The GAZ-69 is a Soviet four-wheel drive off-road vehicle produced by GAZ (ГАЗ, or Gorkovsky Avtomobilnyi Zavod, Gorky Automobile Factory) between 1953 and 1956 and then by UAZ between 1956 and 1972, though all of these light truck class vehicles were known as GAZ-69s. It was also produced in Romania until 1975.[2]
| GAZ-69 | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Overview | |
| Manufacturer | |
| Also called | Kaengsaeng 68 (North Korea)[1] Sungri 4.10/25 (North Korea) UAZ-69 |
| Production | 1953–1972 (1975 for Romania) |
| Assembly | Soviet Union: Gorky, Ulyanovsk Romania: Câmpulung (spare parts only) |
| Body and chassis | |
| Class | Light truck |
| Body style | 2-door cargo, 4-door field car |
| Layout | Front-engine, four-wheel-drive |
| Related | IMS-57, M59, ARO M461 UAZ-452 |
| Powertrain | |
| Engine | 2.1 L GAZ-69 I4 |
| Transmission | 3-speed manual |
| Dimensions | |
| Wheelbase | 2,300 mm (91 in) |
| Length | 3,850 mm (152 in) |
| Width | 1,750 mm (69 in) |
| Height | 1,950 mm (77 in) |
| Curb weight | 1,535–1,589 kg (3,384–3,503 lb) |
| Chronology | |
| Predecessor | |
| Successor | UAZ-469 |
Development and production
editThe GAZ-69 was created by the team of chief designer Grigoriy Vasserman as a replacement for the GAZ-67B that would have lower fuel consumption than its predecessor and use the same 55 hp (41 kW; 56 PS) 2.1 L (130 cu in) inline four and three-speed transmission as the GAZ-M20 Pobeda. The development process started in 1946 and the first prototypes known under the name "Truzhenik" (Toiler) were built in 1947. After extensive on-road testing, the new off-road vehicle went into production on August 25, 1953.[3] Over 600,000 GAZ-69s had been built by the end of production in the USSR in 1972. A copy of the GAZ-69 with some modifications was produced by ARO in Romania until 1975, first as the IMS-57, then heavily redesigned as the IMS M59, and later modernized as the ARO M461.[4] GAZ-69s were standard military jeeps of the Eastern Bloc and client states, except Romania that mainly used the locally built ARO models.
Design
editThe standard GAZ-69 was able to reach 56 mph (90 km/h),[5] but more powerful versions, with 2,400 cc (derived from the basic 2,100 cc) 65 h.p. engines and the same three-speed gearbox, could reach 100 km/h (62 mph). They were known as the GAZ-69M, or GAZ-69AM for the four-door version.[6]
It featured two fuel tanks, one of 47 litres (12 US gal; 10 imp gal) under the floor, one of 28 litres (7 US gal; 6 imp gal) beneath the passenger's seat.[2] All civilian models also had to meet Army requirements, in case of wartime requisitioning. (This is also why a hardtop version was not available until 1993)[7] The basic variant GAZ-69 has a pair of doors and usually has standard canvas top and upper sides; there are two seats in front and two folding benches for three passengers each on sides. The further variant GAZ-69A (UAZ-69A) has four doors, folding canvas top and two rows of seats.
It was used as the basis for the rear-wheel drive van GAZ-19 that was built in 1955 but did not pass the prototype stage. The off-road van and light truck UAZ-450 and the newer UAZ-469 also traced their origins to the GAZ-69.[6]
Military use
editThe GAZ-69 had been the basic light off-road vehicle of the Soviet Army, replacing GAZ-67s and Willys Jeeps, before the army adopted the UAZ-469.[6] It was also used as the basis for the 2P26 tank destroyer, as well as for the GAZ-46 MAV, a light 4x4 amphibious vehicle inspired by the Ford GPA 'Seep'.[6]
Users
editAfghanistan[8]
Albania[9]
Armenia[10]
China[11]
Cuba[12]
Czechoslovakia[13]
East Germany[14]
Egypt[12]
Finland[12]
Indonesia − around 4400 units ordered in total; first batch 4000 units ordered by government, second batch 400 units ordered by Indonesian Air Force[15]
Iraq[16]
Iran
Mali[17]
North Korea − Built locally as the Kaengsaeng[18]
Romania − Built locally[19]
Soviet Union[6]
Syria[12]
Vietnam[12]
In Popular Culture
editIn the film Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull a GAZ-69 appears in one of the chases of the film involving Spalko and the main characters.
Gallery
edit-
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A GAZ-69 of the Hungarian Army
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UAZ-69M, front view
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UAZ-69M
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GAZ-69, interior
See also
editBibliography
edit- Foss, Christopher F.; Gander, Terry J., eds. (1985). Jane's Military Vehicles and Ground Support Equipment 1985 (6th ed.). Jane's Information Group. ISBN 978-0-7106-0811-6.
- United States Department of the Army (1960). Handbook on the Satellite Armies. Headquarters, Department of the Army. Retrieved 23 December 2023.
References
edit- ^ "KAENGSAENG 68KA | chinesecars". www.chinesecars.net. Retrieved 2023-10-06.
- ^ a b Thompson, Andy. Cars of the Soviet Union (Haynes Publishing, Somerset, UK, 2008), p. 70.
- ^ "The history of the development of the GAZ-69" (in Russian). www.off-road-drive.ru.
- ^ IMS M461, "Avtolegendy SSSR i Socstran" No. 168, DeAgostini 2015, ISSN 2071-095X (in Russian), p.3-6
- ^ Thompson, p. 176.
- ^ a b c d e Ware, Pat. The World Encyclopedia of Military Vehicles (Lorenz Books, 2010), p. 177.
- ^ Thompson, p. 176
- ^ Shankar, Colonel C. P. (2015). Military in Pakistan and Afghanistan A Brief History. Neha Publishers & Distributors. p. 202. ISBN 978-9380318851.
- ^ Mitzer, Stijn; Oliemans, Joost. "The North Korea Of Europe: Listing Socialist Albania's Military Equipment". Oryx. Retrieved 23 December 2023.
- ^ Janovsky, Jakub; Dan; Mitzer, Stijn; Oliemans, Joost; Kemal (27 September 2020). "The Fight For Nagorno-Karabakh: Documenting Losses On The Sides Of Armenia And Azerbaijan". Oryx. Retrieved 5 January 2024.
- ^ United States Department of the Army (1960). Handbook on the Chinese Communist Army. Headquarters, Department of the Army. p. 111. Retrieved 23 December 2023.
- ^ a b c d e Foss & Gander 1985, p. 311.
- ^ Department of the Army 1960, p. 73.
- ^ Department of the Army 1960, p. 97.
- ^ Tsyganov, Mikhail (2014-03-20). "Tahun 1958, Mobil Uni Soviet GAZ-69 Taklukkan Gunung Api Jawa". Russia Beyond (in Indonesian). Retrieved 2022-07-30.
- ^ National Training Center (1 January 1991). The Iraqi Army: Organization and Tactics. Paladin Press. p. 145. ISBN 978-0-87364-632-1.
- ^ "Sons of Bamako - Malian Armed Forces Fighting Vehicles". Oryx. Retrieved 19 February 2024.
- ^ Lankov, Andrei (10 January 2014). North of the DMZ: Essays on Daily Life in North Korea. McFarland. p. 146. ISBN 978-0-7864-5141-8.
- ^ United States Congress Joint Economic Committee (1977). East European Economies Post-Helsinki: A Compendium of Papers Submitted to the Joint Economic Committee, Congress of the United States. U.S. Government Printing Office. p. 398. Retrieved 26 January 2024.