The MAZ-541 was a Soviet

aircraft tug In aviation, pushback is an airport procedure during which an aircraft is pushed backwards away from its parking position, usually at an airport gate by external power. Pushbacks are carried out by special, low-profile vehicles called ''pushback ...

History

Conventional trucks were previously used to tow aircraft, but with the appearance of the Tu-104 and Tu-114, more powerful vehicles were needed.

MAZ-535 MAZ-535 is a Soviet army vehicle, an artillery tractor designed and developed by MAZ. Designed in the beginning of the 1950s. MAZ-535A was capable of towing an R-14 IRBM An intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM) is a ballistic missile ...

tractors were used, but its height required a longer tow bar; as a result, maneuverability worsened as the tractor often had to turn around and reconnect. This not only caused flight delays, but also created an unsafe environment at the airport. Development of the MAZ-541 started in 1956. It was reportedly used at

Sheremetyevo International Airport Sheremetyevo Alexander S. Pushkin International Airport ( rus, links=no, Международный аэропорт Шереметьево имени А. С. Пушкина, p=ʂɨrʲɪˈmʲetʲjɪvə ''Mezhdunarodny aeroport Sheremetyevo imen ...

Design

Based on the

MAZ-525 MAZ-525 (BelAZ-525 from 1959) was a Soviet heavy truck produced by the Minsk Automobile Plant. Development started in 1949 at the Yaroslavl Automobile Plant Design Bureau as the YaAZ-225. It was planned to install a cab from the YaAZ-200, offse ...

truck, the MAZ-541 had rear wheels from the MAZ-525 and front wheels from the YaAZ-214. The engine was also from the MAZ-525. There were only three produced, which were in use until 1970. Another ten units were planned, but with the increasing weight of newer airliners, they were never built.

References

MAZ trucks {{tech-stub