The insane machine that conquered Antarctica for the USSR - the Kharkovchanka

thanks to Squarespace for sponsoring this video what happens when the Soviet Union combines a tank with the icy landscape of Antarctica you get possibly one of the most insane land vehicles ever made it could face temperatures of -70° f make its way through snow storms carry huge cargo and still provide a decent accommodation for its passengers and unlike the earlier American attent to conquer the continent the Russians actually had multiple generations with its serving well into this Century this is the story of the Russian Antarctica tank that succeeded where the Americans failed the woman from shakov the legendary shakov [Music] shanka July 1st marked the beginning of one of the great scientific Adventures of our time the international geophysical year in 1948 a bunch of Western countries had a party to decide who owned what of Antarctica considered to be the last remaining vast uninhabited land but guess who wasn't invited to this party that's right the Soviet Union naturally they said we'll build our own claims to the icy South Pole and promptly ignored the pie chart but to enforce these claims they needed to be there anxious to not miss out the Soviet government created the Soviet Antarctica Expedition called the oh I'm not even going to try to pronounce this name in 1955 to organize a series of expeditions to Antarctica as well as take part of the global geophysical year a study taking place by Nations all over the world to better understand the last continent on the planet Pride was on the line and it was time to hit the snow the first Soviet team arrived in 1955 and built two small research search stations along the Antarctica Coast the first being called the me station to get around they used typical military trucks that had been used in the Soviet military during the second world war cuz you can bet that they had a lot of them whilst fantastic for logistical operations on the front line they proved to be a little bit useless in the deep snow but as luck would have it the team had also packed a few farm tractors that whilst slow and had no isol from the freezing conditions they proved to be very useful indeed the Treads were able to grip on the icy conditions and the diesel engines provided enough power to drag heavy slays around the winterland it was at this point that the Soviets realized that Antarctica was a nightmare to drive around and that any further expansion or scientific development in the region particularly against the Rival Americans would require a new vehicle sending word back to the USSR in 19 1957 the Explorers pleaded that they were ill equipped for the task at hand they remarked challenges like how the landscape had no landmarks the compasses didn't work properly and radios were janky thanks to the magnetic South Pole drivers had to move slow and navigate by the sun and stars when it wasn't snowing or a blizzard all while trying to not freeze to death simply put they needed better vehicles with this in mind the second and much more ambitious Soviet Expedition embarked on a journey to Antarctica during this Mission the teams brought with them robust tracked tractors designed to be equipped with heavy artillery which surpassed the capabilities of the previously employed Vehicles they were called the ATS and they utilized a fantastic platform that was tried and true it was based on the chassis and drive system of the t54 tank one of the most produced land vehicles ever made and finally still in service in some countries around the world today but the at was a little bit more different than just removing the turret and Cannon the hle had been rotated 180° with the engine clutch gearbox and steering gear and drive Wheels located at the front of the vehicle on the tank these were in the rear these new high performance tractors proved to be significantly more Adept and were capable of Towing substantial trailers Laden with fuel F and notably fuel was the utmost importance in Antarctica constituting between 70 to 75% of all of the transported cargo it was used not only for the fuel for the vehicles but also as the only reliable source of heat to keep people from freezing to death the expedition's remarkable logistical support facilitated the establishment of two additional research stations that continue to operate up until 2019 ultimately this this Mission concluded its Endeavors and returned back home in 1958 leaving a lasting impact on the Antarctica research and exploration Mission but these tank tractors whilst brilliant still had some major flaws you see while much of the Mid Coast had been explored in the heart of Antarctica the weather could escalate to even more extreme conditions and had stopped the Soviets from getting much Inland in certain ATT these occupants found themselves compelled to ignite fires beneath the vehicle to prevent the diesel fuel from solidifying due to the frigid temperatures and by freezing I mean that they would have to chop up the fuel like firewood to get it back into the engine this challenge was far from trivial as the consequences of the fuel freezing solid could be dire ignoring the problems with the engine the simple fact of exiting the protective cabin to start a fire would be an ordal for human occupants given the harsh environment moreover as they ascended Beyond 10,000 ft above sea level the thin air posed to be a significant hurdle causing numerous engines to falter the introduction of turbocharges and broader tracks proved with some assistance during the third expedition in 1957 however what was truly needed was a mobile research vehicle capable of supporting the scientist's life and research activities amst the unforgiving conditions to successfully Journey not only to the magnetic South Pole but also the geographical one the Russians recognize the necessity for a purpose-built vehicle tailored to surmount these challenges and as luck would have it the solution had already been built by Uncle Sam if you on an Antarctica Expedition there would be nothing harder than the cold isolation and remoteness from civilization well apart from trying to run a business without a Squarespace site but hold on don't skip this part as I'll have some sneak peeks for future videos Squarespace starts with a best-in-class website template and customizable every design detail with reimagined drag and drop technology for desktop and mobile so you don't have to make two sites you can then stretch your imagination online with the fluid engine built in and ready to go on any new Squarespace site but that's not all because every Squarespace site can also have a built-in shop to start selling right away and that's actually the secret weapon that I use for my own online store at www.f foundand explain. shop so thanks Squarespace and then also you can use the campaign marketing tools to start driving business instantly so come out from the cold support the channel and see more videos just like this but you also get 10% off your first s on domain at www.squarespace.com slf found thanks again where the Americans had failed 10 years before the Soviets would succeed also they hoped and thus they examined very carefully the flaws of the previous capitalist creation first of all any land vehicle in Antarctica would need to be tracked the US had gone with large tires with little grip and this had been the main downfall of the 1940 snow Cruiser plus this new machine would also need to be waterproof secured against the elements and have enough room inside to ensure that they were able to live comfortably in subzero temperatures plus matching the Americans by placing the engine inside of the main cabin would allow all repairs to be done without having to step out into the cold but how would you go about building such a machine surprisingly the answer is simple you look at the machine that is already operating very successfully in subzero temperatures and by this I mean aircraft that's right aircraft already fly at high altitudes and have a cabin that passengers and crew can live in and work in and operate at extremely low temperatures and thus the Soviet Union looked for a city in their empire that produced not only tank machines but aircraft as well and found it in the Ukraine city of shv you can see where I'm going here the Soviets turned to the shakov transport engineering plant and told them to come up with the perect Antarctica Explorer and gave them 3 months to do it that's right 3 months and despite the insane deadline what they came up was pretty insane cue the music meet the shark of shanka instantly recognized as another derivative of the famous Soviet tank tracks it had several improvements over the attt tractors first and foremost was the complete enclosed cabin that took up the entire space of the the vehicle in here crew could live and work without having to Brave the outside elements and the entire cabin could be isolated from the cold by 4 in of synthetic wool between the walls to ensure that only 1 to 2° would be lost per day but they didn't stop there enhancements to the vehicle included a refined 5-speed gearbox paired with a turbocharged diesel engine now accessible from the inside boasting a remarkable power output exceeding 900 horsepower this formidable combination empowered the Colossal off-roader to exhibit impressive performance even in elevated terrains the vehicle's caterpillar tracks now extended by an extra meter lengthwise and now wider than the original tank tractors adaptly conquered the icy Landscapes and soft snow whilst its chassis though lacking amphibious capabilities featured waterproof attributes and protected well against the cold operating at a top speed of 6.8 mph yeah I know the substantial mobile home showcased its might by effortlessly Towing one or potentially even two trailer sleds carrying a combined weight of approximately 77 tons but it's the inside environment that's even more [Music] fascinating the Soviets wanted as many Comforts as home as possible inside the mobile base the group members had access to a small kitchen a bedroom that had room for 6 to 8 to sleep and an aircraft restroom as well as a vable apart from the control section for the driver and the Navigator the vehicle also featured a separate workshop and laboratory effectively transforming it into a mobile lab there was also a small Dome on the ceiling so the crew could navigate by the stars without having to go outside similar to the American Antarctica snow Cruiser the engine was located within the 200 ft living space allowing for maintenance without exposure to the elements however this design Choice led to some issues such as engine noise disrupting sleep and suot from the exhaust fumes covering everything yuck but I'll get to the uh floors later although on that note you can imagine that the engine running at night to keep everyone warm would not be ideal noise at all the driver cabin provided access to the engine while the fuel was positioned at the center of the vehicle beneath the floor the heating system was situated at the back of the vehicle with notably due to the extreme freezing temperatures the crew couldn't venture outside making the entire vehicle a vital survival vehicle a centralized heating system was located at the back of the vehicle sending heat to various sections notably it was equipped with an electric snow melting device that Windows could be heated to give a clear view an electric stove in the kitchen that enabled the crew to conveniently heat canned food it was truly made to survive the elements this versatile design combined with its amenities showcased the importance as a functional and indispensable vehicle for the challenging expeditions to come three were just finished in the 3 months and it was time to see them in action at the South Pole and this time unlike the United States the USSR could not fail in 1959 the three first generation Monster Land crawlers reached the vast icing desert their mission reached the geographical South Pole via vok and proved to the Americans that they were capable to match or even exceed them 16 men two of the vehicles and an at Tractor set off into the icy Wilderness pulling their vast fuel loads on big slays behind them they had no clue what was ahead ahead of them and with a region totally unexplored not even from the air and this is where some major flaws with these new vehicles started to appear the first was the fast fuel consumption of these land monsters they burned through a crazy amount of diesel up to 12 L per 1 km or 3 Gall per 0.6 mil at a speed of 6 kmph that's an insane amount of consumption plus these improvements to the at turned out to be more trouble than they were worth the larger tracks were complex and broke down in under 1,000 km requiring replacement over a 5-day period but that wasn't the biggest flaw with these new land Vehicles it was called too cold the cabin isolation proved to be significantly underwhelming and failed to stop the heat leaking from the cabin The Operators had to run the engines all night otherwise the 30° cabin temperature would fall below below Zer in just one night and remember how they had to shut down for 5 days well the engine was the source of the heat so no engine running meant no heat in the cabin for 5 days straight but ironically the engine was also too hot let me explain the oil used for the diesel engine couldn't be cooled enough as it was located inside the cabin so the coolant couldn't cool down and the cabin couldn't warm up the worst of Both Worlds but despite all this 20 days later the team from the USSR reached the South Pole and met with the Americans and I can't do the rest of this Mission story justice but my good friend Callum Ken and I encourage you to go watch his video about what happened when they met their rival Americans at the bottom of the earth I put the video link down below flashing forward for the next 20 years the first generation of these vehicles served the USSR admirably in the Antarctica conditions but then the USSR realized that it was time to improve on the design for a second generation the Soviets had the technology they could rebuild it better than ever before the second generation had some notable differences first it was actually a return back to the previous at design with a prolonged external engine and cabin the atts had been in use all this time alongside the shark of shankus and through some successive upgrades had seen them start to be preferred to the first generation the extended Bonnet would allow much better access to the engine so no more 5day repair jobs and allowing for cooling and heating to be applied without affecting the other plus the rear cabin on the back got a major overhaul as well first there was much better isolation from the walls of the passenger compartment in the first generation bolts had been driven into the space to hold the structure together but these bolts had gaps between them allowing cold air to sneak in and don't forget the diesel engine noise problem with the engine outside the team created an auxiliary Engine That Could Be run independently of the main motor meaning they could switch off the engine and still run heat and electricity in the cabin by the four of 1975 another three of the second generation Vehicles rolled off the same production line and were sent to Antarctica to be put to work they quickly gained the reputation of being warmer more comfortable and preferred to the first generation machines the Soviets would use them over the next 20 years to expand their presence throughout Antarctica and to run various scientific missions with other nations and with two generations down the Soviets thought to themselves it was time to upgrade to a third version that would be even more insane now I'm going to be such a te here the third version was never built alas it's this part of the story that gets a little bit sad a major event happened during the development of the third generation that would change everything the fall of the Soviet Union there was no longer any money and the new Russia was seeking its Destiny in the northern hemisphere a third generation for a machine that was now a world away seemed utterly pointless and just like how World War II killed the American snow Cruiser so did the the four of the USSR did for the shark of shanka so the remaining six Vehicles would be utilized throughout the new Russian operations in Antarctica very much into recent years and again Callum my very good friend here on YouTube has done an excellent end of mission report about whatever happened to these vehicles down at the South Pole so I'm going to put a link in the description here so you can go check out and see everything about it of course I'm not going to just leave you feeling like this there's the Next Generation vehicle that they did Plan called the dt30 that I'll have very soon here right on the channel so if you want to see that subscribe and leave a comment down below and I'll see you in the next found and explained

Channel: Found And Explained

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Length: 19min 20sec (1160 seconds)

Published: Wed Oct 25 2023