MAZ-7907 (Russian: МАЗ-7907) is a Soviet army 24X24 transporter erector launcher prototype for the SS-24 ICBM designed and developed by the Minsk Automobile Plant (MAZ) in Belarus.[1] [2]
On August 9, 1983 the Soviet government issued a decree on the establishment of the RT-23 Molodets ICBM. The projected road-mobile RT-23 system was named "Celina-2" and received the industrial index 15P162.[3]
The first of two prototypes was assembled at MAZ in March 1985. The chassis had to be capable of transporting an RT-23 missile with a launch weight of 104.5 tons, a length of 22.6 m and a diameter of 2.4 m in a launch tube, and the launch support equipment.
The RT-23 was deployed as both a silo-based and rail-mobile missile, but the road-mobile version was cancelled.
At least one of the prototypes seems to have been used after the collapse of the USSR for transportation of bridge parts and ships.[4] Their fate is unclear. The split chassis can be seen on Google Maps images in 2020,[5] which appears to show the location of the picture on the right dated 2019.
The length of the vehicle is 28.1 m; the width 4.1 m and height 4.4 m. Two 1250 hp Klimov GTD-1250TFM gas turbine engines (from the T-80 tank)[6] power an electric generator that sends power via turbine-electric transmission to 30 kW electric traction motors located at each one of the 24 wheels.[7] [2] [1] [8] [4] Independent hydropneumatic suspension is used for each wheel.[9]