President's Putin's limo
President Vladimir Putin rolled into his Helsinki summit with
President Trump with a new ride that can compare to the Secret
Service-operated 'Beast.'
The Russian strongman arrived in the back of his brand new Aurus
Senat limousine in only the second time it has been used since his
inauguration earlier this year.
Little is known about the features of the Senat save that it can be
fully submerged in water while keeping the occupants safe, and runs on
tyres reinforced with steel to stop them going flat.
Meanwhile The Beast features night vision cameras, tear gas
cannons, a completely sealed main compartment capable of withstanding a
chemical attack, and several pints of the President's blood for
emergency transfusions.
Automobile expert Vyacheslav Subbotin told the Zvezda TV channel
that Putin's limo features 'an armoured capsule' which can withstand
gunshots and landmine blasts.
On the communication system, he said: 'The system is internal, it
is built entirely on our satellites and is completely in-built into the
car which is incredibly important. The car will stay in touch under any
circumstances.
'The defence system is also top level; should there be a chemical
attack, the car can shut its windows and remain for long time
underwater, just like a submarine.
'The limo has its unusual gear shift. It is automatic, and it's
hybrid with a generator that can work both as an electric engine and as a
generator.'
The body is covered in 15 millimetres of armour plating with a
reinforced chassis ensuring the body will not fall apart under stress.
'The body of the car is Russian invention as despite its size and heavy protection it turned out to be quite light.
'The construction deals really well with torsion and bending, there
was a lot of strong boron-containing materials used. The car is almost
seven metres long, it is a very serious work indeed.'
Russia began developing the Senat limo as part of a family of
family of vehicles dubbed Kortezh in 2012 and has so-far spent
$300million on the project, according to The Drive.
The vehicle measures 23ft long, which is slightly longer than The Beast, but is lighter, weighing in at 6.5 tons.
Given how much it weighs the vehicle almost certainly features
armour plating and a reinforced chassis to withstand bomb blasts, though
Russia has not revealed any of these details.
The Senat is powered by a twin-turbocharged 4.4-liter
Porsche-developed V8 engine and will replace the adapted Mercedes-Benz
Pullman limousine which Russian presidents have used since 1994.
Inside, the limousine is decked out with white leather seats and
wood detailing and features a large Russian coat of arms stitched into
the door.
It also features a digital dashboard and on board multimedia system.
Russia is also developing four-door and minivan concepts based on
the limousine which will be sold to the public, some of which featured
in Putin's motorcade.
According to the Financial Express, the car was jointly developed
with German firms Porsche and Bosch along with Moscow-based Central
Scientific Research Automobile & Engine Institute.
It reportedly gets 592 horsepower. Russian leaders traveled in a
Russian-made ZILS under Soviet Times, and later in Mercedes-Benz
vehicles.
It wasn't immediately known what security capabilities it has, but
'the Beast' has puncture resistant tires, armored plating, protection
from bio chemical attack, and a sealed gas tank.
Meanwhile The Beast is a seven-seat black limousine which is designed to give Mr Trump the ultimate protection.
It can be turned into a sealed panic room with oxygen tanks,
night-vision camera and reinforced steel plating said to be able to
resist bullets, chemical attacks and bombs.
The Cadillac has Kevlar-reinforced tyres and steel rims that can keep the vehicle moving even if the tyres have been destroyed.
Bottles of the president's blood type are carried on board in case
of a medical emergency, and a satellite phone enables communication to
be maintained from anywhere in the world.
As well as being able to defend the president, the car also
features a host of attacking capabilities, such as a pump-action shotgun
and a tear gas cannon.
The new Russian vehicle is just one of many ways Putin is using symbolism to boost his public image at the summit.
He congratulated French winners of the World Cup in St. Petersburg
on Sunday night – and Trump turned around and lauded Putin for the
successful tournament.
When Trump sent out another tweet blasting U.S. 'foolishness and
stupidity' for making the U.S. relationship worse than ever, Russia's
foreign ministry seized the opportunity, retweeting: 'We agree.'
Putin's tarty landing pushed the summit schedule back by an hour
and sent a signal to the U.S. government that Moscow is running the show
in Helsinki.
***
Source: Daily Mail UK
0 comments:
Post a Comment