MAZ-6317

     Notes: The firm of MAZ was split off from KrAZ; the trucks produced in Belarus under the Soviet Regine were KrAZ trucks, and as Belarus had a fully-functioning truck factory, they decided to produce their own trucks.  One of these is the MAZ-6317, which is a heavy utility truck; many of these also service as artillery tractors, ammo carriers, MRL chassis, SSM chassis, and with a box in the bed, specialist vehicles such as command posts and FDCs.  The MAZ-6317 was originally a KrAZ truck, and the prototype was completed in 1986; however, field trials were still going on when the fall of the Soviet Union happened and Belarus gained its independence, and LRIP production had not yet started.  The Belarussians restarted production, and full production began in 1995.  There have been some exports, most notably to North Korea; as Belarus was by then a member of NATO, NATO was not happy with this deal.  Other export customers include Azerbaijan and Russia, and Ukraine manufactures these and several other MAZ trucks under license under the company name of Bogdan. MAZ also sells this truck to civilian concerns; several international aid organizations are known to use them, and several European countries have fire trucks based on the MAZ-6317.  The 4x4 version is popular as a vehicle for simply having fun in mud or in rough terrain like rock climbing.  A commercial, hard-bodies version of this truck is also sold, as well as refrigerated versions.

     The Basic MAZ-6317 is designed to transport troops and military supplies, mostly on the road, but it also has decent off-road capacity, with a powerful engine that has a lot of torque and locking differentials, as well as central tire regulation and run-flat/puncture-resistant tires.  The truck has all-wheel drive and can steer using all wheels, with the rear four wheels pivoting in opposition to the front wheel. The standard body has folding benches for troops and tie downs for equipment.  The rear of the truck is covered with bows and a tarpaulin. The MAZ-6317 also has winch mounted in the front bumper, primarily used for self-recovery.  This has a capacity of 10 tons and 50 meters of cable.  Though capable of carrying 11 tons of cargo/troops, the MAZ-6317 can tow 29.85 tons if the truck is otherwise empty.

     Normal engine is a 425-horsepower TMZ-8424 turbocharged diesel.  Drive is 6x6. However, early versions used a TMZ-8421 360-horsepower turbocharged diesel, and some export versions (like the ones exported to North Korea) have a YaMZ-238DE2 turbocharged diesel developing 330 horsepower. The base transmission is manual, though automatic transmission is available upon request. The baseline cab is 2-place, but has a sleeping berth at the rear that can be equipped with luxuries like a TV, CD/DVD player, small refrigerator, etc., especially in civilian versions.  The cab can be extended with an extra row of seats for three more crew; this is the MAZ 63171. The cab tilts forward to access the unitary power pack.

     The MAZ-6317 is used as the chassis for the BM-21A BelGrad MRL.  Other variants include the MAZ-63172 extended-bed/LWB version, MAZ-631705 shelter carrier, MAZ-6425 tractor truck. MAZ-6517 dump truck, (these last two are not depicted below) and the MAZ-5316 4x4 smaller version (found in Belorussian Medium Unarmored Vehicles).. Some more exotic variants include the Zasashnyk MRAP APC, which is built on the MAZ-5316.

*The shelter body of the MAZ-631705 has a Radiological rating of Enclosed.  The cabs of all these trucks likewise have a Radiological rating of Enclosed.

**This does not include any equipment which may installed in the shelter body.