GAZ - 66

   The GAZ-66 entered production during 1964 at the Gor'kiy Automobile Plant, where it replaced the earlier GAZ-63 on the lines. Originally produced for both civilian and military use, the military versions gradually became paramount. It has been produced in terms of hundreds of thousands and the overall design follows the usual Soviet guidelines of relative simplicity, strength and versatility. There are no design frills on the GAZ-66 as it is an orthodox forward control design capable of being produced in, or modified into, many different versions.

   The basic cargo/utility model has an all-steel cargo body with an optional canvas cover over bows mounted on a chassis frame that can be arranged to carry any number of body styles. Standard equipment includes a powerful cab heater and an engine pre-heater but these are omitted on models intended for tropical use. Models produced from 1968 onwards, the GAZ-66A, have a central tyre pressure regulation system and may feature a soft-top cab.

   The GAZ-66B is modified for use by airborne forces. However there are numerous sub-variants, with or without winches, and with many equipped for special roles such as NBC decontamination, oil supply vehicles and numerous van-bodied versions for uses varying from command vehicles to mobile offices and communications centers. The GAZ-66 is used to carry the 82 mm Vasilyek automatic mortar, a vehicle/weapon combination known as the 2B9. The GAZ-66 is still used by many ex-Warsaw Pact armed forces and wherever Soviet influence has spread. Many are used throughout the Middle East and nations in Africa such as Angola.

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