BAV 485
| BAV-A/ZiL-485A | |
|---|---|
A ZiS-485 at the Lubuskie Muzeum Wojskowe (Lubuskie Military Museum), Drzonów, Poland
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| Overview | |
| Manufacturer | Automotive Factory No. 2 Zavod imeni Likhacheva (Likachev Motor Factory) |
| Also called |
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| Production | 1952-1962 |
| Assembly | Moscow, Soviet Union |
| Body and chassis | |
| Class | 6x6 amphibious transport |
| Body style | waterproofed hull |
| Layout | Front engine, six-wheel-drive |
| Platform | |
| Related | ZiS-151, ZiL-157, BTR-152 |
| Powertrain | |
| Engine | 5.6L ZIS-123 I6 |
| Transmission |
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| Dimensions | |
| Wheelbase | 4,225 mm (166.3 in) |
| Length | 9.54 m (31.3 ft) |
| Width | 2.8 m (9.2 ft) |
| Height | 2.66 m (8.7 ft) (with top-mounted) |
| Curb weight | 7,150 kg (15,760 lb) |
The ZiS-485, army designation BAV (Russian, большой автомобиль водоплавающий - bolshoi avtomobil vodoplavayushchiy, big floating vehicle), is a Soviet amphibious transport, almost a direct copy of the WWII American DUKW.
Introduced in 1952, it was intended to complement the GAZ 46 4x4 amphibious reconnaissance vehicle, but using the ZiS-151 6x6 truck (also used in the BTR-152) as its basis. Similar in size to the DUKW, which it resembles, the BAV has a rear tail gate making loading and unloading easier, rather than all cargo being loaded over the side by crane.
Initially based on ZiS-151 truck, after the introduction of the improved ZiL-157 the vehicle was modernized using its components now bearing the designation ZiL-485A (army designation was BAV-A).
The cargo body is open, but a canvas cover is available.
Propulsion in water is by means of propeller.
BAVs were used in service by Warsaw Pact Armies and in the Middle East up to the 1980s.
In use by the Soviet Union and its allies and client states the BAV was gradually replaced by the much larger tracked PTS amphibious vehicles.
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Wikipedia