Original title:

Articulated structure chariot: practicality is the absolute principle

Bv206S all terrain armored vehicle. Information picture

Not long ago, the "Nordic Response 2024" exercise kicked off, and the German mountain troops went to Norway to participate in the exercise. In the propaganda photos released by German officials, two German soldiers in the Bv206S All Terrain Armored Vehicle are moving in the snow. This Bv206S all terrain armored vehicle, which adopts a double body articulated structure, is favored by many countries because of its mobility in ice and snow environment and its amphibious performance.

In fact, articulated vehicles are not a new concept. In some local wars in the middle and late 20th century, the combat capability of all parties involved in the war was sometimes limited by the harsh terrain and climate. In order to better adapt to the needs of the battlefield, many countries began to carry out the research and development of articulated all terrain vehicles. Its main characteristics are that the steering structure has a large degree of freedom, a relatively small turning radius, and high environmental adaptability. It can carry out mobile combat missions in complex environments such as swamps, hills, deserts, and snow. Representative models include Singapore "Yema" All Terrain Vehicle, Norway P6-300M All Terrain Vehicle and Finland NA Series All Terrain Vehicle.

In recent years, with the accelerated evolution of war forms, the development of articulated all terrain vehicles also presents some new changes.

At first, the design of all terrain vehicles was mainly to achieve greater load and transport capacity, which led to the single function of such vehicles and the actual battlefield application was often limited. Therefore, all terrain vehicles are gradually developing towards modularization, such as the "Warrior" all terrain articulated transport vehicle developed in Russia. By properly reducing the load capacity, the vehicle can carry various replaceable modules, such as shooting module, emergency rescue module, medical aid module, etc., which can be replaced according to the needs of the battlefield.

With the continuous development of science and technology, the "deformation" ability of all terrain vehicles is becoming stronger and stronger. Without changing the engine and transmission, as long as the car body is replaced, it can be transformed into other models like "Transformers". For example, the "Yema" all terrain vehicle developed in Singapore is a multi-purpose articulated transport vehicle. According to the needs of the battlefield, based on this model, it can be "deformed" into armored engineering vehicles, supply vehicles, ambulances, mortar carriers, etc., with a wider range of applications.

It is worth mentioning that with the continuous improvement of articulated all terrain vehicles, Russia has put forward an unusual new concept of articulated tank with double body. Its advantages are stronger firepower and protection, situational awareness through a large number of sensors, and excellent off-road and endurance capabilities, especially suitable for use in polar regions. However, the disadvantages are also obvious. This dual body structure design makes the tank larger. Once a certain vehicle is destroyed, it means that both vehicles lose their combat capability.

Although the advantages and disadvantages are also obvious, it cannot be denied that articulated vehicles have broad application prospects in special battlefield environment. Its development history also proves once again that practicality is the first priority in weapon research and development. It can better meet the needs of actual combat and is the most powerful source of the development of weapons.