“Sadko” goes underground! A reliable partner in extreme conditions from Russian manufacturers

The SADKO NEXT model from the Gorky Automobile Plant entered the market back in 2019 and quickly gained popularity due to its versatility and ability to adapt to various operating conditions. The high cross-country ability of the chassis made it possible to work in severe conditions, which attracted the attention of miners, who quickly found application of the legendary model in their work.

At the end of 2024, Sadko NEXT went underground for the first time. Uralvzryvtekhnologii (Ural Blasting Technologies, UVT) company in cooperation with EVOBLAST Group produced a mixing and charging truck (MCU) for underground mining operations at the customer's mine. A mixing and charging module developed by the engineers from UVT and EVOBLAST Engineering was mounted on the domestic Sadko NEXT chassis. It was important for the customer to get reliable, import-independent and cost-effective equipment for charging production holes and drifting faces. The truck was supposed to work efficiently in the severe underground conditions.

Just In five months, the technology partners developed and delivered a complete turnkey solution. The main chassis advantages are the serial production, high maintainability and performance. Equipped with a 148.9 hp YaMZ-53443 diesel engine, the truck can move on inclined roads with an angle up to 60 degrees due to good geometric cross-country ability. The maximum capacity of the chassis is limited to 3 tons. This solution is ideal for modern underground mines with a small production capacity of 17.5 m² to 25 m².

"The new time has opened up many promising partnerships, because it was after 2022 that jointly with our customers we developed the most daring solutions. Among them is a mixing and charging truck on the Sadko NEXT chassis. In the development of each solution, we, as a subdivision of EVOBLAST Engineering and the Group as a whole, focus on the sovereignty of production. All products are developed by Russian engineers from domestic or commercially available components. And we are confident that this development will have a place in our harsh industry," said Sergey Mozer, Director for Strategic Development of EVOBLAST Group, Head of EVOBLAST Engineering.

Uralvzryvtekhnologii and EVOBLAST Group plan to modernize the MCU and equip it with a radio-controlled manipulator. The improved equipment will be useful for charging inclined raisers from 3 to 40 meters long during sublevel caving (end discharge) in chambers.