Tank Ride & Drive Training in Patriot Park

Kubinka Patriot Park is located on the territory of the famous 2nd Guards Motorized Rifle Tamanskaya and 4th Guards Tank Kantimirovskaya Divisions. For this reason, tank simulators that were actually used by the troops were installed at the N1 Museum Site, the former Aerospace Sector. The driver training system was also standard military, led by officers or sergeants, based on tank textbooks. The simulator has a real tank cockpit with a monitor, a control center with an instructor who gives commands using a real helmet with a headset, as well as a computer showing a map of the tank’s movement and errors. The main tank simulators are the T-80 and the Msta self-propelled gun. On the other side of the hall, on holidays and special events such as the Army Forum, additional simulators of other tanks and Combat Infantry Vehicles are installed. According to the initial official version, the simulators were supposed to teach young people before serving in the army, and those who left the army to retain their knowledge of driving tanks. For a small cost of a few dollars on holidays and birthdays, soldiers and sergeants who served in tank forces could relax in military style, along with their wives and children. Nearby is a translucent training tank T-62, in which you can study all the systems – transmission, chassis, turret, commander and gunner position, loading system. This famous training tank model complements the driving experience well. There are also other tanks in the hall, which you can climb on and take a photo as a souvenir.

Tank and BMP simulators

2016. All training systems in actions at this moment are available 100% during the special events (such as Army forum 2016)
2019. Tank ride training, small arm shooting available, but you have book the tour with English speaking translator (guide) in advance. Same your charges (!), just inform your military guide to include T-80 tank ride simulator: or Small arm shooting training: in the program of you trip. Takes 30 minutes including the quick lection before. Extra fee 250 roubles for one person for each training.

A little history about cars, infantry fighting vehicles and tank simulators

The tradition of using car, infantry fighting vehicle and tank simulators dates back to the Cold War. Each officer attended a military school where they taught automobile engineering or tank and infantry fighting vehicle driving. Officers from captain to colonel served as instructors for cadets, and sergeants served as practical driving instructors. There were also the special training centers for soldiers at military units, regiments or divisions. For all young men aged 18 and over, 2 years of military service was mandatory, except for those who entered a university (institute) with a military department. According to Soviet tradition, those who had undergone special training at a center (DOSAAF, Voluntary Society for Assistance to the Army, Aviation and Navy, under the supervision of the Ministry of Defense) were called up for the automobile and tank troops. Service in the automobile troops provided good experience, a specialty and recommendations for work as a taxi driver or administrative officials.

Personal experience and memories of driving simulators in 1982-1983

“For our study group at the Military Academy there was a specially equipped room (classroom) for teaching automobiles. The room had a car engine for cadets to study, as well as a special simulator. The simulator was a real car cabin with a steering wheel, ignition key, gearbox, brake pedal, clutch pedal, gas pedal and handbrake. A movie projector on a large screen simulated a traffic situation and your trip. The simulator had several purposes. An important point was the correct smooth start of the car without sudden movements. Incorrect control of the clutch and gas caused a sharp jolt or engine stall. The cadet received penalty points or a retest. Driving on the road was carried out in accordance with the Road Traffic Regulations. Driving through an intersection, overtaking another car, other obstacles and problematic cases were simulated. A simple computer or a teacher gave a grade for driving. But for the cadets, this simulator was also good entertainment, a large game console. The simulator allowed you to do things that are prohibited or mortally dangerous in real life. For example, accelerate to high speed and crash into an obstacle. In real life, such a situation would result in the death of the driver, but on the simulator it was only a stop. On the walls of the room hung posters with traffic rules and the structure of the car. During independent training and studying of the automobile business, the cadets often slept, especially after duty. After studying the theory and simulators, the cadets began practical driving in a sparsely populated area of the city. For our group, the place of practical driving was the outskirts of Leningrad – Petrovsky Island. From the place of landing to the place of driving, the car was driven by an instructor. Driving was carried out on standard military trucks GAZ-53, ZIL-130 and GAZ-66, which have duplicate controls (brake, etc.) for the instructor. In case of an incorrect action of the cadet, the instructor has the opportunity to correct the mistake. ZIL-130 is a very powerful and durable truck. Once our group was returning to the barracks in this truck after driving. At one point we felt a sharp stop and a small impact. The taxi driver in a Volga violated traffic rules and our truck crashed into this taxi. Our ZIL-130 truck only slightly damaged the paint of the bumper, and the Volga was heavily damaged by 30% of the body, “smashed”, as they say. Keep in mind that the Volga is also an especially durable car and was used for state taxis, the KGB and the army. There were no other accidents in my presence, but in the USSR there were very few cars on the streets and on the outskirts of Leningrad. After training, cadets sometimes returned to the motor pool with an instructor. The sergeants liked to deviate from the route and make stops in the wrong places. They stopped in a beautiful park, in a small village, near a grocery store or a tobacco kiosk. Rare black and white and even color photographs have been preserved and are shown below.” (Memories and photos of Mikhail Blinov) The memories will continue.