Kynos Aljaba

     Notes: The Aljaba was originally developed in 1982 by a company – Kynos – which normally builds civilian construction equipment and had not until that point built military vehicles.  The Aljaba is used by the Spanish armed forces; it is also used by South Africa, but called by SANDF the Cavallo.  The Aljaba is one of Spain’s primary tank transporters; in South Africa, it is used more as a tank recovery vehicle instead of tank transportation, though vehicle transportation is not unknown, as well as the towing of other types of semi-trailers.

     The chassis and suspension of the Aljaba are built for off-road use.  The chassis is built on a reinforced flexible frame, and the 8x8 suspension has swing arms for the front and rear axle sets. The transmission is semi-automatic, with the two front axles being steerable and the steering being power assisted.  Each pair of axles may be pneumatically locked.  The Aljaba has airbrakes as well as external tire inflation systems (one for each side of the vehicle). Single tires are used on all axles, but they are large and wide ones; special tires may also be fitted for sand, and snow chains come with the truck.  A spare tire with a handling crane is provided, and mounted behind the cab.  Also behind the cab are a pair of 25-ton-capacity winches with 26mm-thick cable; the left winch may be routed forward for recovery purposes.  The cab has a steel frame mounted on shock absorbers to isolate it from terrain bumps and dips. The fuel supply is actually divided into two 500-liter tanks. The engine is a Deutz BF12 L513 turbodiesel developing 525 horsepower, coupled with a manual transmission with 16 forward and two reverse gears.

     The South African Cavallo version has a number of differences from the Aljaba.  The most obvious is mine protection – the cab has an armored underside, sides and front, with the sides and front having an AV of 2 and the underside 3.  The Cavallo also has folding A-frame crane with a capacity of 5 tons used in concert with the winches; it may be used only when a semi-trailer is not attached to the Cavallo, as it gets in the way of the fifth wheel.  The Cavallo has also been modified into a specialized heavy recovery vehicle, which will not be covered on this page due to lack of information.     

     The K15-100 is a later, smaller development of the Aljaba.  The shape of the tractor truck is similar, with the same sort of cab, though the cab is larger; in addition, many components are the same as those on the Aljaba. The winches are the same as on the Aljaba, but there are over 100 meters of cable for each, and they can be led out to the front as well as the rear, allowing them to be used as recovery winches. The transmission is the same, but the engine is a more powerful 540-horsepower Deutz diesel. Each pair of axles may be pneumatically locked.  The Aljaba has airbrakes as well as external tire inflation systems (one for each side of the vehicle). Single tires are used on all axles, but they are large and wide ones; special tires may also be fitted for sand, and snow chains come with the truck.  A spare tire with a handling crane is provided, and mounted behind the cab. The cab has a steel frame mounted on shock absorbers to isolate it from terrain bumps and dips. The cab is larger, allowing it to carry the driver and a partner as well as the crew of the vehicle being towed.

*The AV listed applies only to the cab; the rest of the truck is not so armored.  However, the floor of the cab and engine compartment have an AV of 3Sp.  The roof of the cab and the rear of the cab are not armored and have an AV of 1.

Pegaso 7345

     Notes: This semi-tractor was designed primarily to pull tank transporter trailers.  It is a newer design than the Aljaba, having been introduced in 1988, but is designed to tow a lesser load, due the fact that Spain needed a smaller tank transporter for transit through its tunnels and mountain roads.  The Pegaso 7345 has a forward control tipper cab with seating for six in two rows of seats.  The 6x6 suspension has some off-road capability, but is primarily meant for road use.  Behind the cab is a spare tire and two winches with a 20-ton capacity each.  The 7345 is powered by a Pegaso 12.8-liter turbodiesel developing 450 horsepower, coupled with a ZF Synchromesh transmission with 16 forward and two reverse gears.

     The 7343 version is actually more common; the 7343 is based on the 7345, but is a civilian version of the truck (and trailer). The two vehicles are similar, but the construction of the 7343 is not as robust as the 7345.