Motor transport

Motor transport (MT) refers to the operation and maintenance of a military vehicle fleet (especially trucks), and sometimes to the servicemembers to operate and maintain them. Traditionally, motor transport organizations are responsible for a unit's military trucks and associated equipment, as well as the transport of personnel and material from one place to another.^[1]

Tactics

Logistics

In military logistics, it is concerned with maintaining army supply lines with food, armaments, ammunitions, and spare parts apart from the transportation of troops themselves. In Motor Transport, Trucks move supplies from location to location.^[2]

Artillery tractor

An artillery tractor, also referred to as a gun tractor, is a specialized heavy-duty form of tractor unit used to tow artillery pieces of varying weights and calibres. It may be wheeled, tracked, or half-tracked.

Vehicles

United States

Family of Medium Tactical Vehicles

The Family of Medium Tactical Vehicles (FMTV) are a series of military vehicles based upon a common chassis, varying by payload and mission requirements. The FMTV is derived from the Austrian Steyr 12M18 truck, but substantially modified to meet United States Army requirements. These include a minimum 50 percent U.S. content.^[3]^[4]

M939

The M939 is a 5-ton 6×6 U.S. military heavy truck. The basic cargo versions were designed to transport a 10,000 pounds (4,500 kg) cargo load over all terrain in all weather. Designed in the late 1970s to replace the M39 and M809 series of trucks, it has been in service ever since. The M939 evolved into its own family of cargo trucks, dump trucks, semi-tractors, vans, wreckers, and bare chassis/cabs for specialty bodies. 44,590 in all were produced.^[5]

M809

The M809 Series 5-ton 6x6 truck (G908) was a family of heavy tactical trucks built for the United States Armed Forces. The basic cargo version was designed to transport a 5-ton (4,500 kg), 14 ft (4.3 m) long load over all terrain in all weather. In on-road service the load weight was doubled. Built by AM General, they evolved into the M939 Series.

M35

The M35 2½-ton cargo truck is a long-lived 2½-ton 6×6 cargo truck initially used by the United States Army and subsequently utilized by many nations around the world. Over time it evolved into a family of specialized vehicles. It inherited the nickname "Deuce and a Half" from an older 2½-ton truck, the World War II GMC CCKW.

The M35 started as a 1949 REO Motor Car Company design for a 2½-ton 6×6 off-road truck. This original 6-wheel M34 version with a single wheel tandem was quickly superseded by the 10-wheel M35 design with a dual tandem. The basic M35 cargo truck is rated to carry 5,000 pounds (2,300 kg) off-road or 10,000 pounds (4,500 kg) on roads. Trucks in this weight class are considered medium duty by the military and the Department of Transportation.

Medium Tactical Vehicle Replacement

The Medium Tactical Vehicle Replacement (MTVR) is a series of vehicles used by the U.S. Marines.^[6]^[7] The first MTVRs were delivered in late 1999. The MTVR is the equivalent of the U.S. Army's Family of Medium Tactical Vehicles (FMTV); the Marines do not use the FMTV (with the exception of the FMTV-based HIMARS) and the Army does not use the MTVR.

There were originally four, later seven, MTVR variants, then nine (plus a sub-variant) as deliveries and development continued. A dedicated trailer and prototype/developmental MTVRs have also been produced.^[6]^[7]

The MTVR was designed and is manufactured by Oshkosh Defense.^[6]^[7]

Heavy Expanded Mobility Tactical Truck

The Heavy Expanded Mobility Tactical Truck (HEMTT) is an eight-wheel drive, diesel-powered, 10-short-ton (9,100 kg) tactical truck.^[8] The M977 HEMTT first entered service in 1982 with the United States Army as a replacement for the M520 Goer, and since that date has remained in production for the U.S. Army and other nations.^[8]^[9] By Q2 2021, around 35,800 HEMTTs in various configurations had been produced by Oshkosh Defense through new-build contracts and around 14,000 of these had been re-manufactured.^[8]^[8] Current variants have the A4 suffix.

The 10×10 Logistic Vehicle System Replacement (LVSR) is the United States Marines Corps' (USMC) equivalent to the U.S. Army's 8×8 HEMTT and 10×10 Palletized Load System (PLS). The USMC does not use the HEMTT or PLS, and the Army does not use the LVSR, but both services use a common trailer (M1076) with all three truck types.

Logistics Vehicle System

The Logistics Vehicle System (LVS), nicknamed by U.S. Marines as "Dragon Wagon", is a modular assortment of eight-wheel drive all-terrain vehicle unit combinations used by the United States Marine Corps.

The LVS was fielded in 1985 as the Marine Corps heavy tactical vehicle system.^[10] It was designed and manufactured by the Oshkosh Corporation. The United States Army does not use the LVS, it uses the Heavy Expanded Mobility Tactical Truck (HEMTT). The key differences between the two is the LVS's ability to interchange Front Power Units with Rear Body Units. The LVS also steers through both standard wheel pivoting (as on a typical automobile) and hydraulic yaw steering (by articulating the Front Power Unit against the Rear Body Unit). This enabled the LVS to meet the turning radius requirements of the U.S. Marines. LVS is rated to haul up to 22.5 tonnes (50,000 lb) on highways.^[10]

The Oshkosh Logistic Vehicle System Replacement (LVSR) is the replacement for the LVS and was first fielded in 2009. Commonly referred to as the Scott Saheb^[10]

RMMV HX

The HX family are a range of purpose-designed tactical military trucks manufactured by Rheinmetall MAN Military Vehicles (RMMV). The HX range was disclosed in 2003, and the first order was placed in 2004. The HX range replaced the earlier FX and LX ranges in production.

The HX2 range, which currently (as of 2024) complements the original HX range, was announced in 2012. The first HX2 range trucks were delivered in April 2016.^[11] The HX and HX2 ranges originally complemented the SX range, but as of 2019 they had replaced the SX range as the type was no longer produced.^[12]

The HX3 range was announced in May 2021, with series production scheduled for from 2025.

Navistar 7000 series

The Navistar 7000 series is a line of military heavy lift vehicles based on Navistar International's WorkStar truck chassis, and produced by Navistar Defense. The truck is available in a variety of wheel (4×2, 4×4, 6×4, and 6×6) and engine configurations.^[13]

In 2005, the US Army ordered 2,900 7000-MV Series for the Afghan National Army and Iraqi Ministry of Defense and an additional order of 7,000 was added in 2008.^[13]

The Canadian Army had adopted the Navistar Defence LLC Medium Logistics truck. The vehicle fulfills the MSVS MilCOTS (Militarized Commercial-Off-The-Shelf) requirement. As of mid-July 2015, the MSVS SMP (Standard Military Pattern) vehicle had been chosen.^[14] Starting in June 2010, 1,300 Navistar units replaced part of the MLVW fleet.^[15] The civilian designation of the 7000-MV is Navistar 7400 SFA 6×6 and International WorkStar.

In July 2012, the order for 1500 MSVS SMP trucks was cancelled and re-evaluated.^[16] In July 2015, Canada awarded the SMP contract to Mack Trucks instead.^[17] Mack began delivery of Kerax-series trucks in 2017 and completed delivery by the end of 2018.^[18]

USSR

Gaz-66

The GAZ-66 is a Soviet and later Russian 4x4 all-road (off-road) military truck produced by GAZ. It was one of the main cargo vehicles for motorized infantry of the Soviet Army and is still employed in former Soviet Union countries.^[19] It is nicknamed shishiga (шишига), shisharik (шишарик)/shehsherik (шешерик), trueman (in Siberia).

KrAZ-214

The KrAZ-214 is an off-road truck 6x6 for extreme operations.^[20] It was manufactured in the Soviet Union at the YaMZ plant from 1956-1959, after which production was moved to KrAZ. The model line was the successor to the YaG-10 trucks.

KrAZ-235

The KrAZ-255 was developed directly from its predecessor, the KrAZ-214 (produced 1956-1967). Despite being very similar at first glance (both using the same cab, flatbed as well as the suspension), there are few major differences. Firstly, the 255 used new and much more powerful engine - the YaMZ-238 (same used in MT-LB tracked APC), replacing the previously used and sensibly weaker YaAZ-206B which was used in 214. The 255 also featured new and more reliable transmission, the YaMZ-236N, instead of the previously used YaAZ-204. It also featured new headlights (which were now, together with turn signals, located in their own housings mounted on the fenders) and, most notably, much wider tires (1300 x 530 x 533 in dimensions), which offered lighter ground pressure and thus, even greater off-road capabilities when compared to its predecessor

KrAZ-260

The KrAZ-260 is an off-road truck 6x6 for extreme operations.^[21] It was manufactured at the KrAZ plant.

KZKT-7428

The KZKT-7428 Rusich tank transporter artillery tractor was developed as a successor to the MAZ-537 by KZKT. It can haul semi-trailers loads up to 70 t, both on and off-road. It entered service with the Soviet Army in 1990.^[22]^[23]

MAZ-535

MAZ-535 is a Soviet army vehicle, an artillery tractor designed and developed by MAZ. Designed in the beginning of the 1950s. The MAZ-535A was capable of towing an R-14 IRBM.

MAZ-537

The MAZ-537 is a 12-cylinder diesel engine-powered military truck artillery tractor, originally designed for loads up to 50 tons (using semitrailers such as the ChMZAP-9990 or ChMZAP-5247G, for example) with later versions providing a maximum load of 65 tons. It was manufactured by the Minsk Automobile Plant (from 1959 to 1965) and the Kurgan Wheel Tractor Plant from 1963 until halt of production in 1990.

Ural-375

The Ural-375 is a general purpose 4.5 ton 6×6 truck produced at the Ural Automotive Plant in the Russian SFSR from 1961 to 1993. The Ural-375 replaced the ZIL-157 as the standard Soviet Army truck in 1979, and was replaced by the Ural-4320.

The Ural-375 was used, for example, as a platform for the BM-21 Grad rocket launcher, as a troop carrier, and as a supply carrier.

Ural-4320

The Ural-4320 is a general purpose off-road 6×6 vehicle, produced at the Ural Automotive Plant in Miass, Russia for use by the Russian army. The wheel arrangement for the Ural-4320 was designed for transporting cargo, people and trailers on all types of roads and terrain. It also serves as a launching platform for the BM-21 "Grad" rocket launcher.

References

^ "Motor Transport Operator". goarmy.com. Retrieved 2023-11-21.
^ Ghiani, Gianpaolo; Laporte, Gilbert; Musmanno, Roberto (2004). Introduction to logistics systems planning and control. Wiley-Interscience series in systems and optimization (Reprint ed.). Chichester: Wiley. ISBN 978-0-470-84917-0.
^ "Family of Medium Tactical Vehicles (FMTV)". IHS Jane's. Archived from the original on 15 March 2020. Retrieved 2015-10-30.
^ "About the FMTV". Joakim Kasper Oestergaard Balle III. 2015-05-18. Retrieved 2015-10-30.
^ "M939 - General utility truck". MilitaryToday.com. n.d. Archived from the original on 1 September 2023. Retrieved 13 October 2023.
^ ^a ^b ^c "Oshkosh (6 × 6) Medium Tactical Vehicle Replacement (MTVR) and trailers". IHS Jane's. Retrieved 2015-12-23.
^ ^a ^b ^c "Oshkosh MK31 Medium Tactical Vehicle Replacement (MTVR) Medium Equipment Transporter (MET)". IHS Jane's. Retrieved 2015-12-23.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d "Oshkosh M977 Heavy Expanded Mobility Tactical Truck (HEMTT)". IHS Jane's Shaun C Connors. 2021-05-01. Retrieved 2021-05-07.
^ "HEMTT". olive-drab.com. Olive-Drab.com LLC. 2008-05-22. Archived from the original on 22 October 2007. Retrieved 22 April 2007.
^ ^a ^b ^c Lamothe, Dan (Oct 22, 2009). "First LVSR truck arrives in Afghanistan". Marine Corps Times. Gannett Company. Archived from the original on 2011-04-28. Retrieved 2009-10-23.
^ "First batch of heavy trucks delivered". Contact Air Land & Sea. 2015-03-16. Retrieved 2016-04-07.
^ "MAN/RMMV HX tactical range of trucks". IHS Jane's Shaun C Connors & Christopher F Foss. 2015-03-16. Retrieved 2015-08-19.
^ ^a ^b "Navistar International 7000 series". Military-Today.com. Retrieved 2015-05-22.
^ "Mack Defence Awarded $725 Million CAD Contract to Supply more than 1500 Trucks to the Canadian Armed Forces" (PDF). Mac Defence LLC. 2015-07-16. Retrieved 2016-10-31.
^ "MacKay announces 1,300 new military trucks". Winnipeg Sun. 2009-01-09. Retrieved 2015-05-22.
^ "Military truck purchase cancelled due to cost concerns - Canada - CBC News". Cbc.ca. Retrieved 2015-05-22.
^ "Oshkosh wins challenge on Canadian Forces trucks – government required to revisit evaluation - Ottawa Citizen". Ottawacitizen.com. Retrieved 2017-01-20.
^ Mack Defense Awarded 20 Million CAD Contract cdn.com ^{[dead link]}
^ "GAZ-66 Light Utility Truck | Military-Today.com". www.military-today.com. Retrieved 2019-04-24.
^ Н. Чистов. Модернизированный КрАЗ // "За рулём", № 10, октябрь 1961. стр.14
^ В. В. Таболин, С. С. Малов, С. П. Контанистов. Полноприводный КрАЗ-260 // журнал "Автомобильная промышленность", № 12, 1981. стр.31-32
^ "KZKT-7428 Rusich Tank Transporter | Military-Today.com". www.military-today.com.
^ "КЗКТ-74282". aviaros.narod.ru (in Russian).