You might have Wondered what the hell is this green thing parked in a Russian airfield?
It’s a snowblower. Or better said, a snow melter. The ones above use Klimov VK-1 engines from Mig-15 planes. The Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15 is a jet fighter aircraft developed during the Soviet Union Era.
Soviet KRAZ-255 6×6 Snowblower Truck with MIG-15 Jet Engine
These machines are still used to remove snow from runways, and in some cases, for de-icing of planes in Russia.
The engine bellow is a MiG-15 or MiG-17 radial compressor engine with a lengthened jet exhaust.
Another variation on the same idea, using a different truck model.
The one below could have been the engine from a Mig-17.
In Russia – they like big, heavy machinery. And given the harsh weather conditions, it makes sense to have robust fighter aircraft that can be maintained easily and take off from unpaved runways. Or to use fighter aircraft to blow away snow. Wait. Whaaaaat?
During the 1960s a number of MiG-15’s were used by the Polish State Railways to clear the tracks of ice and snow.
The rear fuselage and wings were removed and the engine was operated from the cockpit. Similar set-ups were used to remove ice from railroad tracks and railroad switches in the permafrost areas in Siberia, and even in East Germany during the harsh winters.
