One of the signs of state independence is the obligatory presence of the Armed Forces. The army of any country is divided into several main areas, namely: Air Force, Naval Forces and Ground Forces. In turn, ground forces are manned with tank units, without which it is impossible to imagine the implementation of major military operations. This article will discuss such a type of army equipment as a Swedish tank. We will talk more about him.
History reference
The First World War did not pass by the Swedish military in the sense that they carefully watched the armored vehicles and looked for various ways to modernize their army. Initially, the Swedes wanted to buy a tank from the British for its detailed study, but they eventually abandoned the idea, as the Swedish leadership decided that the deal was too expensive (40,000 kroons).
German fraud
The first Swedish tank was a tractor. At first glance, this sounds silly, but it was under the guise of this agricultural machinery that Germany, after losing the war, sold 10 of its LK-II tanks to Sweden. At the same time, the vehicles were delivered disassembled, and the final assembly of the tanks was carried out on Swedish soil. The very first combat vehicle was assembled by the Scandinavians in April 1922, and already in August all ten pieces were on alert. In the fall of 1924, these Swedish tanks were called M / 21.
Modernization
In the period 1924-1925, experiments on the installation of radio stations were carried out on these machines. All 10 tanks turned out to be a real “first textbook” for Swedish military engineers and for the entire industry. In 1929, each of these combat units underwent modernization: they were equipped with Swedish Scania Vabis 1554 engines, each of which had an output of 85 horsepower (the German counterpart had 56 hp).
Opinion of the General Staff
In 1928, the chief of the General Staff Hammarskjöld voiced the requirements that the Swedish tank had to meet:
- Optimum firepower (two machine guns and a gun must be installed on the machine).
- Excellent cross-country ability (at least 10 km / h on rough terrain and at least 20 km / h on a normal road).
- Armor should protect guns with a caliber of 37 mm from fire.
- The mass of the tank should not exceed 12 tons so that it can pass through the bridges without any problems.
Engineers Suggestions
Several projects from various companies were immediately submitted. In particular, the Mogårdshammarstridsvagnen tank was offered in six versions, among which there was a place for a car that could be moved by rail. However, the project was not developed due to the death of its author.
In turn, the Landsverk company offered its Swedish STRV tank under the name L-5. He had the ability to move on tracks and on specially lowered wheels for driving on the highway. Of the weapons was a 37 mm caliber gun and two machine guns. However, at the same time, booking a car that could withstand only machine-gun fire was very weak.
1930s era
This Swedish tank was not accepted into service, but eventually became the basis for the production in 1930 of the L-30 - a wheeled-tracked tank. This military equipment in the tests of 1931 was able to show excellent speed characteristics. With a combat weight of 11,500 kg, the tank accelerated to 35 km / h on the tracks, and to 75 km / h on wheels.
Subsequently, the Swedish tanks of the 30s received only a caterpillar move. They abandoned the wheels. The most popular were L-10 cars manufactured by Landsverk. They had two carts, on each of which there were two road wheels. In turn, the rollers were double and had a rubber band. Carts assembled were fixed on the bracket in the lower part of the hull and had shock absorption. The frontal armor of the car was 24 mm. From the armament on the machine there was a 37-mm gun manufactured by Bofors, a projectile which from a distance of 300 meters pierced a 42 mm sheet of metal, from a distance of 1000 m - a sheet of 28 mm. There was also a 6.5 mm machine gun.
In 1934, Landsverk proposed two more new developments for the Armed Forces: the L-100 tank, which had light weight and was intended for reconnaissance, and the L-60, the successor to the L-10, which was originally supposed to be exported, and therefore, the Swedish army bought the first few of these machines only in 1937. The L-60 tank had 15 mm of armor and an automatic gun of 20 mm caliber.
In 1939, the M-39 tank was adopted, equipped with a semi-automatic Bofors gun with a diameter of 37 mm and two machine guns. The tower had a new design.
1940s period
If we consider the Swedish tanks of World War II, it is important to note that the development of tank construction at that time in Sweden was facilitated by the experience of the German military, which made the Swedes reconsider their views on tank troops as a whole.
In 1942, a program aimed at developing the Armed Forces and providing for the creation of three tank brigades was approved in Sweden. In each of them there should have been two battalions. The total number of military vehicles totaled 315 light units and 228 heavy.
The Swedish light tank m / 40K was one of the most popular in the army of this Scandinavian country. The car received reinforced suspension, as well as engines with a capacity of 160 horsepower. Frontal reservation was up to 50 mm, and on-board - up to 20 mm. There is also information that the Swedes managed to get mechanical transmissions from Germany, similar to those used on the m / 39.
The Swedish branch of m / 41 tanks also had reinforced frontal and aft armor. The tower received a simplified design, but at the same time more powerful armor. All design changes led to the fact that the engineers had to increase the length of the hull by 65 mm and increase the capacity of the fuel tanks (from 190 to 230 liters). The possibility of using a more efficient welded construction of the hull and turret was also considered, but it was decided that reformatting the production would take too much time, and as a result, this idea was abandoned.
Swedish m / 42 tanks had a weight of 22.5 tons. The crew of the car was four people. Armored vehicles as weapons had a 75-mm twin gun and two machine guns with a caliber of 8 mm. The third machine gun was installed on the course installation. The hull and turret of the tank were welded together and had a streamlined shape. They were assembled using cast parts in the frontal part. The armor of the car reached 55 mm (some sources say that this figure even reached 80 mm). Motors and transmission were produced in several versions, which received the corresponding two-letter index. The early models of tanks were equipped with a twin propulsion system with a capacity of 325 horsepower and had a mechanical transmission and electromechanical control. A little later, the cars began to produce with automatic transmission for each of the engines. And a little later, the tanks began to be produced with one engine manufactured by Volvo, the power of which, according to various sources, could reach from 380 to 410 horsepower. In addition, there was a place for automatic transmission, which was already unified.
Despite all the technical differences, all m / 42 tanks had the same maximum speed - 42 km / h.
Separately, several models were assembled for commanders, these samples were specially equipped with an auxiliary radio station with a 70-watt transmitter. It was located on the site of the machine gun course, the barrel of which was replaced by a quality mock-up.
In the period 1944-1945, the main striking force of the tank forces of Sweden was m / 42. These Swedish tanks, the photo of which is shown below, significantly exceeded their predecessors in armament and in the distribution of crew functions. But, despite all this, already in the middle of 1944 this sample was at the bottom of the rating of medium tanks based on then existing world standards. Its short-barreled gun with a diameter of 75 mm was quite ineffective due to the low initial flight speed of the armor-piercing projectile. To this, it is also worth adding serious problems with reliability: the chassis quickly wore out, the rotation mechanism was overloaded, and the electromechanical transmission failed.
Self-propelled artillery mounts
In September 1941, the head of the army approved the need for the development and production of self-propelled guns. Already at the beginning of 1942, tests of the prototype installation on the chassis of the m / 38 tank with a cannon of 74 mm caliber showed that this direction of production is very promising.
Further work revealed that the m / 41 chassis was the most optimal. In March 1943, the development of self-propelled guns with a gun of 75 mm m / 02 caliber began. In the same year, tests were carried out on the Pav m / 43 machine, which showed that the 105 mm howitzer was best recommended.
In 1944, self-propelled guns were adopted with the marking Sav m / 43. These machines borrowed the chassis from the m / 41 SII, and a wheelhouse equipped with 50 mm thick frontal armor was placed in place of the turret box. A gun with a diameter of 75 mm was the gun. However, since 1945, the caliber began to be changed to 105 mm. The combat set was 43 shots. For use as an assault gun, self - propelled guns did not fit, since it lacked a machine gun and the required protection against anti-tank guns.
Post-war period
Swedish heavy tanks began to be developed in 1949. The project to create heavy and powerful machines received the code KRV. The ultimate goal of the work was to create a heavy tank, the combat weight of which was to be 40-45 tons.
Initially, 105, 120 and 155 mm guns were considered as the main gun. The 155 mm caliber gun was most interesting, but it was still abandoned. After a certain analysis, the military opted for a 120-mm rifled gun.
The study of the layout led to the fact that the engineers were convinced: in order to ensure the required mass and dimensions of the tank, it was necessary to abandon the turret familiar to everyone. The most optimal option was considered the transition to a swinging tower, which was supposed to consist of two parts. The lower part was planned to be placed on the pursuit. She would be responsible for horizontal guidance of the gun. The upper part moved in a vertical plane.
In order for the new Swedish branch of tanks to be developed, it was decided to purchase a heavy tank AMX 50 from France. Having studied all its features, the Swedes launched a project called KRV Emil. The creators planned to develop a tower that has all the necessary equipment and automation, so that it does not need to have a person. Of course, this approach caused difficulties, but nevertheless three versions of the future tank were developed.
The first involved the production of a machine weighing within 28 tons. The model was to be 5.8 meters in length, 2.6 meters in width and 2.35 meters in height. The caliber of the gun is 120 mm.
The front of the tank should be a haven for the driver, the middle was reserved for the swinging tower, and the rear for the engine and transmission compartment. The gunner and the tank commander were to be located in the tower. The armor of the car on the sides and stern was equal to 20 mm, and in the frontal part - 70 mm. The tower was equipped with even more serious protection: in the frontal part of 150 mm, on the sides and behind - 30 mm. It was planned to equip the twenty-eight-ton tank with a powerful engine of 550 liters. with.
The most interesting part of the car was the tower, which has a swinging part. In addition, its limited volumes obliged to equip military equipment with an exclusive automatic loader. In the aft part of the tower, it was planned to place two drums on which the shells would be located, as well as a loading, sending and supply line for the ammunition.
The second version of the KRV Emil tank included the use of a more powerful gun and thicker armor. The frontal part was supposed to have a thickness of 145 mm, the side - 60 mm. The mass of the car was to increase to 38 tons. The planned engine power was at 665 liters. with.
The third option is the most difficult in the literal sense of the word, since the machine was supposed to weigh 42 tons and have an engine of 810 liters. with. The level of protection remained the same with the second version of the tank.
Unfortunately for the Swedish army, the KRV Emil project was never crowned with a positive result. Problems with the development and creation of the swinging tower led to the fact that the Swedish military decided to purchase foreign equipment, so British- made tanks were in service with Sweden until the early 2000s.
Tank Destroyer
The Swedish tank Strv 103 was the main combat unit of the Swedish armored forces in the 1960s. Actually, this is not so much a tank as their fighter. It is endowed with a unique layout, which is manifested in the absence of a tower and a rigid connection of the gun with the hull. Gun guidance is carried out by turning the machine and tilting the body using the suspension. It is also the first tank on the planet in which, in addition to the diesel, a gas turbine engine was installed.
The armament of the machine is a 105 mm gun, three 7.62 mm machine guns, one anti-aircraft machine gun, two four-barreled grenade launchers. The main engine is a K-60 diesel engine with a capacity of 240 liters. with., and auxiliary - "Boeing-502" with a capacity of 330 liters. with.
Also, the tank had duplicate controls located in the aft. Thanks to this, the radio operator there, if necessary, could also control the machine and drive it in reverse.
Swedish project
In 1997, Hägglunds began to create a new Swedish tank. The project received the code CV 90-120.
This tank used a chassis based on the C90 BMP. Also added special stiffeners, which allowed to maintain the stability of the machine after firing a 120 mm caliber gun. True, because of this, the dynamic characteristics were slightly reduced.
The engine of the tank is an 8-cylinder Scania unit, developing a capacity of 640 liters. with., the transmission of the machine - Perkins X 300. All this allows the tank with its own weight of 26 tons to accelerate with a full ammunition up to 70 km / h. The geometry of the tracks and the bottom is optimized for driving the car on snow. The driver can use three telescopic devices to view the terrain.
The Swedish CV90120 invisible tank has an automatic projectile and loading system. The machine can fire up to 14 rounds per minute. Ammunition is 45 shells. The gun is equipped with a special device that absorbs soot formed after firing.
Automatic drives allow the tower to perform circular rotation and move the gun in the range from - 8 to +22 degrees. The shooter has the opportunity to use a laser rangefinder, target designator, thermal imager.
The invisibility of the tank is ensured by the use of the Adaptiv infrared masking system.
The outside of Adaptiv is a six-angle plate. With the help of such a design feature, the tank not only becomes invisible to the enemy, but is also able to generate the so-called false phantom, which the electronics “draw”. If necessary, the machine sprays an aerosol cloud around itself, which holds the invisibility screen for more than two minutes. The capacity of the composition is 300 liters.
An electronic protection is also provided in the car, which informs the crew that a reconnaissance unit is located at their course. Then there is the possibility of both direct destruction of the discovered equipment, and jamming.
Conclusion
This overview of Swedish tanks is brief. Modern technology does not stand still, and the sphere of the defense complex is no exception. Today’s tanks are high-tech vehicles that can quickly move, detect and destroy the enemy.