In recent years, our defense industry has focused, in addition to tanks and infantry fighting vehicles, on the development and production of armored vehicles. One of these is the ZIL “Punisher”. Its appearance immediately attracted the attention of both journalists and ordinary fans of military equipment. But is the car really unique only in appearance?
In general, this project was initially aimed at creating a vehicle with improved armor protection for the needs of special units. However, given the presence of a well-proven Tiger, the car will have to survive in conditions of strong competition, even if it is accepted into service. In principle, the project is currently actively developing and is almost completed.
Oddly enough, sanctions do not interfere with industry. To be fair, at the moment it most closely resembles some kind of civilian jeep from the future, but not a combat vehicle. By the way, it is for this reason that private individuals are actively interested in the possibility of acquiring it.
Initial design requirements
Presumably, initially there was no funding for development from the Moscow Region, so the competition participants had to conduct all research exclusively at their own expense. Be that as it may, the plant began designing a vehicle that would be intended for possible operation in off-road conditions. Both the RF Armed Forces and other relevant departments were expected to be the main users.
Therefore, the task immediately arose of designing the body in such a way that the crew could conduct all-round fire from it, using their own small arms. There was no particular choice in the placement of the team: the driver in the left front seat, the commander to his right, between them it was supposed to mount a wide cradle for the onboard gunner, who, if necessary, could conduct counter fire through the raised central section of the windshield.
Five Minutes of Objectivity
At that time, Andrei Stepanov, a young and ambitious engineer, was working at the plant.
He really wanted to make a Punisher armored car. Russia was already extremely interested in this class of machines, and therefore money was regularly allocated for the project. But... Stepanov raved about the Dakar Rally, and therefore sought to make a new car so that it could be used not so much in a combat role, but in a sports role. The result of this approach was quite expected... That is why imported components were used en masse during assembly without regard to the possibility of real combat use of the vehicle.
Composition and number of crew
Initially, it was hoped that eight paratroopers could fit inside the body, sitting back to back, and three or four more would be located in the aft compartment. Thus, in the project the crew could reach 14-15 people. There was such a distance between the wheel arches of the prototype that the shooter, if necessary, could defend the vehicle using the upper aft hatch. Initially, it was not intended to equip the armored car with folding seats and other elements that would facilitate its use for transporting goods.
Sword or ancient shark
The cars, noticed and filmed by folk craftsmen in the spring of 2015, clearly differ from the skinny “Bedbug” in their brutal appearance. This is a similar, but completely different armored vehicle - the Falcatus, which is apparently being developed jointly with KAMAZ by the Moscow Fort Technology CJSC in the interests of the Special Purpose Center (TsSN) of the FSB. KAMAZ does not confirm its participation in the development of the armored car, but does not deny it either. There is not a word on the official website, however, the website of Fort Technology CJSC is generally “under development.”
The armored car is named after the curved Celtic sword - Falcatus or Falcata. If someone likes fauna more, then Falcatus is also the ancestor of the modern shark, who lived 320 million years ago. Well, flora lovers can derive the name from the indoor flower Asparagus Falcatus.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=9JaAv8IO9Xo
As a matter of fact, Fort Technology CJSC is, first of all, a developer, manufacturer and supplier of bulletproof equipment. According to media reports, the company has developed and put into production a number of ballistic materials and armor compositions for body armor and bulletproof helmets.
The equipment developed and produced by the company is used by the FSB and FSO, in particular the Grenadier and Defender body armor. It can be assumed that Fort Technology CJSC develops, first of all, armor and structural protection elements. By the way, the model of the “Bedbug” did not have any armor.
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.
At the same time, Luzhkov, who at that time served as mayor of Moscow, became interested in the work. He breathed new life into the project, and the plant management again gave the order to start working on the drawings. Neither shaky nor shaky, but the project approached 2009 in the “Bedbug” version, and a large-scale working model already existed. In principle, by that time there was not one “Punisher” armored car, but two at once, and the first one strongly resembled the current “Tiger” and was much more attractive to potential customers.
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.
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.
Main technical characteristics
Remember what we said about sanctions? The ZIL 4x4 “Punisher” is equipped with an Italian (!) four-cylinder Cummins diesel engine, developing power up to 185 l/s. It is mated to a German five-speed ZF automatic transmission. Are there any domestic components in this miracle of engineering?
There is such a thing. The transfer case, as well as the axles and suspension, were taken from all-wheel drive KamAZ trucks with virtually no changes. The length of the ZIL “Punisher” is 6330 mm, its width is 2397 mm, and its height is 2566 mm. Without taking into account the hanging of armor, the “clean” chassis weighs 4.5 tons. In the fully armored version, its weight is immediately equal to 8 tons. It is reported that a total of up to 10 people can fit in the vehicle (crew and paratroopers).
The speed on the highway must reach at least 120 km/h. On dirt roads - about 30 km/h. There was information in the press that the ZIL “Punisher” armored car can independently cross water obstacles due to its positive buoyancy, but the manufacturer does not particularly talk about this.
Armored car ZIL “Punisher” - technical characteristics and development history
A year ago, a futuristic-looking car was spotted on Russian roads, clearly intended for the army or law enforcement agencies. The car immediately aroused considerable interest, primarily due to its formidable and unusual design. It is called “Punisher” and is the latest development of the domestic automobile industry for the Russian Armed Forces.
The history of the armored car "Punisher" dates back to November 2001, when, in accordance with the decision of the plenum of the Scientific and Technical Committee of the Main Automotive Armored Directorate (GABTU) of the Russian Ministry of Defense and technical assignment No. 2-99 dated April 15, 2002, a number of the country's automobile plants were invited to participate in Research work on the topic “Punisher”, which involves the development of a technical design for a family of multi-purpose army vehicles with a carrying capacity of 1 to 2.5 tons in 2010-2015. AMO "ZIL" also entered the circle of those organizations that were involved in the project on a competitive basis.
However, at the end of the year, the management of the enterprise, citing the busyness of the design and technical services and pilot production of the plant with the design and construction of prototypes of army vehicles of the 4x4 and 6x6 types (with a carrying capacity of 2.5 and 4 tons, respectively) on the topic “Kalam” , notified the Ministry of Defense that AMO ZIL would not be able to fully participate in the work on the new project. And yet, 5 years later, at the beginning of 2008, the mayor of Moscow Yu. Luzhkov instructed the general director of the managing organization of Moscow Automobile Company (MAK) CJSC K. Laptev to return on his own initiative to the above topic, taking into account the previously prepared tactical and technical assignment Ministry of Defense.
Having received the consent of the military department, in April of the same year, ZIL began developing a preliminary design for a family of 4×4 multi-purpose vehicles with a carrying capacity of 2.5 tons in accordance with the “Punisher” theme. The new model received the designation ZIL-3901.
On the one hand, the fleeting actions of various military formations on large bridgeheads using the latest weapons and equipment, using automated control of the entire process of combat operations (Desert Storm, 1991; Free Iraq, 2003) have become fundamentally new. ).
On the other hand, internal armed conflicts on an ethnic and religious basis have become more frequent, which are characterized by terrorist acts, often occurring on the streets of towns and cities and even on individual objects and in residential buildings. This required the creation of special forces equipped with highly effective countermeasures to seize objects inside peaceful territories. In accordance with changes in war technology, military equipment must also change.
New engine... and new problems
But!
Subsequently, the Italian power plant was abandoned in favor of the YaMZ-7E846. But here, too, not everything is so good. It turned out that this whole miracle will consume more than 50 liters of fuel (or even 100) per 100 km! Indeed, the future has arrived... According to this indicator, the ZIL “Punisher” SUV can easily compete with a tank, although in terms of security it is not even close to it. One way or another, the plant management itself already realized its “flaw”, and therefore the engine was improved for a long time. The current state of this project is not known for certain.
"The Punisher": an armored monster in the service of the Motherland
Receive one of the most read articles by email once a day. Join us on Facebook and VKontakte.
In recent years, Russian law enforcement agencies have begun to actively rearm in all areas. Cars are one of the first in line in this matter. A striking example of the “creativity” of the domestic defense automobile industry was the special-purpose armored vehicle “Punisher”. The car was first shown a few years ago. One look at this monster on wheels is enough to feel a chill running down your spine. The car looks like something between Batman's car and an armored car from science fiction.
The development of “The Punisher” began back in 2008 at the Moscow ZIL. The project also took an active part in the development of armor protection elements. According to some reports, the plant received technical specifications for the “Punisher” from the Ministry of Defense back in 2002. Subsequently, employees of the FSB TsSN also showed interest in the project. By the way, the armored car also has a second name – “Falcatus”. It is curious that the first prototype of the car was created at the Kama Automobile Plant in 2010. The car was assembled on the basis of the KamAZ-4911 chassis, a car that repeatedly participated in the Paris-Dakar rally. The first case of combat use of the “Punisher” was registered in April 2018.
It's no surprise that today The Punisher remains an extremely secret vehicle. Very little is known about the design features of the armored car. It is known for sure that the car is equipped with a set of circular cameras, has sixth-class armor, bottom and chassis protection from mines. The estimated weight of the “Punisher” is 12 tons. Separately, it should be noted the design of the doors, each of which consists of a lower and upper leaf. There is an assumption that the Punishers are powered by a Cummins engine with a power of 185 hp or a YaMZ-7E846 diesel engine with a power of 730 hp.
Did you like the article? Then support us, click
:
Crew location, visibility
The commander and driver are located in the cabin, which is located forward from the engine, and six paratroopers are located in their own compartment, sitting with their backs to each other. And two more are seated facing backwards (between the wheels), so that the result is full all-round visibility. All glazed surfaces are divided into sections and located at an angle in order to reduce the likelihood of penetration in the event of shelling of the vehicle from small arms.
At night and in difficult weather conditions, a system of six video cameras is responsible for the review, and a couple of them can work as exterior mirrors, and the remaining four are responsible for providing full all-round visibility. Thus, the futuristic ZIL “Punisher” boasts a considerable amount of complex electronic filling.
A special feature is the opening of the doors: like in an armored personnel carrier, they tilt up and down. As a result, a step is formed that is not only convenient for boarding and disembarking fighters, but also does not extend beyond the structure. The upper flap can be folded back separately, which allows for more or less targeted fire from personal small arms on the move.
Armored car "Punisher". Four-wheeled riddle
The last few years have been marked by the fact that in our country new types of armored vehicles are being created for the army and the Ministry of Internal Affairs. There is constant debate around this positive trend, and each news only adds fuel to their fire. The theme "Punisher" became a typical representative of armored cars, which became the subject of widespread discussion. Let us remember that the general public became aware of it several years ago, but then very little information was made available to the public. Only the name of the competition and the approximate purpose of the finished car became known. Of course, this did not please fans of automotive and military equipment, and at the same time gave rise to a huge amount of speculation. It is worth especially noting the complaints about the title of the topic. In the simple, albeit harsh word “Punisher”, some citizens saw allusions to thugs in gray uniforms and with “Schmeissers”, while others began to wonder who this “Punisher” would punish? Is it really them, intelligent and conscientious, but who disagree with the regime? However, all this can be recognized as a specific course of discussion caused by a lack of information about the project.
In the last days of March, the discussion of “The Punisher” resumed with renewed vigor. He was spurred on by just one photograph taken at the Dmitrovsky training ground. Maybe it would have gone unnoticed, but... Firstly, no official information was attached to the photo, and secondly, the captured car looked very unusual. As a result, it was not immediately clear who the author of the project was, and by that time many noted that such technology most likely belonged in science fiction films or computer games. Indeed, the “Punisher” from the photo looks like a hybrid of the Batmobile (Batman’s vehicle) and the armored car from the game Half-Life 2. Naturally, this attracted attention. And immediately technology lovers, hungry for information, tried to “extract” as much information from the photograph as possible. Let's try to join them and carry out analytical work.
Some sources indicated under the new photo of “The Punisher” that this was a development of the KAMAZ plant. However, it soon became clear that in Naberezhnye Chelny they were working on a competitive project, but their project had nothing to do with the car under discussion. The fact is that the fantastic armored car in the recently appeared photographs was made at the ZIL plant. Even later, information appeared that the Kama Automobile Plant still has some connection with the ZiL Punisher: the demonstrated vehicle was made on the basis of the KAMAZ 4911 chassis. In addition, according to unverified data, a certain company is related to the ZiL plant project, which is responsible for the armor protection of the new vehicle . Finally, the inscription on the “kanguryatnik” of the new car played a role in confusing the situation. Instead of the completely logical and understandable letters “ZiL”, some “TsSN” are written there, which, as it became clear a little later, stands for “Special Purpose Center”. All that remains is to find out which law enforcement agency this center belongs to. In general, the situation is complex and confusing. There is almost no official information, and even that came into circulation through third parties. Even if the origin of the machine is so mysterious, then what can we expect from the design?
If the rumors about the KAMAZ chassis turn out to be true, then some conclusions can be drawn about the power plant and driving performance of the Punisher. The 730-horsepower eight-cylinder diesel engine YaMZ-7E846 of the KAMAZ 4911 sports truck allows it to accelerate to two hundred kilometers per hour. Combined with a gross weight of up to 12 tons, this requires enormous fuel consumption - about 100 liters per 100 km. Perhaps some reduction in the characteristics of the initially sporty chassis, for example, the removal of turbocharging and simplification of the transmission, will allow the armored car based on the “4911” to have passable performance not only in the driving aspect, but also in the economic one. Thus, most modern armored cars have a maximum speed of about one hundred kilometers per hour, and fuel consumption usually does not exceed 20 liters per “hundred”. One way or another, the original chassis from the KAMAZ 4911 is not acceptable for a full-fledged combat vehicle and requires modifications. Whether they were and, if so, which ones, is still unknown. ZIL hides this information in every possible way. There is also a version about the chassis of the Likhachev Plant’s own design. But in this case there is no place to start from in the analysis.
The body of the new armored car is no less mysterious. In the existing photograph from the Dmitrov test site, as well as in the one that leaked to the network a couple of years ago, both prototypes look quite strange. In particular, the layout of the front part raises questions. If the engine compartment and hood look quite normal, then the glass following it raises a lot of questions. Such glass is very unusual on vehicles: large and located at an acute angle to the horizontal. One can only guess what it is like for the driver to look at the road through them and what the viewing angles are. At the same time, the insufficient visibility forward and down, for which many people have already accused Zilov’s “Punisher,” does not look so bad against the background of more serious armored vehicles. Unfortunately, both available photographs of the car were taken in such a way that it is not possible to estimate its dimensions with sufficient accuracy. At the same time, there is reason to “suspect” the car body of some vertical compression. In this case, the driver's head is quite close to the ceiling of the cabin, which, in combination with the design of the windows and hood, can serve as a transparent hint. It seems that the “Punisher” from the ZIL plant, when viewed from the driver’s seat, somewhat resembles trucks with a hood design.
However, there is no exact data regarding the driver’s position and view from his seat. There are some concept art of “The Punisher” on the Internet, supposedly directly related to the project and supposedly leaked from the design bureau. They show the approximate layout of the interior and the original design of the doors. So, when opened, their upper part goes up (attached to the roof on a hinge), and the lower part, supported by cables, goes down, where it serves as a step. At the same time, the front doors together with the rear ones form fairly wide hatches without central pillars. Probably, in this way it is possible to ensure normal opening of doors with specific contours of the sides of the body, as well as to make getting in and out more convenient. In the same 3D drawings, you can see that each rear side door provides access to two seats. Thus, five more soldiers can ride together with the driver in this configuration at the same time (one in the front seat and four in the rear). Behind the “landing compartment” there is apparently a luggage compartment. It is almost invisible in the existing photos of the armored car, but it is much more noticeable in the same concept art. At the rear of the vehicle there is a fairly wide cargo hatch with two doors. It is noteworthy that these doors are bucket-shaped and protrude beyond the car body. One can only guess why an armored car needs such things, but in the available photos you can see that this design of the trunk doors “survived” to the prototype. The trunk capacity, as well as other parameters of the car, have not yet been announced.
Let's move on to defense. The very word “armored car” implies the presence of some kind of armor. The most recent photo shows that the side doors have much smaller glass than before. Probably, here the ZiL designers followed the same path as the authors of many foreign armored cars - instead of large and fragile glass on the doors, they installed small ones that are more survivable in battle. And the vacant space was covered with armor plates. However, the huge, highly raked windshield is still there. At the same time, judging by its tint and the characteristic black stripes along the edge, the photographed sample has a bulletproof windshield. The thickness and protection class of glass, unfortunately, are unknown. Likewise, there is no information on metal armor elements. Apparently, the entire protection of the “Punisher” must withstand at least 7.62 mm bullets of intermediate cartridges. As for protection against mines, here too we have to rely on guesswork. For example, the characteristic contours of the lower part of the sides of the body may hint at the overall V-shape of the bottom. However, the additional step and angle in the photo make it difficult to see it. Although the armored car captured at the training ground may not have a mine-resistant bottom. This version is supported by the fact that in the existing photo, despite the snow falling during the shooting, something resembling a differential can be seen behind the front lower shield. It is unlikely that such an important part of an all-wheel drive vehicle would not be “honored” of armor protection.
To summarize, it should be noted once again that there is very little open information on the topic of “The Punisher”. For some reasons of their own, the Ministry of Defense and the ZIL enterprise are in no hurry to share “secret knowledge.” Therefore, we have to collect the crumbs and carefully analyze what is available. So we cannot exclude the possibility that this article in just a few days/weeks/months will turn out to be irrelevant and even incorrect. But for this, the customer and the developer of “The Punisher” must lift the veil of secrecy and publish a sufficient amount of information. Until then, we will have to use only what we have. But the main thing and, perhaps, the most important thing that can be taken away from the “detective” with “The Punisher” now is that the Likhachev Plant is still capable of creating new interesting projects. Against the background of the general state of the domestic automobile industry, this gives rise to some optimism.
About crew protection
External armor protects the crew from automatic weapons fire, as well as shrapnel. External door fastenings are designed to minimize the likelihood of damage in the event of an attack. Armchairs for paratroopers (folding) and a specially shaped suspension protect people in the event of a car being blown up by a mine. Folded seats take up virtually no space, allowing you to almost instantly transform the interior for transporting wounded soldiers or cargo.
In principle, this makes the armored car a multifunctional vehicle that can be used in several guises at once. This has always been appreciated by the military.
As for the specific caliber from which bullets the armor can protect, it is reported to be able to withstand 7.62x54R and 7.62x51 NATO. To put it mildly, it's rather weak. Even old BTR-80s have better protection. Compare this to the Tiger 6A, which can easily withstand a 12.7mm bullet. This is what ZIL “Punisher” is characterized by. The price of this development was not released to the press, and therefore is not known for certain.
Many disadvantages
Despite all of the above, experts still have a lot of questions about this project. Here are just a few of them:
- Why was it necessary to use so much glass, even armor glass? When has such a measure in any way increased the security of a combat vehicle?
- The complete absence of a turret on the roof generally looks extremely strange. After all, this is not a pleasure carriage!
- As for the “Tiger”, it is generally not clear how the ZIL “Punisher” is superior to it? And is it superior?
- Finally, a huge number of imported components. Why spend a lot of money on German automatic transmissions and Italian diesel? After all, this is not such an important project. The domestic analogue in this case is clearly far from ideal.
The side viewing windows look especially strange. Why was it necessary to make them located at an angle of 90 degrees? There is absolutely no hope that this “armor” will withstand even fire from something like a PKM, not to mention a more serious machine gun. There is no information from the manufacturer about the actual load capacity. There was information about 800 kg, but if this is so, everything is very bad.
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.
Load capacity and more
Even if we discard the driver and commander, there should be 10 paratroopers in full armor sitting in the car. The weight of each is clearly at least 100 kg. So, two people will have to be thrown out in order for the car to cope with the load? In general, there are a lot of ambiguities. In any case, the vehicle is clearly not intended for further modernization in terms of increasing armor protection. So-so "The Punisher". The ZIL car could have been better...
In addition, the seats for the crew do not stand up to criticism: if something more powerful than a defensive hand grenade explodes under the bottom, then people will have a very hard time. Normal cars of this class have a special seat suspension system, which minimizes the effect of the blast wave in the event of a collision with a mine. In the version we are considering there is nothing even close to this.
Description and scope of application
According to initially received information, the Punisher was developed by the KamAZ automobile concern for the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation . It soon became clear that this was not entirely true, because the main production work took place at the ZIL plant (see ZIL-131). However, it soon became known that KamAZ was directly related to the project, because the KamAZ 4911 Extreme was taken as the basis for this armored car.
This model has repeatedly participated in the Dakar Rally , achieving impressive results. A hooded Kamaz also took part in the Dakar race, which you can read about here.
The car project, completed at the ZiL plant, was a kind of base, something like a primary drawing on paper. Later, the company, which was supposed to be responsible for the armor protection of the new car, joined the project.
Such turnover and the attraction of more and more new partners cast even more fog around this project. In addition, judging by the published photo, many were confused by the abbreviation TsSN, which was displayed in the foreground, instead of the usual ZIL. Later it became known that these letters mean the following - Special Purpose Center, but this hardly added clarity.
The body of the presented car also raises many questions. Particular bewilderment is caused by the glazing of the driver's cabin, which was on the sample, because it was at a rather acute angle. One can only guess what viewing angle the driver has and whether it is convenient for him to monitor the situation on the road .
In general, judging by the published photographs, the driver’s head is quite close to the ceiling of the cabin, which should solve the problem of insufficient visibility. In addition to the driver, there is space in the passenger seat, as well as at least four seats behind the driver. In the troop compartment, according to certain data, there are 10 seats - 5 on each side.
This car belongs to the class of armored cars, which in itself must impose certain requirements for protection and armor. Judging by the photo, the designers significantly reduced the size of the glass on the sides, adding additional armor plates.
On the other hand, the large windshield remained in place, which raised a logical question: is this justified, especially in combat conditions? If you look closely, you can see a black groove along the edges of this glass, which indicates that this glass is bulletproof.
The degree of protection of the glazing is still unknown , as is the nature of the armor protection of the car body. Most likely, the Punisher is able to withstand fire from 7.62 mm bullets, at a minimum, which is a very good indicator. The bottom of the car appears to be V-shaped, again, judging by the photographs.
As for the scope of application, judging by the rather compact dimensions of the Punisher, its main field of activity will be participation in various mass riots, to disperse unauthorized and armed demonstrations.
Based on this, this vehicle will be in the service of special units of the Internal Troops of the Russian Federation.
In addition, such vehicles will be used in airborne units serving in various problematic regions of Russia - Dagestan and Chechnya. Another vehicle used by the military to transport personnel and cargo is Kamaz-53501.
Other "incidents"
And the number of holes in the armored hull looks absolutely ridiculous: huge openings for doors and windows, a sunroof... Most likely, this “monster” has no chance of resisting a more or less powerful landmine, so the car is clearly suitable for direct work in a combat zone not suitable. Neither headlights, nor mirrors, nor even the optics of video cameras are in any way protected from fire even from small arms.
In addition, the photographs show completely naked bridges, rods and other parts. This is suitable for a civilian truck, but somehow does not fit with the appearance of a vehicle that must move in a zone of a possible military conflict.
Thus, at present, the prospects for this development in the army are very, very doubtful. Could the ZIL “Punisher” appear in service with the army? The characteristics of this vehicle are such that they are unlikely to be of interest to the military. Most likely, this project is suitable for that very Dakar.
Here it is necessary to note the condition of the Russian armored car itself; it is unlikely that it will be produced at a virtually shut down enterprise. Perhaps the project will come to fruition at the expense of private buyers. We already wrote at the very beginning of the article that they are interested in the car because of its extremely specific appearance.
History of creation
Work on an armored car for the special purpose center of the Federal Security Service (TSSN FSB) began back in 2002. According to unofficial data, the first prototype was designed at AMO "ZiL" and was called "Bedbug", as the designers dubbed it because of its unusual appearance. In 2009, a complete model of the “Bedbug” was assembled. But due to unknown disagreements, the assembly took place not at the ZiL plant, but at the KamAZ enterprise. Because of this, the technology was not followed and the model was dismantled. It is unknown when they returned to the design, but in the spring of 2012 the first photographs of this machine were published along with some technical parameters, which caused a strong reaction in society. During this time, the armored car changed its name to “Falcatus” (official), but the press dubbed it much more menacingly - “Punisher”.
Falcatus is a type of sword, which indicates the purpose of the machine. True, the information about the technical parameters is too scarce for one to get a complete picture of the armored car; most of the information about it is guesswork based on photographs. So from the photographs you can see that the car belongs to the TsSN FSB. Due to lack of information, Falcatus was gradually forgotten.
The second wave of discussions began after the Falcatus, along with the Viking armored car, appeared on the road in Tatarstan in May 2015. Gradually, photographs began to appear from other regions of Russia, and in February 2016, “Falcatus” appeared on television, during its presentation to Vladimir Putin. The new machine was modified by specialists from Fort Technology CJSC. In the same video, the director of the Russian FSB, Alexander Bortnikov, stated that the Falcatus armored car is an anti-guerrilla vehicle.
