A K1010 with a locally fabricated tent cover patrolling the Erzurum DMZ: January 1980.
The K1010 Multipurpose Utility Vehicle, commonly known as the "Kria" (կրիա: Turtle) is an Armenian light vehicle produced by Armenian Military Industries at various factories. The K1010 Kria is designed to be a cheap, rugged, and low-cost vehicle capable of hauling loads of materiel or personnel in its bed or towing a trailer or artillery piece. The K1010 is based off of a ruggedized pickup truck frame, making it appear and function similar to the technicals used by the ADF and ASF throughout the Armenian War. The vehicle itself is relatively simple, with no comforts like
A K1012 (enclosed bed variant.)
air conditioning or even much shock absorbancy. The most advanced pieces of equipment are a station equipped in the dashboard that allows standard-issue Armenian portable radios to be mounted in lieu of a permanent imbedded set, along with 4x4 off-road driving capabilities. A winch is also provided on all variants, for recovery of other materiel.
Variants[]
The K1010 Kria is nothing if not varied. The design was purposely made modular to be able to mount several different beds with several different capabilities:
- K1010 Chassis: The base version of the Kria, with a standard pickup truck bed and tailgate.
- K1011 Gun Truck: A K1010 Chassis with a swivel-mount-pole capable of interfacing with mounting lugs on machine guns or other weaponry.
- K1012 Enclosed Chassis: A K1010 with an enclosed rear bed and APC-type outwards-opening rear doors.
- K1013 Ambulance: A K1012 with racks and cupboards for mounting medical equipment and stretchers. Large red crosses are painted on the hood and doors.
- K1014 Command Post: A K1012 with added radios and battle-management equipment, for use by low-level mechanized commanders.
Civilian Use[]
The K1010 is often sold to civilians either via the manufacturer and its specialized civilian variants, or by the government as a means of getting rid of poorly-performing units. As such, the K1010 and its rugged design has become quite prevalent in rural Armenia as the prime vehicle for farmers and herders. Indeed, being produced at local factories in Hrazdan adds to the vehicle's prestige, and it is commonly seen as a symbol of Armenian engineering. As such, it has been christened as the "Armenian automobile" by the Director of the National Recovery Administration. The K1010 is known simply as the "Kria" in the civilian sector. It is not uncommon to find them in the hands of construction contractors or urban movers either.
Real-Life[]
The K1010 is based off of the real-world American Dodge M880 Commercial Utility Cargo Vehicle (CUCV) from the 1980s and 1990s.