The method safety Vehicle WZT-2 for decades provided invaluable support for armored and mechanized units, proving the durability and functionality of Polish method thought. Although its usefulness is negligible for modern vehicles, WZT-2 is inactive utilized by the military and Railway method Rescue.
The task WZT-2 was created in the investigation and improvement Centre of Mechanical Devices in Gliwice as a improvement of WZT-1, the Polish version of the russian BTS-2. The construction of the second generation was based on the T-55 tank and in the 1970s it was considered to be 1 of the best evacuation and repair vehicles in the world. WZT-2 was produced by Bumar-Łabada Mechanical Plant for both national and export purposes. Among abroad users of WZT-2 were countries specified as India, Iraq, Yugoslavia, Libya and Syria.
Crane alternatively of barrel
WZT-2 is based on the chassis and modified T-55 tank hull. The combat tower replaced a hydraulic crane with a burden capacity of 10 t, utilized to lift components of damaged vehicles. The vehicle is besides equipped with a main and auxiliary winch, as well as a plow for earth and safety work, which can be used, among others, to prepare fire stations or remove field obstacles.
The drive provides a W-55 diesel engine with a power of 580 hp, allowing the car to scope speeds of up to 50 km/h. Its maximum scope on a paved road is about 400 km. The WZT-2 plan retains armor corresponding to T-55 tank standards, providing protection against gunfire and artillery shrapnel. In combat conditions, the vehicle's crew could defend themselves with a Kal device gun. 7.62 mm and hand grenade launcher RPG-7. The WZT-2's armament could vary according to version and as a consequence of local modernization.
A surviving Legend
WZT-2 played a key function in many years armored troops and mechanized. It was utilized to evacuate damaged vehicles from the battlefield, towing tanks, performing emergency repairs in field conditions and engineering support. Thanks to the common parts with T-55 and the thoughtful design, the vehicle proved durable, easy to usage and comparatively inexpensive in operation.
Although since the early 1990s it has been gradually displaced by the modern WZT-3 on the T-72 chassis (higher burden capacity, stronger engine and the ability to operate heavier equipment), WZT-2 is inactive equipped with the Polish army and railway. However, its usefulness in securing military vehicles is severely limited by burden capacity (34-ton WZT-2 can not tow, among others, heavier PT-91 tanks or Leopard 2) and crane load, which is not adequate to disassemble many components of modern basic tanks. In addition, the armor of WZT-2 clearly shows a deficiency of opposition to the threats of the modern battlefield.
The Armed Forces Support Inspectorate informs that presently there are about 300 vehicles in the WZT household in the Armed Forces of Poland (use category). The vast majority of them are WZT-2, due to the fact that its successor was produced for the Polish Army in about 30 copies (most went on export). Between 2019 and 2024 23 WZT vehicles were renovated and put into service. 3 more are in progress.
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