MAZ-535

The MAZ-535 is a family of heavy four-axle, eight-wheel-drive tractor trucks developed between 1954 and 1959 by the Special Design Bureau of the Minsk Automobile Plant under the direction of Boris Shaposhnik. They were built at Minsk from 1958 to 1961, after which production moved to the Kurgan Wheel Tractor Plant, which made them until 1964, when the more powerful MAZ-537 family replaced them. Its distinctive features included a trough-shaped frame with Z-shaped side members, independent suspension of every driven wheel, a central tire inflation system, a hydromechanical transmission, power steering and a cab with an infrared headlight for night vision gear. The tractors hauled ballistic missiles for the Strategic Rocket Forces and appeared in Red Square parades, and the MAZ-535V towed launchers for the Temp short-range missile and the Tu-121 and Tu-123 unmanned aircraft. Unlike the MAZ-537 it served only in the Soviet Army.