Barack Obama flew to Moscow. Even earlier, his three-ton Cadillac limousine with two machine guns arrived in the capital. "The monster", as American journalists dubbed it, is a worthy representative of the class of presidential cars. But, as they say, Medvedev's Behemoth is even more serious.
Limousine for the president.
The main requirement for a presidential limousine is safety. Hence the glass is 60 mm thick; a floor that can withstand the explosion of a grenade, even if it exploded directly under the bottom; thick doors weighing under 100 kg, and shot through tires allow you to drive at least 100 km at speeds up to 100 km / h. The recognized leader in the production of cars for VIPs is Mercedes. The company has earned a high reputation for security guarantees. It all began in the 1930s, when German craftsmen created the first armored convertible Mercedes 770K (aluminum body, steel 3-mm inserts in the doors), which soon became Hitler's favorite car and was nicknamed the "Fuhrervagen". State leaders most often drive cars that look the same as ordinary ones. At the same time, passengers are protected from bullets and high-explosive charges no worse than in an armored personnel carrier.
Eduard Shevardnadze and Latin American dictator Anastasio Somoza Jr. personally tested the strength of the masterpieces of the German automobile industry. Moreover, if Shevardnadze's car was shot from an ordinary "Fly", then the Sandinistas were reinsured and the charge was being prepared with the expectation of an armored vehicle. Neither one nor the other did anything. Russian tycoon Boris Berezovsky, who lives in exile in London, also survived the explosion of his Merc in 1994.Now Mercedes produces a whole range of armored vehicles.
The most interesting and rather rare model is the S600 Pullman. This is a limousine that is one meter longer than the standard S-class models. The price strongly depends on the equipment, decoration, communication equipment. Mercedes-Benz S600L (W220) Guard, armored in class B6 / B7, costs 905 thousand euros in Russia. By the way, Carat Duchatelet, a Belgian manufacturer of armored limousines of "presidential" protection class, and Armor mobile security, a member of the Trasco group, can also strengthen the protection of Mercedes. The cost of work is from $ 250 thousand. No more than 100 limousines are processed per year. Trasco also booked the Audi A8. This G8 saved the life of Spanish Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar in the 1995 assassination attempt. From Europe to China So what do the heads of state ride? The Prime Minister of Great Britain prefers an armored limousine based on Jaguar costing 320 thousand euros. The car has special equipment that protects passengers from poisonous gases, a direct hit from a rocket or grenade, as well as a powerful satellite communication system. "Her Majesty's Stable" (as the British Royal Garage is officially called) consists only of cars made in Great Britain. The main royal limousine is the Rolls-Royce Phantom VI. In fact, it is a one-of-a-kind car specially made for the Queen. Instead of the traditional emblem on the bumper of the limousine, the royal coat of arms flaunts. The bulletproof glass windows have been specially enlarged to give the subjects a better view of their monarch. Instead of license plates - the queen's monogram.Rolls-Royce, however, is rarely used - only during official royal ceremonies. The royal family usually uses their other cars - the Daimler Limousine and the Rover 400. And the Bentley State Limousine, which Elizabeth II drove, has one feature inherent in the armored cars of Bentley - doors fired with the help of pyrotechnic cartridges for emergency evacuation of the passenger. The car has large, un-tinted windows so that the subjects can contemplate their monarch. Cars for the leaders of the Indian state have been produced since 1942 by the Hindustani Motors plant in Kolkata. The car is almost an exact copy of the British Morris Oxford, called Ambassador. For a long time, the car was used in all cases of life. He was a taxi, a hearse, and, of course, a government limousine. The Ambassador is still the official vehicle of the President, Prime Minister and other government officials. For many decades, almost the only means of transportation for German leaders were Mercedes-Benz limousines. Most often they used the Mercedes Pullman model. Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder began to break the tradition. He chose the Audi A8 as his company car. Angela Merkel continued her experiment with limousines, having been spotted on Maserati several times. Incidentally, among those who enjoy the comfort and luxury of Maserati, and Italian President Giorgio Napolitano.
Red Banner limousines remain a symbol of communist China. Since 1958, they have been produced by the First Automobile Plant in Changchun, built on the personal order of Mao Zedong, who then began a campaign to transfer top officials into a "real Chinese car." Since that time, the design of the car has changed little. True, now Audi 100 components are used in the production of the car. Recently, the "Red Banner" was used only at official ceremonies. For day-to-day travel, the country's top leadership chooses the Mercedes Pullman. The French in the choice of cars show themselves to be true patriots. Nicolas Sarkozy, for example, often drives a Citroen C6. Emperor Akihito of Japan is said to prefer British Rolls-Royce limousines. Even for his own coronation, he arrived, as the newspapers reported, in a Rolls-Royce Corniche.But he returned to the imperial palace already wearing a black President. All top officials of the country, including the Prime Minister, use only this brand of limousines.
Obama's "Beast"
An armored limousine for the President of the United States provided General Motors.
Its technical features are not particularly publicized, but something has become known. The car's interior is equipped with a laptop with Wi-Fi Internet connection, satellite communications and constant direct communication with the vice president and head of the Pentagon. The body of the three-ton six-meter vehicle is equipped with powerful armor, bulletproof glass and is completely isolated (in case of a chemical attack). According to the test results, the body withstands a direct hit from a projectile fired from a hand grenade launcher. The design of the tires allows you to control the machine even if they are damaged. As a preventive protection against possible attacks, the car is equipped with a tear gas machine gun, stationary weapons and personal weapons of the driver, who is undergoing special training at the CIA. An oxygen cylinder and a blood supply are provided for the president.
Medvedev's Begemot Limousine
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev usually travels in a Mercedes S600 Pullman Guard limousine. The wheelbase of the new limousine has been increased by 1.15 m to reach 4.31 m. Combined with a total length of 6.35 m, the S600 Pullman Guard is truly king-size. Naturally, the salon is equipped with the latest technology. A computer with Internet access, a DVD player, a TV set, a refrigerator are just a few of the equipment. The car is equipped with a 12-cylinder twin turbocharged engine with a working volume of 5513 cm3 and an output of 517 hp. The exact information about the design of the "armored cars" is kept in the strictest confidence. Each car is assembled by special order. But it is known that the car is equipped with special tires that allow it to continue driving despite punctures, a self-sealing fuel tank and an automatic fire extinguishing system. According to experts, the limousine has cylinders with a supply of air, which will withstand a gas attack, hidden loopholes, compartments for storing various weapons. The body withstands bullets from army small arms (they fly at twice the speed of bullets fired from a revolver), fragments of hand grenades and other explosive devices of varying power.
But Medvedev has one more " armored car "- a ZIL limousine, which, according to one Kremlin official, outperforms the $ 300,000 armored limousine of Barack Obama. The vehicle, jointly developed by ZIL, AvtoVAZ and KAMAZ, weighs 16 tons and can withstand a nuclear explosion.
This was announced on condition of anonymity by a Kremlin official familiar with the project.
“We have built the safest limousine in the world,” he said. "The American car is good if you have a little trouble, but ours is ready for war." According to the official, the passengers of the car can survive a small nuclear explosion, but only if the wind blows in a certain direction.
The thickness of the titanium roof of the limousine is 12 centimeters, so that a T-72 tank can pass through it without causing significant damage. The windows are made of glass that can withstand a direct shot from a grenade launcher, and the wheels automatically turn into tracks when the car drives into rough terrain. Insiders call the car "Behemoth". Medvedev's limousine is equipped with everything a president might need in a car, including a shower, a table with six telephones and curtains in the rear window - a tribute to the Soviet tradition. The management of the plant where the Begemot was assembled is absolutely confident in the safety of the car: they opened fire from grenade launchers at the car in which the designers were sitting. This is the standard checkout procedure for these vehicles.
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