The Punisher armored vehicle was used for the first time during a counter-terrorism operation against Islamists

With the development of mechanical engineering, army infantry became increasingly mechanized. The use of combat vehicles and armored personnel carriers showed its effectiveness even during the Second World War. The main emphasis was on supporting tank offensives with infantry.

In addition to large-scale offensives, combat vehicles were also valued in small sabotage operations. Armor, weapons, mobility of landing troops - all this made this technology relevant against small pockets of resistance. As a result, security services began to adopt them.

"Falcatus" is an FSB armored vehicle designed for assault operations. It entered service recently and many aspects continue to improve. Technical characteristics also remain in question; available information may be unreliable.

History of the development of the Falcatus armored car

Two different Falcatus models
There is no exact information about the development dates of the Falcatus project. The first vehicles of the new armored car for the FSB special forces “Punisher” appeared in 2012 - it was then that photos of them appeared on the Internet, which is why their mass discussion began.

The project is associated with the overall modernization of the Russian army and navy, the introduction of innovative technologies and increasing the combat effectiveness of operational groups. According to some sources, design has been going on since the early 2000s; there is supposed information about the participation of the GAZ plant.

In 2008, the “Bedbug” project was developed, and several armored vehicles with a characteristic, recognizable appearance were produced. In 2011, work on them stopped, after which designers took up armored car projects.

The new Russian armored vehicle received the semi-official name “Punisher” and already in 2011-12 went for testing. The project was developed for the FSB Special Purpose Center, as evidenced by the abbreviation TsSN in front of the vehicle.

In 2015, late model cars changed their name to the official “Falcatus”. In April 2016, the vehicle was tested in real conditions for the first time. In Makhachkala, a joint operation of the FSB and the Ministry of Internal Affairs was carried out against an underground group. At the same time, the first technical characteristics of the new car became known.

Work on ZIL

AMO "ZIL" immediately got involved in this epic, since the specialists expected to use the developments from their long-standing project ("Blue Bird"), transferring the entire chassis without any special changes. As a result, work on both projects simply stalled, since the engineers were unable to pursue two directions at once. Despite this, the new ZIL “Punisher” armored car was still able to appear. Oddly enough, the Moscow authorities played a decisive role in this.

But, for a number of reasons, its further development was stopped. Also in 2009, the mayor resigns from his post, but the plant receives the last tranche for development as a subsidy. It was enough, and in 2012 the first prototype finally saw the light of day. Some people think that his name is “Bedbug”, but this is not true. This name was borne by the previous sample.

Design of a special forces armored car

“Falcatus” in service with the TsSN FSB
The design of the armored vehicle is made in a non-standard manner, partly reminiscent of a jeep, which is why many observers are skeptical about the appearance. The front of the hull is made at an acute angle to counteract frontal fire. The windshield is divided into three parts.

Most of the car has an extended upper half of the body. It is assumed that this was done to better accommodate the crew and cargo. The aft part is narrowed, there is an additional door. The body has loopholes for firing from the vehicle.

Armor plate

According to some sources, the armor of the assault vehicle corresponds to the sixth class. The suspension and bottom are protected, which allows you to overcome mines with minimal risk. The glass is also armored; there is evidence of its ability to withstand shots from SVD.

Surveillance and communications equipment

There is no information about the external and internal communications equipment of the Falcatus armored car. Taking into account the use of machines, it is assumed that communication equipment should provide both communication between groups and units, and coordination of actions with air cover.

When it comes to surveillance, the layout of the vehicle and the body are taken into account. The sharp bow and small window openings do not provide good line of sight at close range. Instead, cameras are used to display images on screens. Six such devices are already known.

Engine and transmission

The engine and most of the transmission components are located in the front of the vehicle under an armored hood. The turbodiesel power plant of the Tutaevsky Motor Plant model 8431.10 is used. Volume - 17.2 l, power - 830 l. s., maximum torque - 2550 Nm. The transmission is robotic and has a twelve-speed ZF gearbox.

Chassis

The Falcatus armored vehicles are built on the KamAZ-4911 Extreme chassis with a 4x4 wheel arrangement. Given the large mass of the body, the suspension received significant reinforcement. Each wheel has a pair of dual hydraulic shock absorbers. On later models, protective covers are installed for the wheels.

Number of passenger seats

"Falcatus" is designed to transport 10-12 people, including the driver and group commander. According to available information, the seats are located with their backs to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle, which allows soldiers to observe their surroundings.

The exit of the landing party is provided through the side and stern doors; there is a hatch in the roof. The side doors open in a reversible pattern - front forward, rear backward. This protects the Special Forces soldiers as they exit from both sides.

Equipment

Of course, the driver of the “Bedbug” is not very comfortable - the large slope greatly limits the view from the cab. To somehow compensate for this side effect of the design, engineers installed six external cameras. Two of them looked forward and backward, the rest blocked the blind vision zones.

The chassis for the “Punisher” was taken from KamAZ -4326, which was prepared specifically for participation in the rally. The armored vehicle received all-wheel drive, independent suspension, five-speed manual transmission and a 2-speed transfer gearbox. To protect the main components, they were mounted inside the lower part of the supporting frame. A four-cylinder diesel engine with a capacity of 150 horsepower was used as a power plant.

Specifications

Early Klop models had larger window sizes.
The technical characteristics of the Punisher armored car remain largely classified. You should also take into account the difference in models, which may differ in both characteristics and appearance.

In terms of dimensions, the machine has the following indicators:

• length - 6.5 m;
• height - 2.5 m;
• weight - 15.42 tons.

The car is capable of reaching speeds of up to 200 km/h; the permissible limit is considered to be a threshold of 160 km/h. The Falcatus does not have its own weapons, but these may appear on future models.

Brief background

During the operational deployment of the Bundeswehr contingent in Afghanistan in 2002, KSK pointed out the need for a multi-purpose vehicle for German special forces. The Wolf car intended for this purpose turned out to be unsuitable. The US Army's so-called High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicles (HMMWVs), which were offered for lease by allies, also only partially met the requirements in their off-road capabilities and payload.

During the year, Rheinmetall Landsystem, in collaboration with Binz GmbH, developed the Serval, based on the Mercedes G270CDI, as a version of the lightly armored Wolf car. Another designation for “Serval” is Wolf AGF.

RBM of the German special forces "Serval". Front view

Advantages and disadvantages

Tests and use in real combat conditions showed the advantages of the Falcatus armored car. The vehicle is capable of not only overcoming heavy enemy fire, but also delivering troops to the desired point, storming and breaking through obstacles, and clearing the way through minefields.

The advantages of the car are emphasized by the contract, which involves the assembly of about a hundred cars. All of them enter service with the FSB TsSN. New models take into account the experience of previous ones, are supplemented and improved.

Given the small amount of information about the Falcatus machines, it is difficult to talk about shortcomings. The most significant point is the visibility of such a car. Made in black and red colors, it attracts everyone's attention on any road, which calls into question the secrecy of the operations being carried out.

They also pay attention to the names of the cars, their negative coloring and non-Russian origin. Many people associate “Punisher” with the German occupation, although there is no exact information about the official nature of this name. The “bug” is a bloodsucker, which also does not add to people’s faith in the security service.

Falcata was the name given to a sickle-shaped sword from the times of Ancient Rome, which became widespread in Iberia. The name was given to it only in the 19th century; it was also the name given to a prehistoric extinct fish. What connection there is with the armored car still remains a mystery.

"Are you Frank Castle, who's dead?"

For the first time, the image of the merciless veteran from Marvel comics was portrayed on screen by Dolph Lundgren exactly thirty years ago. Frank Castle, Lundgren's hero, had his entire family killed by criminals. In response, he began to slaughter entire gangs of criminals.

It’s a rare case when a tall, rotten intellectual” (Lundgren, among other talents, has a master’s degree in chemical engineering) of Aryan appearance appeared before the audience with dark hair.

And, although the movie turned out to be a typical not too expensive action movie of the eighties, the beginning of the Punisher’s screen career was laid.

(Photo source)

The main bad guys back then were the Japanese Yakuza.

However, firearms did not help the Japanese bandits too much.

Both in the original comics and on screen, the Punisher is not a superman in a fancy suit, but an ordinary person. He just has nothing left to lose—at all.

Therefore, he can even beat a bunch of enemies to death with his bare hands

Other FSB car models

Special forces under the cover of "Falcatus"
The FSB model range of armored vehicles has already changed several names during its design and production. In conditions of heightened secrecy, it is unknown which of them are official and which were invented by the media. There is also no exact data on the serial production of branches of the model range.

chastener

The armored car "Punisher" is one of the most common names of the vehicle. This is exactly the name that was given in 2012, when it became known to the general public. Later the project was officially renamed “Falcatus”.

Bug

“Bedbug” are early examples of armored vehicles, developed in the early 2000s. The name was received for the characteristic appearance reminiscent of this insect.

Anti-gradient

“Antigradient” is one of the armored car models that was supposed to go into mass production. It is unknown whether the secret project remained frozen or whether it was combined with other design solutions to create the later Falcatus.

Work on ZIL

AMO "ZIL" immediately got involved in this epic, since the specialists expected to use the developments from their long-standing project ("Blue Bird"), transferring the entire chassis without any special changes. As a result, work on both projects simply stalled, since the engineers were unable to pursue two directions at once. Despite this, the new ZIL “Punisher” armored car was still able to appear. Oddly enough, the Moscow authorities played a decisive role in this.

But, for a number of reasons, its further development was stopped. Also in 2009, the mayor resigns from his post, but the plant receives the last tranche for development as a subsidy. It was enough, and in 2012 the first prototype finally saw the light of day. Some people think that his name is “Bedbug”, but this is not true. This name was borne by the previous sample.

Soundtrack

Soundtrack to the film The Punisher

was composed by Italian composer Carlo Sciliotto.
Director Jonathan Hensley wanted the music in the film to be emotional, which is why he chose him after studying Siliotto's work. Sciliotto described the Punisher as a tragic figure: "This man is someone who has a murdered family. He goes through the carnage and becomes the Punisher. But he is a sad person - he drinks and has bad memories that always come to him. There's a lot of this in the film and at times, it's like a modern version of a classic comedy - like Othello
.

Words and music of all songs by Carlo Siliotto.

Voith transmission on "Type 102"

As early as 1939, Porsche was concerned about possible problems associated with the electric transmission. Even then, when designing the Typ 100, the idea arose to use a hydraulic transmission. Since electric transmission was expensive to produce, the idea arose to make part of the Tigers with a Voith hydraulic transmission, and this option was called Typ 102. The same air-cooled Typ 101 engines were considered. The maximum speed of the Typ 102 was 35 km/h.

According to the plan, half of the hundred Porsche Tigers were to be Typ 101, and the other half were to be Typ 102.

Appearing in "Punisher: War Machine - Part Three"

This story is a reprint of the comic Punisher

Vol 2 #220.

Featured Characters:

Punisher (Frank Castle)

Supporting Characters:

• Tomik (First appearance)
• Unnamed War Machine AI (Voice)

Antagonists:

• Chernayan Army Rogue SHIELD agents Agent Cates (Only appearance; dies)
• Numerous unnamed others (Death of several)

Other Characters:

• Tomik's mother (First appearance)
• Gen. Armand Petrov (Mentioned)
• Tomik's boyfriend (Mentioned)
• Numerous unnamed Chernayans
• USMC (Mentioned)
• Nick Fury, Jr. (Mentioned)

Races and Species:

• Humans
• Robots (Mentioned)

Locations:

• Earth
• The People's Republic of Chernaya
  Numerous concentration camps (Only appearance)

Arizona, United States of America (Mentioned)

• Adriatic Sea (First appearance)

Items:

• War Machine Armor Model 8
• Punisher's Suit (Behind the scenes)
• Arc Reactors (Behind the scenes)

Filming

Starring Thomas Jane at the 2007 San Diego Comic-Con International

In an interview, director Jonathan Hensley and Avi Arad admitted that Thomas Jane was the first and only actor who could play the lead role. Jane initially turned down the offer twice because he did not see himself in the role of a superhero. Jayne said he became interested in the character when Arad sent him Tim Bradstreet's drawing of The Punisher. After learning more about the Punisher, he agreed. Jane continued to read comics about the Punisher, thanks to which he was able to understand the character of the main character and become his fan. Over the course of six to seven months, Jane trained with the SEALs and gained over twenty pounds of muscle mass.

The Punisher was originally supposed to be the first film in a trilogy, but before filming began, Henslage had a smaller budget than he wanted, which put a damper on the plans. Henslage knew that most action films had budgets of around $64 million, while his was only $15 million. In addition, he was given 50 days to shoot, which is half as long as most films. Due to these problems, much of the script had to be rewritten. According to the DVD commentary, the opening scene of the film was supposed to be a battle in Kuwait during the Gulf War, and one of the plot lines was the betrayal of Frank's best friend, who betrayed him to Saint.

The Punisher was filmed in Tampa, Florida. During pre-production, Henslage and cinematographer Conrad Hall watched a variety of action films, crime dramas and westerns from the 1970s. These films helped the creators understand in what style The Punisher should be filmed.

The plot was based on two Punisher comics: Welcome Back, Frank

and
The Punisher: Year One
. Speaking about which source of information he focused on, Hensley said:

During filming, Lionsgate acquired Artisan. In his interview, Hensley stated that although the film is being released as a Lionsgate project, it has nothing to do with it. He explained this by saying that Lionsgate had no involvement in the making of the film and that it was part of Artisan.

An early script included the Punisher's partner Microchip (along with Puzzle), but was cut from the film due to the director's distaste for the character.