefields, trailed and self-propelled minelayers, helicopter mine spreaders and, finally, remote mining systems. The advance installation of mine-explosive barriers by the enemy also required time and money to make passages in them. Without solving the tasks of ensuring the overcoming of mine-explosive barriers, there could be no talk of any successful offensive operations. In this regard, the rapid making of passages in minefields and other mine-explosive barriers has become the most important condition for the performance of the assigned combat missions by units and formations. To this end, various means of neutralizing enemy mines were invented.

Where do the legs grow from "Gorynych"

As already noted, removing and disarming mines manually by specially trained sappers is long and risky. They began to make passages in minefields much faster with the advent of mine sweeps hung on tanks. But trawls, primarily roller ones, reduce the maneuverability of the tanks on which they are hung. Dismantling and transporting the roller sections in trucks, and again mounting them on tanks if necessary, is a waste of precious time, especially in battle. The idea to make passages in minefields with the help of an explosion was born between the world wars. Its essence was the use of tanks with mine sweeps, towing behind them the so-called "Bangalore torpedoes", which were a five-meter pipe with an explosive charge. "Bangalore torpedoes" were invented in 1912 by the British captain McClintock (McClintock) to destroy the explosion of barbed wire. The ammunition was slipped under the barrier and undermined, forming a hole in the wire barrier. To make passages in minefields with the help of "Bangalore torpedoes", the tank made a passage for itself with trawls and towed a bunch of pipes with explosives behind it. Then this “tail” was blown up, and other vehicles and infantry could follow the tank. The first serial tank adapted for such work was the British Churchill Snake, dragging 16 five-meter pipes with explosives linked one after another. The method is quite effective, but has one significant drawback - the tank with the trawl and the crew was very vulnerable.

Before the war, Soviet designers knew about the developments of the British, but at that time they had to solve more priority tasks. Therefore, the first "land torpedo" entered the Soviet army only after the war. Our new demining tool was called an elongated charge (US) and was a two-meter pipe with a diameter of 70 mm, which contained 5.2 kg of TNT. Later, US began to be assembled into triangular sections of three charges each. Thus, the mass of TNT per linear meter reached 7.8 kg, and the charge received the designation UZ-3. The charges could be connected to each other in series in a structure up to 100 m long (depending on the depth of the minefield). The method of using the UZ-3 was the same as that of the British: a tank with a trawl overcame a minefield, towing demining charges behind it, after which they were detonated, and a passage up to 6 m wide was formed. The disadvantage of the UZ-3 was long time on the assembly of sections, the vulnerability of the tug tank. The way out was seen in ensuring the "self-propelled" design of the UZ-3 sections. Then a proposal was made to equip the 100-meter UZ-3 structure with 45 solid-propellant jet engines. They had to lift the entire structure above the ground by one meter and drag it to the minefield, where it was blown up. The estimated flight altitude was one meter. This version of the extended charge was called the UZ-3R. Since it was not possible to ensure the simultaneous launch of all 45 engines, there was still a spread for some fractions of a second, the start of the structure’s movement turned out to be somewhat unstable: the UZ-3R began to wriggle, jump from side to side, but after a few seconds it still went into level flight. When meeting with an obstacle that was too high, the demining charge took off into the sky and wrote out pirouettes there. For such a wild temper and the roar of dozens of rocket engines, accompanied by flames, the UZ-3R received the nickname "Snake Gorynych". Later, all rocket-powered demining systems were also given this nickname.

Self-propelled systems

In the 60s of the last century, Soviet designers created new system demining, which has not been used anywhere before. It was an armored personnel carrier BTR-50PK with a launcher for extended charges installed on it. The car went to the indicated position, aiming and launching the UZ-67 charge were carried out. Unlike the previous US, it did not have a rigid, but a flexible design, which consisted of two 83-meter hoses filled with TNT, the total mass of which was 665 kg. up to 300-350 m from the machine. After starting, flying and dropping the charge with the help of a brake cable and moving the car back, the UZ was dragged onto the minefield and leveled, it was blown up. 665 kg of TNT made a passage 6 m wide and up to 80 m long. In 1968, the demining machine under the name UR-67 was adopted by the Soviet engineering troops. There were two UZ-67 charges on the vehicle. In 1972, the UR-67 began to use a new demining charge - the UZP-72. Its length increased to 93 m, and the total mass of the explosive grade PVV-7 (plastid) was 725 kg. The flight range of the UZP-72 reached 500 m, and the dimensions of the passage being made were 90x6 m.

In 1978, the UR-67 was replaced by the UR-77 "Meteorite", developed by the designers of the specialized institute NIIII (now JSC "NIIII"), which is now the main machine of this class in the Russian army. The principle of operation of the new installation remained the same, although it received a new ammunition UZP-77. In terms of its characteristics, it is similar to the UZP-72 charge, but differs in a number of technological aspects. It consists of DKPR-4 detonating cables, each 10.3 m long, connected into a single cord using threaded couplings and union nuts. The lightly armored chassis of the self-propelled guns 2S1 was used as the base for the UR-77. The launch of the charge on the minefield and its detonation are carried out without the crew leaving the vehicle. When applying a charge at 200 m, one DM-70 rocket engine is used, at 500 m - two. The charging range is adjusted by changing the length of the brake cable. To recharge, the machine follows a predetermined location. Reloading time by calculation forces with an attached sapper squad is 30-40 minutes.

Foreign analogues and military history

Abroad similar UR-77 analogues do not exist. In the United States in the 80s of the last century, the M58 MICLIC (mine clearing line charge) remote demining system was created for the same purpose, which is designed to make passages in minefields in an explosive way. The system is capable of making a passage in a minefield up to 6-14 meters wide and up to 100 meters long. The installation was transported on wheeled or wheeled-tracked trailers or installed on floating conveyors marines USA AAV7A1 and LVTP7A1 or on the AVLB bridge layer based on the M60A1 tank, from which the bridge structure was previously removed. The M58 MICLIC Remote Demining System is currently being installed on combat vehicle obstacles Assault Breacher Vehicle (ABV), created on the basis of the M1Abrams tank. The main disadvantage of the foreign mine clearance system M58 MICLIC is a very small launch range - only 67 m, as well as a lower mass of explosives per linear meter.

The large mass of explosives per linear meter and the launch range of the elongated charge also predetermined the “abnormal use” of UR-77 vehicles in recent local conflicts. So, for example, one of the commanders of engineering platoons in the first Chechen war, during the battles for Grozny, used the UR-77 to destroy a group of militants advancing on one of the units of the Russian army in urban areas. when using the capabilities and power of the UZP-77, most of the advancing militants were destroyed. True, there was also a negative experience when it was not taken into account gusty wind and UZ got to their units. Successfully used UR-77 during fierce battles for the village of Komsomol. . On the video footage that got on the Web, you can clearly see how powerful the explosion of an elongated charge is and what destruction it can cause in urban areas. True, when using such funds according to the “abnormal” option, it is necessary to carefully weigh the pros and cons. Indeed, in fact, it is almost like air bombs with a capacity of 1 ton, only exploding not at one point, at a front of 100 m.

"You can beg for everything! Money, fame, power, but not the Motherland ... Especially one like my Russia"

The UR-77 self-propelled lightly armored floating mine clearing unit is designed to make passages at least 6 meters wide and up to 90 meters long in minefields consisting of anti-tank anti-track mines and anti-tank anti-bottom mines with a pin target sensor, moreover, undermining high-explosive anti-personnel mines of American type M14 mines occur in a strip up to 14 meters wide.

The installation was created on the basis of the 2S1 Gvozdika self-propelled howitzer in 1977 to replace a similar UR-67 installation based on the BTR-50PK amphibious armored personnel carrier.

The UR-67 units were tested during the 1973 Arab-Israeli war and other wars in Africa and Indochina. The experience of their application was used in the design of the UR-77, in which the identified shortcomings of the UR-67 were eliminated.

The UR-77 installation consists of a base machine (product 2S1) with launch equipment and two compartments with sections of the detonating cable UZP-77 or UZP-67. Demining charges are placed on the machine in a cassette and are fed into the minefield by air using DM-70 or DM-140 jet engines. Launch equipment with ammunition load is located in armored corps cars. The launch of the charge on the minefield and its detonation is carried out without the crew leaving the vehicle.

Installation during launches can be located in a shelter or in an open area. The charges are launched from a short stop. It is possible to launch charges when the vehicle is afloat (making passages in minefields located on the banks of a water barrier). The use (launch) of charges removed from the machine is not provided.

The UZP-77 demining charge consists of two parallel plastic charges 93 meters long each containing 725 kg of explosives. Each of these charges is assembled from nine sections of DKPR-4, which are connected using threaded couplings and union nuts. The DKPR-4 section is a charge 10.3 meters long and 7 cm in diameter, containing 40.25 kg of PVV-7 (plastic explosive, 71.5% RDX, 17% aluminum, 11.5% polyisobutylene).

The UZP-77 charge is placed in a special compartment of the machine and, with the help of special adapters, is attached to a powder rocket engine, which is placed in the guide tower. The 70-kg DM-70 engine has a powder charge of one piece weighing 27 kg. Engine running time 6–8 sec. When applying a charge for 200 m, one DM-70 engine is used, for 500 m - two engines. By changing the length of the brake rope, the range of charge supply is regulated.

In one UR-77 car, two demining charges are placed. One installation is capable of making two passes up to 100 meters long and about 6 meters wide. Or one passage 200 meters long (two successive launches).

The explosion of mines occurs as a result of the operation of their own fuses under the action of a shock wave generated during the explosion of an elongated demining charge. When examining the area after the use of elongated charges, anti-tank mines with double-click fuses, for example, of the TM-62 type with an MVD-62 fuse, anti-personnel mines of the OZM-72 type with broken wires, are found intact. Fuzes of the MVSh type, magnetic fuses of the MVN-72 type do not work. Fuzes with seismic, infrared target sensors do not respond to an explosion, although closely spaced ones may be disabled.

The destruction of anti-personnel fragmentation mines of tension action is only partially ensured when fragments of the charge, soil, stones flying apart during the explosion pull the target sensor. The destruction of anti-personnel fragmentation mines with discontinuous target sensors is guaranteed if the explosion of the charge occurred in the zone of the target sensor.

To make a passage, the UR-77 advances to the minefield and stops at a distance of 200 to 500m. (up to 350m for UZP-67). The commander-operator, having determined the distance to the border of the minefield, lifts the turret installation with guides to the desired elevation angle and issues a command to start the charge from the control panel. The missile leaves the guide and flies along a ballistic trajectory, pulling a flexible cable with an explosive behind it.

After the rocket with the charge is removed from the installation by a length determined by the length of the brake rope attached to the nose of the vehicle, the charge falls onto the minefield and the rocket powder engine is cut off. The driver feeds the car back in order to equalize the charge in a straight line. After that, the commander-operator issues a command from the control panel to detonate the charge and shoot the brake rope. The time of a full cycle of making a passage is 3-5 minutes.
After the end of this cycle, it becomes possible to start the second charge.

To recharge, the machine follows a predetermined location. Reloading time by calculation forces with an attached sapper squad is 30-40 minutes.

Tactical and technical characteristics UR-77

Type of demining installation ............................................. Reactive explosive self-propelled tracked amphibious lightly armored
Type of demining charge used ............................. UZP-67, UZP-77
The length of the demining charge .............................................. 93m.
The number of explosives in one charge:
UZP-67......................1023kg.
UZP-77.........................1069kg.
Demining charge delivery range:
UZP-67 ....... 200-350m.
UZP-77.......200-500m.
The length of the resulting passage
UZP-67......................75-80m.
UZP-77............................80-90m.
Width of the resulting passage (guaranteed) ....... up to 6m.
The time of a full cycle of making a pass ........ 3-5 min.
Reloading time of the installation with two charges ............... (calculation + sapper department) 30-40 min
Installation calculation .............................................................. ................ 2 pers. (driver and commander-operator)
Base machine .................................................. .................. Universal tracked light chassis 2C1
Weight of the base machine ............................................... ...... 11.1 t.
Weight of the equipment .................................................. .......... 3t.
The total mass of the curb installation ............................... 14.1t.
Dimensions:
length.................................................7.2m.
width..................................2.85m.
height ......................................... 1.64m.
Clearance................................................. .............................. 40.5 cm.
Track................................................. ................................. 2.5m.
Maximum travel speed:
on land ..................... 60 km / h
on the water...................4 km/h
Air transportability .............................................................. An-22, An-124, An-224, Il-76
Fuel range ............................................................... ......... 600 km.
Minimum turning radius .............................................. 1.25m.
Overcome obstacles:
max. angle of ascent........35 deg.
max. bank angle.............25 deg.
vertical wall............90cm.
ditch................................. 2m.
Armor resistance .................................................. ................... Armor-piercing bullet cal. 7.62mm. -50m.
Engine................................................. ............................ YaMZ-238V diesel four-stroke
Engine power................................................ .......... 240 hp

The mobility and maneuverability of the installation meets the requirements of tank and motorized rifle troops. UR-77 is in the engineering battalion of a motorized rifle (tank) division - 2 installations, in the engineering assault battalion - 6 installations.

Similar American AVLM installations, obtained by placing two sets of extended demining charge M58 MICLIC on the AVLB bridgelayer instead of the bridge, in the 91st year during Operation Desert Storm demonstrated that in half of the cases launches from them end in failure.

Installation of demining UR-77 engineer battalion 42 MRD.

"Snake Gorynych" - a demining weapon.

Since the beginning of the mass use of mines in World War II, crossing minefields has always been one of the most difficult tasks for attackers.

The most common way of making passages in minefields, very slow, laborious and dangerous, was as follows: on the night before the attack, sappers crawled to enemy minefields, searched for mines and removed them. Then they put up signs that are visible to their tankers and infantry, but invisible to the enemy.

But mine detectors do not detect mines in wooden or plastic cases, and searching with a probe or bayonet is an extremely laborious task: in the case anti-tank mines you need to pierce the ground with a probe every 20-30 cm. The width of the standard passage is 6 meters, the length is usually in the range of 100-200 meters. It turns out that for one pass you need to prick the ground at least 15-30 thousand times. And this is at night, crawling and under constant threat of being discovered. After all, the enemy is closely monitoring their minefields and tries not to allow them to be neutralized. In addition, the nighttime activation of enemy sappers is a sure sign of the enemy's morning offensive.

For example, before the Battle of Kursk, on the night of July 5, 1943, our scouts captured German soldier. He was silent, but the soldier's book was quite eloquent - a sapper! So, with the dawn attack. We were waiting for the start of the German operation "Citadel", the Germans did their best to hide the date of the offensive, but they could not help but send sappers to remove the mines. And so it happened - in the morning the battle began. But how do you provide a safe space for an intended attack without betraying or frustrating it?

From a cannon to mines

The engineers of all the opposing sides were looking for ways to quickly make passages in the minefields, and as close as possible in time to the time of the attack, so that the defenders did not have time to close them with new mines.

Mine sweeps, which were not very successfully developed by the British and much more successfully by Soviet specialists, did not completely solve the problem of mine clearance. Firstly, it was far from always possible to use them, and secondly, a tank was required for each trawl. And the tanks were in short supply. minefields tried to shoot 76 mm or more big artillery. To make one pass, from 160 to 400 shells were required. In addition, experienced shooting has shown that very accurate, sniper shooting is required, with a very accurate uniform distribution of projectiles. But even then, there are a few mines left uncleared in the passage.

Note that for an attacking regiment, it is necessary to have approximately 10 passages. It's 10-30 volleys of ten artillery battalions. And then you have to move through the lunar landscape, continuous funnels dug by heavy high-explosive shells. This is very difficult for both tanks and infantry. In a word, artillery is not a method.

Bangalore torpedo

In 1912, the British engineer captain McClintock, who served in the sapper regiment in the Indian city of Bangalore, Bengal, invented a tool for making passages in barbed wire. He took a metal pipe 5.5 m long and filled it with 27 kilograms of pyroxylin. An elongated charge was slipped under a wire fence and exploded. Several successive explosions could break through the passage for the infantry.

This charge, due to its shape, was called the "Bangalore torpedo". It turned out to be a very effective tool against multi-row fences and barbed wire spirals, which were so rich in the defensive positions of the armies of the First World War. The military quickly realized that several "torpedoes" could be connected to each other, and wheels or skis could be attached to the front sections to make it easier to move the charge under the barriers.

During the Second World War, the Bangalore Torpedo found the most wide application both the Wehrmacht and the Allies. The pipes began to be interconnected with special locks or with the help of threaded couplings, so it was possible to increase it to a length of 100 or even 200 meters. Usually such a charge was attached to a tank equipped with a mine trawl. The tank made its way through the minefield, and the explosion of a super-long charge cleared a path among the mines for the rest of the tanks and infantry.

The British in 1942, on the basis of the Churchill III tank, created the Churchill Snake (“Snake”) vehicle, which carried 16 five-meter charges. But the use of this version of the "Bangalore torpedo" remained the same. It was necessary to unscrew a long charge of the required length, which was delivered to the minefield with the help of a car. In the USSR, this method of making passages in minefields was noticed back in the 1930s. However, the weakness of the industrial base did not allow organizing the production of the Soviet "Bangalore torpedoes".

And only in the post-war period, during the period of rapid development of the engineering troops and engineering facilities, the Soviet army received its own version of the "Bangalore torpedo" under the designation UZ (extended charge) - a pipe with a diameter of 7 cm and a length of 1.95 m filled with TNT (5.2 kg).

super snake

However, the Soviet army did not stop there. With the help of clamps, three US charges were connected into a triangular section of the US-3. From such sections it was possible to assemble a demining charge (8 kg of TNT per linear meter) up to 100 meters long. The explosion of an elongated charge, delivered to the minefield by a tank with a trawl, forced the mines to work in a strip six meters wide.

The UZ-3 charge has become a favorite of the generals of the engineering troops. The explosion of such a quantity of explosives spread over 100 meters was extremely spectacular for the military leaders present at the exercises - both ours and foreign ones. Finally, the sappers had the opportunity to visually and effectively show their work: it looked no less beautiful than the bomb "track".

However, Marshal of the Engineering Troops Kharchenko soon came to the conclusion that all existing methods making passages in minefields do not meet the requirements of tankers. Passages in enemy minefields should occur suddenly and instantly. The instantaneous charge of the UZ-3 is provided. But with suddenness, it's bad. A lone tank, slowly crawling across the field and pulling a demining charge, obviously cannot provide it.

Dragon

Then the designers proposed to insert rocket powder engines between the sections, the nozzles of which were directed back and slightly down. The jet stream lifted the charge and pulled it forward. For a full-length charge, 45 of these engines were required.

As planned by the creators, on the night before the attack, the UZ-3R set must be delivered by car to the near rear. A Ural 375 truck (4.5 tons) was required for one charge. Then the sappers must assemble a tubular farm 100 meters long from sections and install it so that 200-300 meters remain to the nearest border of the enemy minefield, disguise it and wait for the order.

During the period of fire preparation, when artillery destroys enemy trenches and crushes firing points, sappers launch a charge. It flies at a height of about 1 meter until the brake cable is taut, and then falls to the ground. An explosion - and a passage 6 meters wide gapes in the minefield, perfectly visible to tanks and infantry going on the attack. The axis of the passage is a shallow clear groove in the ground.

But it was smooth on paper ... Tests of the UZ-3R revealed its limitations - the slope of the terrain is not more than 2-3% and the height of obstacles is not more than 50-80 cm. The battlefield rarely provides such opportunities. And when the UZ-3R entered the army, another very significant drawback was revealed. All 45 engines had to ignite exactly at the same time and strictly simultaneously enter the operating mode. The industry could not provide this. In addition, in the common starting circuit of all engines, it was impossible to achieve the same resistance of the connections. As a result, at the moment of applying an electrical impulse to ignite the engines, the processes in each engine developed with a time spread. The spread was small - hundredths and tenths of seconds, but as a result, this giant snake it began with a terrible roar, belching fire and smoke, wriggling to the sides, up and down. Then she got up and began to move forward faster and faster ...

And then, having come across some kind of stump or tubercle, it sharply soared into the sky and broke into its component parts, which, with a screech and noise, began to dangle across the sky in different sides. The generals, forgetting about solidity, recalled their cadet years and carried out the command "Everyone in cover!" The sappers, who knew very well the bad temper of their pet, by this time had long been smoking in dugouts.

But not only for the ability to demonstrate this unforgettable, extreme spectacle, the UZ-3R received the well-aimed soldier's nickname "Serpent Gorynych", but also for the fact that the sapper lieutenant, who received a fair scolding, then had to walk around the field with his soldiers all day, collecting in a pile of debris - almost 4 tons of scrap iron and explosives.

Urca

In 1968, a quite decent machine was put into service with the engineering troops, capable of doing what the Serpent Gorynych could not do. The first option was called UR-67 (Mine clearance installation of the 1967 model). In military usage, she was immediately called "Urka" (this word has no slang meaning, a simple consonance played a role). Later, an improved version was designated UR-77.

How does the UR-77 installation work? Depending on the location of the near border of the enemy minefield and its depth, the vehicle takes the starting position at the right time, raises the guides and launches the charge. The charge flies, rising to a height of 10-15 meters, until the brake rope connecting the tail of the charge and the car is pulled. After the charge falls on the minefield, the vehicle reverses to equalize the charge in a straight line. The commander of the car on the cable (inside the brake rope) issues a command to detonate the charge.

An explosion of 725 kilograms of plastite causes mines with pressure fuses to work in a six-meter wide strip and interrupts the wires of tension-action mines. The commander of the car with the help of a squib interrupts the brake rope, freeing the car. Everything, the machine is ready to launch the next demining charge. (At the exercises, usually immediately after the explosion, figures of the military rushed to the fired brake rope: the combination of high strength, softness and flexibility made it an indispensable tool in everyday life, most often it was used as a tow rope for cars.) The entire demining process does not take even three minutes: when this passage in the minefield is done really suddenly and instantly.

Outwardly, the UR-77 differs little from any other combat vehicle and does not attract special attention enemy. And if you install a model of a tower with a barrel on it, imitating the Gvozdika self-propelled gun, then only a specialist will be able to reveal that it is Urka, and even then with close range. So even if enemy reconnaissance sees the UR-77 installations, then most likely they will mistake them for self-propelled howitzers - there is no particular reason for alarm, the usual reinforcement of artillery.

And yet the Serpent Gorynych

Interestingly, the expressive nickname "Snake Gorynych" by inheritance smoothly passed from the UZ-3R to the UR-67, and then to the UR-77. But now it is precisely from a beautiful and scary sight: suddenly there is a wild roar of a rocket engine, and a short rocket begins to rise faster and faster into the sky, followed by something white. Then the rocket flies forward (the uncoupling charge has worked), and a snaking long sausage falls to the ground. There is a short pause, and a heavy explosion shakes the earth and the heavens. Black smoke and flying clods of earth. In a couple of minutes, those who have never seen the work of the UR-77 before will only have to ask: “Guys, what was it ?!”

Later, a variant of the "Snake Gorynych" was created, which did not require a base tracked vehicle. The kit, which received the designation UR-83P, was transported on an ordinary truck and assembled in an ordinary tank trench. The launcher was a lightweight frame. Of course, the efficiency of the UR-83P is significantly inferior to the UR-77, but with advance preparation of the attack, they can be installed as much as necessary where necessary, disguised and briefly explained to the infantryman or tanker the launch procedure ("Press this button and hide").

Concluding the story about the "Serpent Gorynych", it is worth saying that this machine is one of the best military means of overcoming minefields. The best, but not one hundred percent. Mines turned out to be such a weapon, no one has been able to create satisfactory means of countering it to this day. There is no completely reliable means of finding mines, nor means of clearing or destroying them. It only helps that in most cases the mines used are quite simple, standard, and they are installed using standard methods. In addition, usually the one who installs them leaves himself the opportunity to neutralize them. But if a miner and a deminer begin to compete, the latter inevitably loses, no matter how sophisticated the methods he uses.

Mine sweeps

The descendants of the "Bangalore torpedo" - pipes filled with explosives, are actively used now to quickly make passages in multi-row barbed wire obstacles

This is how they make passages in minefields. The rocket pulls a plastic hose with a mine-clearing charge behind it, behind which a brake cable unwinds. When it is fully pulled, the missile disengages and the charge falls to the ground. Explosion - and the passage is ready!

The US also has similar weapons. The American elongated mine clearing charge M58 (M58 MICLIC) is placed either on a trailer behind a tank or other transporter, or on the M60 AVLB bridgelayer, which in this version receives the designation M 60 AVLM (Armored Vehicle Launched MICLIC). But the performance turned out to be much worse

During the first Iraqi war ("Desert Storm"), more than half of the M58 launches were unsuccessful. In the USSR, even in the UR-67, unsuccessful launches were of a single nature. It is quite possible that the reason lies in the fact that the designers of our "mailboxes" were initially focused on conscript soldiers and created a system capable of operating properly in any conditions and with any personnel.

Explosion on fuses

The detonation of an extended charge usually does not result in the detonation of explosives in mines. A powerful shock wave simply causes the pressure fuses of anti-tank and anti-personnel mines to work. But the explosion has practically no effect on magnetic or pin fuses. In addition, there are pressure-action mine fuses that respond only to the second press - such, for example, is the Soviet MVD-62 fuse or the English No.5 Mk.4. And since the demining charge only gives one hit, the explosive method of making a passage is also not a panacea.

Detonating cable DKPR-4
"Serpent Gorynych" and his head

BMR-3M demining combat vehicle with a KMT-7 trawl for minesweeping. The work is perhaps harder than the work of miners

The base chassis of the UR-67 was the BTR-50PK floating tracked armored personnel carrier, and the UR-77 was the floating chassis of the 2S1 Gvozdika self-propelled artillery system with easy booking. Thus, on the march and when advancing to the line of attack, the UR-77 will not lag behind the tanks. At the last moment, when it is too late for the defenders to do anything, the Urka will jump out from behind the tanks and make a pass. Even two: the machine carries two demining charges at once

Nose: Engine, transmission

In the bow of the machine is the engine, transmission and control compartment, where the driver is located. In the middle part, a non-rotating tower is installed, consisting of two parts. In front of the tower is placed the commander of the vehicle (he is also the operator of the launcher).

Rear lift: Guide rails

In the rear lifting part of the tower there are two guides for rocket engines. Under the turret there are compartments for two demining charges connected to the engines, and in the aft part there are compartments for brake ropes.

Demining charge: UZP-77

The UZP-77 demining charge consists of two parallel plastic hoses 93 meters long each containing 725 kg of plastic explosives. Each of these hoses is assembled from nine sections of the DKPR-4 detonating cable, which are connected using threaded couplings and union nuts.

The section of the detonating cable DKPR-4 is a flexible plastic pipe 10.3 meters long and 7 cm in diameter. Inside it is stuffed with PVV-7 plastic explosive (40.25 kg). Sections of the explosive cable are connected to each other with the help of union nuts.

The UZP-77 charge is placed in a special compartment of the machine and, with the help of special adapters, is attached to the DM-70 rocket powder engine, which is placed in the guide tower.

The 70-kg DM-70 engine has a powder charge of one piece weighing 27 kg. Engine running time 6-8 sec. When applying a charge for 200 m, one DM-70 engine is used, and for 500 m, two engines are used. By changing the length of the brake rope, it is possible to adjust the range of charge supply (of course, within its limit value).

Two UZP-77 demining charges are placed in one UR-77 vehicle. Therefore, one installation is capable of making two passes 100 meters long and about 6 meters wide. Or one passage 200 meters long (two successive launches).

UR-77 "Meteorite" - Soviet demining installation. Created on the basis of the 2S1 Gvozdika self-propelled howitzer. Serially produced since 1978 to replace the UR-67.

The UR-77 is capable of making moves in anti-tank minefields during combat. The passage is about 6 meters wide and 80 to 90 meters long. Despite the fact that the UR-77 is not designed to clear anti-personnel mines, the installation can clear anti-personnel minefields from American M14 pressure mines, creating passages up to 14 meters wide.

Demining is carried out by the occurrence of a shock wave from the explosion of the charge, which affects the mine fuse. However, complete clearance is not guaranteed. For example, mines with double-click fuses (TM-62 mine with an MVD-62 fuse or Mk7 with fuse No. 5 Mk4), anti-personnel mines of tension action can remain intact. Magnetic, seismic and infrared fuses do not respond to the blast wave.

Design Description

The installation consists of a base vehicle (product 2S1) with launch equipment and an ammunition load of two demining charges. Demining charges are placed on the machine in a cassette and are fed into the minefield through the air using jet engines. Launch equipment with ammunition charges is located in the armored body of the vehicle. The launch of the charge on the minefield and its detonation is carried out without the crew leaving the car

The UZP-77 demining charge consists of two parallel plastic charges 93 meters long each containing 725 kg of explosives. Each of these charges is assembled from nine DKPR-4 sections, which are connected using threaded couplings and union nuts.
The DKPR-4 section is a charge 10.3 meters long and 7 cm in diameter. Inside the PVV-7 (40.25 kg).
The UZP-77 charge is placed in a special compartment of the machine and, with the help of special adapters, is attached to the DM-70 rocket powder engine, which is placed in the guide tower.

The 70-kg DM-70 engine has a powder charge of one piece weighing 27 kg. Engine running time 6–8 sec. When applying a charge for 200 m, one DM-70 engine is used, for 500 m - two engines. By changing the length of the brake rope, the range of charge supply is regulated.

Two UZP-77 demining charges are placed in one UR-77 vehicle.
One installation is capable of making two passes 100 meters long and about 6 meters wide. Or one passage 200 meters long (two successive launches).

To make a passage, the UR-77 advances to the minefield and stops at a distance of 200 to 500m. (up to 350m for UZP-67). The commander-operator, having determined the distance to the border of the minefield, raises the turret installation with guides to the desired elevation angle and issues a command to start the charge from the control panel. The missile leaves the guide and flies along a ballistic trajectory, pulling a flexible cable with an explosive behind it.

To recharge, the car follows a predetermined location. Reloading time by calculation forces with an attached sapper squad is 30-40 minutes.

The performance characteristics of the UR-77

Combat weight - 15.5 tons;
- body length - 7260 mm;
- body width - 2850 mm;
- height on the roof of the tower - 2100 mm;
- engine - diesel YaMZ-238M;
- engine power - 300 hp;
- maximum speed- 60 km / h;
- maximum speed afloat - 4.5-5 km / h;

Type of charge used - UZ-67, UZP-77;
— the length of the demining charge — 93 m;
- the number of explosives in one charge UZ-67 1023 kg;
- the number of explosives in one charge UZP-77 1069 kg;
- the range of supply of the demining charge UZ-67 - 200-350 m;
- the range of supply of the demining charge UZP-77 - 200-500 m;
- the length of the resulting passage UZ-67 - 75-80 m;
- length of the resulting passage UZP-77 - 80-90 m;
- width of the resulting passage (guaranteed) - up to 6 m;
- time of a full cycle of making a passage - 3-5 minutes;
- reloading time of the installation with two charges (calculation + sapper department) - 30-40 minutes;

Photo UR-77

Mines appeared at the dawn of the powder era of mankind. Originally designed to destroy fortified structures, they later became one of the main elements of defense in the wars of the last hundred years.

Minefields, traps, remote charges - all this is an almost insurmountable obstacle for the advancing troops. However, our designers managed to solve even this problem by creating newest look weapons - demining installations. Most successful model such equipment is the Soviet installation UR-77.

History of occurrence

During the first two world wars, the main means of demining were specially trained people - sappers.

Despite the greatest prevalence, this approach has a number of fatal drawbacks:

The training and training of a fighter of this specialty is a slow and complicated process, since this profession has a huge number of subtleties.
The vast majority of the combat missions of these fighters take place on enemy territory, which increases the likelihood of their destruction or capture by several times.
Design features some models of mines do not allow mine detectors to detect themselves (cases made of wood or plastic, to which the mine detector will not respond).
Clearing mines by hand is time consuming and labor intensive, which can be handicapping when a quick advance is needed.

But during the First World War, a British engineer-sapper developed a simple yet effective solution. It received the uncomplicated name "Bangalore Torpedo" - a long pipe filled with explosives, which, being deepened into the soil in a mined area, allows you to undermine (and, accordingly, clear) several mines at once.

Due to the explosion in the soil, a safe passage is created in a dangerous area.

Such enough fast way demining was also used during WWII in various variations. However, there is an obvious drawback. It was possible to increase the length of such a structure arbitrarily, but, nevertheless, it was problematic to assemble a hundred-meter pipe in combat conditions and deliver it to a minefield. The designers made an elegant decision - to make such a charge self-propelled.

An unsuccessful experience with the UR-3R showed that such equipment should be self-propelled, and in 1967 in Soviet Troops received UR-67 (Demining installation of the 67th year). The machine was built on the basis of the BTR-50PK with the installed launcher for the UZ-67 device, which was an 83-meter hose filled with TNT. He fired at a distance of 200-350 meters and undermined, opening the way for the advancing troops. Because of the spectacle of the very launch of the charge, the installation was given the nickname "Snake Gorynych".

In 1978, the UR-67 (by that time outdated and having insufficient range) was replaced by the UR-77 "Meteorite" demining machine. Installation, unlike its predecessor, is based on . "Meteorite" or in other words "Serpent Gorynych" (as it has become customary to call all SDs) had a number of advantages, due to which it completely replaced the UR-67 in the troops, which has now been withdrawn from service.

Design

General form The UR is a one-piece floating welded body with two launchers placed on top of it and the equipment necessary for launching. The crew consists of two people - a driver and a commander-operator.

The machine is made on the basis of self-propelled guns 2S1 "Gvozdika", respectively, equipped with a completely identical body.

The power plant is YaMZ-238N, which is an eight-cylinder V-shaped 300-horsepower diesel engine, fuel consumption is 140 liters per 100 km. Chassis - suspension on torsion bars. The movement on the water is carried out by the machine due to the rotation of the tracks. Dimensions of the combat vehicle UR-77:

The only means of demining that the installation has is reactive charges UR-77 "Meteorite" of various brands - UZ-67, UZP-77 and ZRSh.

This ammunition is a jet engine, followed by a long hose filled with explosive (TNT, PVV-7 or TGAF-25). The length of the hose varies depending on the model used. The installation accommodates two such ammunition, and reloading takes 30-40 minutes.

Demining method

Making a passage using the UR-77 installation is as follows: the crew takes the car to a position in front of the barrier, then raises launcher to the desired angle (the elevation angle depends on the distance to which the charge is to be delivered) and launches.

The charge leaves the launcher of the demining installation with the help of a sustainer jet engine and pulls a brake cable, which is an electric cable.

After passing the required distance, the cable ends, along which a signal is given to undermine. Undermining the charge occurs from the "head" to the "tail". The explosion creates a rectangular (90x6 m) passage into minefield.

Tactical and technical characteristics and analogues

Only two countries in the world have really competitive cars.

The only model of such equipment comparable in terms of characteristics is considered to be the American UR M58 "MICLIC", however, a significant drawback relative to the Russian model is that the installation is placed on a towed trailer and is not able to move independently.

As we can see from the comparative table, the UR-77 is inferior to the Western competitor only in the width of the passage. However, this parameter depends solely on the type of charge, the improvement of which is only a matter of time for designers.

Combat use

The UR-77 demining installation has a rich (for this class of equipment) history combat use in three military conflicts of the past decades. The first episode of the participation of "Serpent Gorynych" in the hot spot was the second Chechen War. The installation was used by the Russian army during operations on the territory of Chechnya.

The second episode was the armed conflict on the territory of Donbass during the attack on the airport. AT recent times installation UR-77 is actively used Russian troops in Syria. As we know, many Syrian cities have been mined by militants, and even at the present moment only part of the minefields around them have been cleared.

Original nickname

The nicknames of the heroes of folk epics are extremely rare even in our troops, generous with nicknames and nicknames.

According to the military associated with this demining installation, the name seems justified, and it was received long before the appearance of her own.

During the first experiments with self-propelled demining systems in service Soviet army the UZ-3R vehicle was received, which was the same “Bangalore torpedo”, only built by us and equipped with 45 jet engines. However, due to errors in the electronics, the engines started with a minimal difference, but sufficient for curiosity.

Such failures caused an amusing spectacle - the charge was thrown in the air, and flames burst out of the nozzles of the propellers. Such a flight seemed similar to the fire-breathing flying villain from Russian folklore - the "Serpent Gorynych", which gave such a nickname to all subsequent demining installations that were built on the main idea of \u200b\u200bthis device.