The GAZ-46, military designation MAV — "malyi avtomobil vodoplavayushchiy" (small amphibious vehicle) — was a Soviet amphibious vehicle produced by the Gorky Automobile Plant from 1953 to 1958.[1] It was the plant's first series-production amphibian.
Origin
The design traces back to the experimental NAMI-011 vehicle; in Gorky it was brought to series production and mounted on the running gear of the GAZ-69 army off-roader. The plant fully met its first-year plan, building 68 amphibians in 1953.[2][1]
Purpose
The vehicle was intended for the engineering troops: reconnoitring fords and riverbanks, ferrying small groups, and towing light watercraft. Its displacement hull let it move on water by means of a propeller, while on land it retained the four-wheel-drive layout of a light off-roader.[1]
Sources
- abw.by — The Soviet MAV GAZ-46 amphibian: a difficult birth (archive)
- modeli-gaz.ru — GAZ Models — GAZ-46 (NAMI-011) (archive)