DT-30PM illustrated

This is a series of tracked all-terrain vehicles, the first of which (the DT-10P) appeared in 1982. They have the same basic configuration as do many such vehicles, with a front section carrying the engine and drive components and much of the crew, and a rear section connected by an articulated coupling carrying cargo, more personnel, or specialist equipment (The DT-30 is an exception). All of these vehicles are still in production with the exception of the DT-30, and none of them have ever been exported outside Russia and the former Soviet republics. They are optimized for deep snow and swamps, with very wide rubber tracks that have steel shoes (960mm wide in the case of the DT-10s, and 1100mm for the DT-30s). The roadwheels have independent suspension via torsion bars, and steering is hydraulically assisted. Engines have a preheater for use in very cold climates, and the cab is also heated. All use the same engine, a multi-fuel development of the engine used in the T-64 main battle tank, with the exception of the more powerful engines used in the DT-10PM and DT-30PM.

The original DT-10P is the smallest of the series. The cab/crew section carries ten crew and passengers, and there are two cargo areas, one behind the engine (which is behind the cab) and one in the rear module. Both load areas may be fitted with bows and a tarpaulin cover. The DT-10P is amphibious. The DT-10PM is an updated version of the DT-10P, with a more powerful engine and a hydro-mechanical transmission with a torque converter. It is also amphibious.

As stated above, the DT-30 has a single body supporting a flatbed cargo trailer connected to the main vehicle with a gimbal. It is not amphibious. It is typically used to carry shelter bodies, containerized loads, and items such as rubber fuel bladders or tank bodies for water or fuel. The DT-30P is a more normal version of this series of vehicles, with twin bodies like the DT-10P, and is basically a larger version of the DT-10P. The DT-30P is amphibious, and it has a materiel-handling crane. The DT-30PM is the DT-30P’s counterpart to the DT-10PM, with a more powerful engine and improved transmission.