Siberian monster truck: New all-terrain vehicle tested near Chelyabinsk (VIDEO)
A formidable-looking amphibious all-terrain vehicle was tested on Wednesday in Russia’s Chelyabinsk Region. The massive truck is designed to cross the extreme terrain of Siberia and the Russian North, and can even float.
The TGM-126, which combines the functions of a civilian vehicle with that of an extreme off-road truck, is designed and produced exclusively by Ural Spets Mash. Despite its massive size and weight, the vehicle is able to navigate through swamps and carry up to 10 passengers across unstable ground.
“[We] decided to create a vehicle that would have all the qualities of a normal civil car, such as good visibility, improved ergonomics, and large body space. So this is actually how this vehicle was created,” Ural Spets Mash spokesman Artem Krasnov said. “It combines the advantages of an off-road vehicle with a civilian truck.”
“It is a multifunctional vehicle,” Krasnov continued. “It can be used firstly by lovers of extreme outdoors hunting or fishing. It can ride through swamps and unstable grounds; it can even float despite the vehicle’s huge size, and that’s really important.”
“Moreover, it can be used for a good purpose, for example, providing services to Russia’s Far North, which is full of impassable places where only such type of vehicles can operate in fields like the oil and gas industries and geological exploration, as well as search and rescue operations. It can be used wherever an extreme cross-country ability is required.”
“This vehicle is really unique. It was developed according to the company’s own project so that is why it's an exclusive [model].”
Another version of the vehicle, the TGM-126-2, is already available for civilian use.
