Support Equipment

ZIL-131

Also known as
  • ZiL-131
  • ZiL 131
  • ZIL-131N
  • Amur-531340

The ZIL-131 is a Soviet 6x6 general-purpose army truck produced by the Moscow Likhachev automobile plant and later associated production lines. It served as a cargo truck, tractor, tanker, communications vehicle, mine-laying chassis, gun-truck base, and launch-vehicle platform; visually documented losses in Georgia, Ukraine, and Nagorno-Karabakh make it a support-equipment entry with conflict-specific logistics and specialist-chassis context.

ZIL-131, 6x6 general-purpose army truck, Support Equipment
Image source: ZiL 131 picture1

Role in Conflicts

2008 Russo-Georgian War
Mobility & Logistics
Side
Russia and South Ossetian forces

Oryx visually documents Russian ZiL-131 truck losses during the 2008 Russo-Georgian War, placing the type in wartime Russian or Russian-aligned service during the five-day conflict.

Profile / Specs

Profile

Origin
Soviet Union
Type
6x6 general-purpose army truck
Service note
Cold War Soviet design with later Russian and post-Soviet production
Designer
Zavod imeni Likhacheva
Designed
1958 prototype shown; serial-production configuration entered production in 1967
Produced
1967-2006 family production across ZIL and UAMZ/AMUR lines
Number built
1,038,144 ZIL-131-family vehicles according to AMO ZIL's official history page

Specifications

Configuration
6x6 forward-control military truck family used as cargo, tractor, chassis, and special-equipment platform
Payload class
ODIN describes the ZIL-131 as a general-purpose 3.5-ton 6x6 army truck; AMO ZIL describes army-type seating and cargo-body arrangements
Body
Wooden army-type platform with folding rear board, folding side benches for 16 seats, removable center bench for 8 seats, bows, and canvas cover according to AMO ZIL
Engine
ZIL-130 V-8 gasoline engine rated at 150 hp in the 9P138 Grad-1 chassis description
Road speed
Up to 80 km/h in the 9P138 Grad-1 chassis description
Chassis mobility
Central tire-pressure regulation and up to 1.4 m fording without preparation are described for the ZIL-131-based 9P138 vehicle
Dimensions
Missilery lists the ZIL-131-based 9P138 transport dimensions as about 7.04 m long, 2.50 m wide, and 2.48 m high
Main variants
Cargo versions with and without winch, ZIL-131A, ZIL-131V tractor, and chassis for special equipment
Production scale
AMO ZIL reports 1,038,144 ZIL-131-family vehicles produced from 1967 through 2006
Variants

AMO ZIL's official vehicle-history page treats the ZIL-131 family as the 6x6 military branch of the ZIL-130/131 truck line and identifies cargo, winch, unshielded-electrical, tractor, and special-equipment chassis variants.

VariantConfigurationDesignation notes
ZIL-131AUnshielded-electrical-equipment variant

AMO ZIL lists the ZIL-131A among the main produced versions of the family.

Sources: AMO ZIL legendary vehicles

ZIL-131VTractor variant

AMO ZIL lists the ZIL-131V among the main produced variants of the family.

Sources: AMO ZIL legendary vehicles

ZIL-131 chassisSpecial-equipment chassis

AMO ZIL identifies chassis for mounting various special equipment as one of the main ZIL-131 family branches.

Sources: AMO ZIL legendary vehicles

ZIL-131NModernized family variant

AMO ZIL says ZIL-131N production began in 1987 and continued at associated UAMZ production after Moscow production was wound down.

Sources: AMO ZIL legendary vehicles

ZIL-131-Based Systems

The truck family was used as more than a cargo vehicle; the same high-mobility chassis supported specialist military bodies and weapon-system vehicles.

Compatible itemItem typeCompatibility evidence
9P138 Grad-1, 122 mm multiple rocket launcher, Artillery9P138 Grad-1122 mm multiple rocket launcher

Missilery identifies the 9P138 Grad-1 combat vehicle as built on the high-cross-country ZIL-131 automobile chassis.

Sources: 9K55 Grad-1 Multiple Launch Rocket System

ZU-23-2, Towed twin 23 mm anti-aircraft autocannon, Air DefenseZU-23-2Towed twin 23 mm anti-aircraft gun

A Ukrainian Ministry of Defense photograph documents a Ukrainian ZIL-131 carrying a ZU-23-2 anti-aircraft gun in a gun-truck configuration.

Sources: Ukrainian ZiL-131 with ZU-23-2 anti-aircraft gun

Timeline

ZIL-131 Key Events

  1. High-mobility truck prototype shown

    AMO ZIL says a new high-cross-country vehicle with the ZIL-131 index and a ZIL-130-style cab was demonstrated in 1958.

    Sources: AMO ZIL legendary vehicles

  2. Serial production begins

    The official AMO ZIL history page places ZIL-131 serial production at the Moscow Likhachev plant beginning in 1967.

    Sources: AMO ZIL legendary vehicles

  3. ZIL-131N modernization

    AMO ZIL identifies 1987 as the start of the modernized ZIL-131N variant.

    Sources: AMO ZIL legendary vehicles

  4. Family production total recorded

    AMO ZIL gives a 1967-2006 family total of 1,038,144 ZIL-131 vehicles, including 336,009 ZIL-131N vehicles.

    Sources: AMO ZIL legendary vehicles

Media

ZIL-131 Images

ZIL-131, 6x6 general-purpose army truck, Support Equipment - view 1
Source: ZiL-131 of the Ukrainian Army
ZIL-131, 6x6 general-purpose army truck, Support Equipment - view 2
Source: ZIL-131 fuel truck
ZIL-131, 6x6 general-purpose army truck, Support Equipment - view 3
Source: 9P138 Grad-1 bases on ZiL-131
ZIL-131, 6x6 general-purpose army truck, Support Equipment - view 4
Source: Ukrainian ZiL-131 with ZU-23-2 anti-aircraft gun
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Sources

AMO ZIL legendary vehiclesPublisher: AMO ZIL | Note: Supports ZIL-131 manufacturer background, serial-production dates, variants, army body configuration, family production total, and relationship to the ZIL-130/131 truck line. | Accessed: 2026-07-13ZIL-131 Russian 6x6 General Purpose TruckPublisher: U.S. Army ODIN Worldwide Equipment Guide | Note: Supports the ZIL-131's basic description as a Soviet-designed 3.5-ton 6x6 general-purpose army truck. | Accessed: 2026-07-139K55 Grad-1 Multiple Launch Rocket SystemPublisher: Missilery.info | Note: Supports the ZIL-131 chassis relationship with the 9P138 Grad-1 combat vehicle and chassis-level mobility, engine, speed, dimension, and special-equipment context. | Accessed: 2026-07-13Oryx 2008 Russo-Georgian War Equipment LossesPublisher: Oryx | Note: Directly supports 2008 Russo-Georgian War use by listing Russian ZiL-131 trucks among visually documented destroyed vehicle losses. | Accessed: 2026-07-13Oryx Russian Equipment Losses in UkrainePublisher: Oryx | Note: Directly supports 2014 Russia-Ukraine War use by listing Russian ZiL-131 trucks, tankers, and UMZ mine-laying vehicles among visually documented losses. | Accessed: 2026-07-13Oryx Ukrainian Equipment Losses in UkrainePublisher: Oryx | Note: Directly supports 2014 Russia-Ukraine War use by listing Ukrainian ZiL-131 trucks, tankers, command vehicles, and ZiL-131 vehicles with ZU-23-2 guns among visually documented losses. | Accessed: 2026-07-13Oryx Nagorno-Karabakh Equipment LossesPublisher: Oryx | Note: Directly supports 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict use by listing Armenian and Artsakh-side ZiL-131 trucks among visually documented destroyed, damaged, and captured vehicle losses. | Accessed: 2026-07-13ZiL 131 picture1Publisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance and CC0 public-domain dedication for the ZIL-131 photograph. | Accessed: 2026-07-13ZiL-131 of the Ukrainian ArmyPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports gallery image provenance for a public-domain ZIL-131 photograph in Ukrainian Army markings. | Accessed: 2026-07-13ZIL-131 fuel truckPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports gallery image provenance for a public-domain U.S. Department of Defense photograph of a ZIL-131 fuel truck. | Accessed: 2026-07-139P138 Grad-1 bases on ZiL-131Publisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports gallery image provenance for a CC BY-SA 2.0 photograph of the ZIL-131-based 9P138 Grad-1 launcher. | Accessed: 2026-07-13Ukrainian ZiL-131 with ZU-23-2 anti-aircraft gunPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports the ZIL-131 relationship with the ZU-23-2 anti-aircraft gun and gallery image provenance for a CC BY-SA 2.0 Ministry of Defense of Ukraine photograph. | Accessed: 2026-07-13