YAKUTSK, December 26. /TASS/. Highly efficient VEAM amphibious all-terrain vehicles may be an alternative to using Mil Mi-8 helicopters to transport goods and passengers in the Russian Federation's Arctic Zone, Professor of the Moscow Automobile and Road State Technical University (MADI), leader of the Northern Forum's working group on transport and logistics Nadezhda Filippova told TASS.

"According to our calculations, with an equal carrying capacity of 4,000 kg and at an average speed of more than 25 km/h, the efficiency of passenger and cargo transportation by VEAM amphibious all-terrain vehicles is higher than that by Mi-8 helicopters," she said. "These all-terrain vehicles are able to work in any weather up to minus 60 degrees, unlike helicopters, as the share of their annual exploitation is about 10%."

Since the all-terrain vehicles may be adapted or created for specific purposes, they may be used widely, she continued. "Safe, high-speed scheduled inter-settlement and tourist buses to transport up to 24 passengers and the cargo versions with a load capacity of up to 4-5 tons may favor better connections between the regions and may offer better cargo and passenger transportation in the Arctic," she added.

Earlier, VEAM ATVs' manufacturer told TASS about plans to supply modified vehicles for cargo and passenger transportation to Yakutia. Presently, the VEAM family has more than 35 modifications - cargo, passenger, cargo and passenger, with various engine options and wheel formulas. The company plans to organize in Yakutsk a center to train specialists to use and maintain its all-terrain vehicles.

Amphibious all-terrain vehicles have been developed under federal programs of the Ministry of Education and Science since 2010. By 2017, the Nizhny Novgorod State Technical University accumulated developments. Since 2017, a family of amphibious all-terrain vehicles has been under development. Since 2020, small-scale production began. More than 30 modifications have been released. These all-terrain vehicles operate in the Krasnoyarsk, Taymyr, Yamal and Chukotka Regions. The vehicles were tested during expeditions in 2022 and 2023.