Russian Humvee Built by ZIL Looks Very Futuristic

When people think of the Russian army, they imagine tens of thousands of tough but outdated tanks. Well at least we do. So imagine our surprise when we saw that ZIL, a factory that usually makes tractors, has put together this futuristic army personal carrier as a concept.

The yet unnamed machine looks like it came right out of a video game, like something Commander Shepard from Mass Effect would use to battle the Reapers on Mars.

Trucklist.ru reports this vehicle is designed to carry 10 people into combat, 1 driver and 9 armed men. The drive and commander sit in the front, followed by 6 soldiers that sit along the longitudinal axis of the machine and two more at the back acting as gunners, which are deployed via two hatch doors.

The ZIL has a sloped front end, much like classic Bertone concept cars, and a sloped underbody that might help deflect mine blasts.

From our understanding, this vehicle is part of a commissioned program started by the Russian army in 2010 which requires a 4x4 between 1 and 2.5 tons. If that's true, than the armor plating on this Russian Humvee is minimal because to non-existent. Remember, a Range Rover weighs nearly that much, give or take a few hundreds of kilos, and it doesn't carry 10 people around.

From bumper to bumper, the ZIL measures 6,330mm (249 inches). Its wheelbase is 3,800mm (150 inches) and the total height is 2,566mm (101 inches). When loaded with a full crew and armaments, it weighs 4,570 kilograms (8,818 lbs). Power comes from a Cummins B Series diesel inline-4 engine producing 185 horsepower, which is connected to a 5-speed ZF manual gearbox and a two-stage transfer case.

Leafs and drums take care of the suspension and breaking part in typical back-to-basics Russian style.

Russian Humvee Built by ZIL - photo gallery