D-944 armored transport fighter vehicle
PSZH páncélozott szállító harcjármű
Since the beginning of the 1960s developers were already looking to arm the D-442 vehicle. Its implementation on the domestic base was justified by the experience of the second Five Year Plan. The Hungarian requirements from foreign partners had been deleted during the final conciliation. In the third five year plan requirements in 1964, the defense ministry expressed concern about the domestic armored carrier fighter vehicle. The preservation of performance from a security point of view was important.
For the SDP development, the military developed the tactical tactical technical requirements for the production of a series. The experimental motor vehicle carried 9 people in addition to the cew and also had turret-mounted armament. The first 7 copies were built with molded steel with built-in 20 mm gun in a pear-shaped turret. The factory was not able to produce the molded tower in series, so it changed the armamen to a 14.5 mm machine gun. The diameter of the turret was 1440 mm, its rotation was with a manual drive. In the turret there were mounted cradle and double-action sights.
The experiment was completed with the development plans in the second half of 1966, when the first four copies were tried. Military and industrial experts with two prototypes operational safety test were held, and the combat vehicle was tested. The tests produced 68 items in a list of modifications, and among them there were very serious shortcomings. In November and December 1967 the armory tested for hermetic closure, and the noise protection was tested. The results were included in the series production documentation that was developed.
During the series production in the 1970s, a total of 2848 PSZH pieces were made. For MN, D-944-00, D-944-21, D-944-22, D-944-31, and D-944 M modifications were manufactured. For the border guards, D-944-77 transports set 1337 pieces, of which 220 pieces were the D-944.00M. Foreign orders in the GDR were for 1363 units of the D-944-40, D-944-41 and D-944-42, and for Iraq 150 copies of D-944-50 and D-944-53 were produced.
The armor is a hermetically sealed self-supporting floating body, and the front is free of fittings. In the nose there are two or three viewers above the commander's seats, two front doors above the seats. They could not be opened from the outside. For the shooters there was two-piece security on both sides of the combat vehicle locked doors. The upper part of the doors could be opened from the outside. The engine was enclosed with a hermetic wall. Within the SDP with the help of the speaker system, the commander, the driver and the two rear shooters could be in contact with each other.
The PSZH carried 450 rounds for the 14.5mm machine gun and 1750 rounds for the 7.62 mm machine guns, and 2 TVN-2 night vision devices. A 110V diesel engine of type 414.44/2 was mounted in the engine compartment. Its structure was the same as for the basic FUG. The wheel rim increased due to the larger tire size to increase the depth of the clamping ring.
The PSZH is capable of firing guns while on the move, enabling the active action of firing with onboard weapons strongly supporting the fight against infantry. It protects the fighters from enemy infantry weapons and artillery fire, as well protecting against radioactive contamination and combat against gases. The vehicle is capable of crossing terrain, no matter what time or season, and swimming to travel into combat is possible for water barriers.
The production of PSZH was completed in 1980 by Rába. The vehicle had proven that the Hungarian people had a reliable military technology tool for manufacturing. The PSZH succeeded in several countries, but manufacturers and industry leaders were hasty. As a military aid hundreds of pieces were sent to South Yemen, in scorching heat in the desert. There was no data about the fate Iraq's 150 pieces, but in the 1991 war they were no longer included.
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