#ARCTIC. #SIBERIA. THIS IS TAIMYR. The RAS institute’s Clean Arctic – Vostok – 77 expedition has completed winter field research and testing of equipment on the Taimyr section of the route. One of the tasks is to test equipment produced in Russia for the Arctic.
The expedition participants test the Arhant amphibious all-terrain vehicles and the Ursa wheeled all-terrain vehicles on different landscapes and in natural conditions. In addition, individual units of all-terrain vehicles of the future are being tested – wheeled vehicles that will arrive in the North in 2025.
The guest of the This Is Taimyr editorial office, expedition chief pilot Vladimir Dmitriev, has just completed the next stage of all-terrain vehicle testing. Vladimir drove alone along winter roads and through the tundra without roads from Novy Urengoy to Norilsk. On this autonomous journey, he tested new body insulation systems and a number of improved units.
“The Ursa family of all-terrain vehicles performed very well during the expedition”, said Vladimir Dmitriev. “But the number of improvements that the tests in the Arctic told us is already so great that we decided to create a new line of all-terrain vehicles under a new brand”.
The complex route made it possible to test the validity of fundamentally new approaches to equipping Arctic all-terrain vehicles.
“In April 2023, I took part in the first test run from Novy Urengoy to Dudinka. The purpose of my first race was to test for myself whether one person, who for the first time drove along the winter road on his own, could overcome the path from one point to another. They predicted a three-day journey for me, but I was able to complete the route in 16 hours. The Clean Arctic – Vostok-77 expedition was more extreme: I did not walk along the winter road, but from Novy Urengoy I went to the East Messoyaha field, then went to the Yuzhno-Soleninskoye field, then visited the villages of Messoyaha and Tuhard, then arrived in Dudinka, and from there to Norilsk”, explained Vladimir.
Based on the results of the autonomous run, 20 comments were identified that will be proposed to the designers of all-terrain vehicles. These changes are already being implemented for all-terrain vehicles of the new brand.
“The main differences of the new brand of all-terrain vehicles are their maintainability, since most spare parts are compatible with the UAZ, and the fact that they are built on the principle of a “high habitability vehicle”, added the head of the Clean Arctic – Vostok-77 expedition Dmitry Belov. “Now in Russian-made Arctic transport, in the event of a breakdown in extreme conditions, people will be able to wait for rescuers for two to eight hours without a threat to health and life. We are going to increase this period to two days”.
It is interesting that, simultaneously with the new line of all-terrain vehicles, insulation is being developed, which has unusual strength characteristics – it simultaneously provides thermal insulation and strengthens the body.
“On this expedition we are planning to test houses and heating points, which will be made from the same insulation materials that are used in new all-terrain vehicles. We plan to install a stove inside these modules and equip an emergency button. In the summer we want to install similar modules at one of the passes in the Hibiny mountains on the Kola peninsula. This place is known for its dramatically changing climate: avalanche danger, strong winds, and severe frost are possible there – an ideal place to test the new product”, Vladimir Dmitriev said.
The expedition organizers reported that new all-terrain vehicles, insulation and even houses made from it will be produced under the same brand. It is most likely that it will be named after one of the indigenous peoples of the Arctic.
The past expedition is an invaluable contribution to the development of domestic science and improving the lives of Russians in various fields. Often scientists and experts put their lives at risk, but the understanding that their research will benefit the country and people gives them strength and confidence in the correctness of their path and activities. This was the case when testing the domestic line of Arctic all-terrain vehicles.
“The most striking impression from the trip is the people. There were different situations along the way, sometimes I felt uneasy, because the cases were extraordinary, sometimes I took risks, but without the help and, I would even say, the care of the northerners, I could not have coped”, summed up Vladimir Dmitriev. “In general, I believe that the residents of the Arctic regions accumulate a sense of mutual assistance, dedication and honor. Maybe extreme living conditions contribute to this”.
Earlier, This Is Taimyr reported that experts had begun creating a master plan for the Norilsk-Dudinka agglomeration development.
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Text: Polina Bardik, Photo: Nikolay Shchipko