Kharkovchanka (Russian: Харьковчанка, "Woman of

Kharkov Kharkiv ( uk, Ха́рків, ), also known as Kharkov (russian: Харькoв, ), is the second-largest city and municipality in Ukraine.

"), code name: Manufacture 404S, is a model of

Antarctic The Antarctic ( or , American English also or ; commonly ) is a polar region around Earth's South Pole, opposite the Arctic region around the North Pole. The Antarctic comprises the continent of Antarctica, the Kerguelen Plateau and other ...

off-road vehicle An off-road vehicle, sometimes referred to as an overland or adventure vehicle, is considered to be any type of vehicle which is capable of driving on and off paved or gravel surface. It is generally characterized by having large tires with dee ...

made circa 1957–1958 in the

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...

, designed and built by the Kharkov Transport Engineering Plant, and later manufactured in Kharkiv by the

Malyshev Factory The Malyshev Factory ( uk , Завод імені В.О. Малишева, translit=Zavod imeni V.O. Malysheva; abbreviated ), formerly the Kharkov Locomotive Factory (, ), is a state-owned manufacturer of heavy equipment in Kharkiv, Ukraine. It ...

."Antarctic Off-road Vehicles: USA vs. USSR"
/ref> Based on the

AT-T Artilleriyskiy Tyagach Tyazholiy, or AT-T (russian: Артиллерийский Тягач, Тяжёлый (АТ-Т), meaning "heavy artillery tractor") was a Soviet Cold War-era artillery tractor An artillery tractor, also referred to as ...

tractor platform (itself based on the

T-54 The T-54 and T-55 tanks are a series of Soviet main battle tanks introduced in the years following the Second World War. The first T-54 prototype was completed at Nizhny Tagil by the end of 1945.Steven Zaloga, T-54 and T-55 Main Battle Tanks ...

tank). In December 1959 two of them ("21" and "23") were delivered to

Antarctica Antarctica () is Earth's southernmost and least-populated continent. Situated almost entirely south of the Antarctic Circle and surrounded by the Southern Ocean, it contains the geographic South Pole. Antarctica is the fifth-largest contine ...

and

reached ''Reached'' is a 2012 young adult dystopian novel by Allyson Braithwaite Condie and is the final novel in the ''Matched Trilogy,'' preceded by '' Matched'' and '' Crossed''. The novel was published on November 13, 2012, by Dutton Juvenile and wa ...

the

South Pole The South Pole, also known as the Geographic South Pole, Terrestrial South Pole or 90th Parallel South, is one of the two points where Earth's axis of rotation intersects its surface. It is the southernmost point on Earth and lies antipod ...

.''Russian South Pole Traverse''
/ref> The massive off-road snow vehicle had a small galley, toilet, oven, and eight beds. By the 39th

Russian Antarctic expedition {{no sources, date=October 2016 Russian Antarctic Expedition (russian: Российская Антарктическая экспедиция; RAE) is a continuous expedition of the Arctic and Antarctic research Institute Russian Federal service fo ...

, Vityaz DT-30Ps replaced the Kharkovchankas. Those were themselves later replaced by 300 Polar vehicles.

History

Three Kharkovchankas were built in 1958, and shipped to Antarctica. They traversed from the ocean coast to the existing Soviet

Vostok Station Vostok Station (russian: :ru:Восток (антарктическая станция), ста́нция Восто́к, translit=stántsiya Vostók, , meaning "Station East") is a Russian Research stations in Antarctica, research station in ...

in February 1959. Two of these, and a third AT-T tractor, left Vostok station for the

geographic South Pole The South Pole, also known as the Geographic South Pole, Terrestrial South Pole or 90th Parallel South, is one of the two points where Earth's axis of rotation intersects its surface. It is the southernmost point on Earth and lies antipod ...

in early December 1959, arriving at the pole on 26 December 1959, and surprising the US crew that had been airlifted into the Amundsen–Scott Station the previous summer. Dozens of more exploratory missions into Antarctica were made with Kharkovchankas in subsequent years. In 1974–1975, a second generation Kharkovchanka was designed and built for Antarctic service. The largest design difference was the movement of the cab and engine back out in front of the main massive rectangular body structure, as well as the addition of auxiliary power generation for electricity and heat when the main engine was not operating. Three second generation Karkovchankas came off the production line in the fall of 1975. A potential third generation based on the MT-T tractor was considered in the 1980s, but was put on permanent hold for budgetary reasons, and following the

Dissolution of the Soviet Union The dissolution of the Soviet Union, also negatively connoted as rus, Разва́л Сове́тского Сою́за, r=Razvál Sovétskogo Soyúza, ''Ruining of the Soviet Union''. was the process of internal disintegration within the Sov ...

, left the Kharkovchankas as the main transportation system for Antarctic cargo into the early 2010s as part of the Russian Antarctic operation.

Description

First generation

Like the

Antarctic Snow Cruiser The Antarctic Snow Cruiser was a vehicle designed from 1937 to 1939 under the direction of Thomas Poulter, intended to facilitate transport in Antarctica during the United States Antarctic Service Expedition (1939–41). The Snow Cruiser was a ...

, the engine was inside the living space to allow maintenance without being exposed to the elements. However, this meant that the noise of the engine prevented any sleep and that everything was covered by

soot Soot ( ) is a mass of impure carbon particles resulting from the incomplete combustion of hydrocarbons. It is more properly restricted to the product of the gas-phase combustion process but is commonly extended to include the residual pyrolysed ...

from the exhaust fumes.

Technical characteristics

First generation

* Assembly: Kharkiv (Kharkov Transport Engineering Plant), Ukrainian SSR * Manufacturer:

* Length: * Width: * Height: * Wheels: 7 each side with drive sprocket and idler *Track width: * Suspension:

torsion bar A torsion bar suspension, also known as a torsion spring suspension, is any vehicle suspension that uses a torsion bar as its main weight-bearing spring. One end of a long metal bar is attached firmly to the vehicle chassis; the opposite end termi ...

* Engine: V-12 diesel * Cruise speed: * Max. speed: * Max. grade: 30 degrees slope * Weight: * Tow load: 60 tonnes

References

{{reflist

External links

Russian South Pole Traverse
Soviet automobiles Off-road vehicles Transport in Antarctica Soviet Union and the Antarctic Land vehicles with sleeping facilities

History

Description

First generation

Technical characteristics

First generation

See also

References

External links