Stridsvagn 103
| Stridsvagn 103 | |
|---|---|
Stridsvagn 103C
|
|
| Type | Amphibious Main battle tank |
| Place of origin | Sweden |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1960s–1997 |
| Used by | Swedish Army |
| Production history | |
| Designer | Sven Berge |
| Designed | 1956 |
| Manufacturer | Bofors AB |
| Produced | 1967–1971 |
| No. built | 290 |
| Variants | A, B, C, D |
| Specifications | |
| Weight | 103 B: 39.7 t (43.8 short tons; 39.1 long tons) 103 C: 42.5 t (46.8 short tons; 41.8 long tons) |
| Length | 9 m (29 ft 6 in) (incl. gun) |
| Width | 103 B: 3.60 m (11 ft 10 in) 103 C: 3.80 m (12 ft 6 in) |
| Height | To cupola: 2.14 m (7 ft 0 in) To vehicle roof: 1.9 m (6 ft 3 in) |
| Crew | 3 (Commander, gunner/driver, rear driver) |
|
|
|
| Armor | LOS: ~192–337mm Actual: 40–70mm |
|
Main
armament |
Bofors L74 10.5 cm L/62 rifled gun with Autoloader and 50 rounds |
|
Secondary
armament |
two fixed 7.62 mm KSP 58 machine guns one anti-aircraft 7.62 mm KSP 58 machine gun |
| Engine |
103 A: Rolls-Royce K60 diesel, 240 hp (179 kW) and Boeing GT502 gas turbine, 300 hp (223 kW) |
| Power/weight | 18.3 hp/tonne (B and C) |
| Transmission | 2 forward and 2 reverse speeds |
| Suspension | Gas-hydraulic hydropneumatic suspension |
|
Operational
range |
390 km (240 mi) |
| Speed | 60 km/h (37 mph) maximum road speed forwards or reverse |
103 A: Rolls-Royce K60 diesel, 240 hp (179 kW) and Boeing GT502 gas turbine, 300 hp (223 kW)
103 B: Rolls-Royce K60 diesel, 240 hp (179 kW) and Caterpillar 553 gas turbine, 490 hp (365 kW)
The Stridsvagn 103 (strv 103), also known as the S-Tank, was a Swedish post-war main battle tank. It was known for its unconventional design: it was turretless with a fixed gun traversed by engaging the tracks and elevated by adjusting the hull suspension. While turretless armoured fighting vehicles are usually classified as assault guns or tank destroyers, despite its unique gun laying process the Strv 103 is considered a tank because its designated combat role matched those of other tanks within contemporary Swedish doctrine. It is the only mass-produced tank of any kind since World War II to dispense with a turret.
The Strv 103 was designed and manufactured in Sweden. It was developed in the 1950s and was the first main battle tank to use a turbine engine. The result was a very low-profile design with an emphasis on survivability and heightened crew protection level. Strv 103s formed a major portion of the Swedish armoured forces from the 1960s to part of the 1990s, when, along with the Centurions, it was replaced by the Stridsvagn 121 and the Stridsvagn 122.
In the mid-1950s, the Royal Swedish Army Materiel Administration (Kungliga Arméförvaltningens Tygavdelning) put out a contract tender for next generation tank design to replace their Centurions. A consortium of Landsverk, Volvo and Bofors responded with a suggestion to revive an earlier domestic heavy tank design, known under the codename KRV, fitted with a 155 mm smoothbore gun in an oscillating turret. However, this was deemed too expensive in comparison to the alternatives: A(Anglo-American), which was to purchase a 50-ton tank with high protection and mediocre mobility from either the UK or US. Alternative T(Tysk-Fransk /German-French) was a 30-ton tank with low protection and good mobility. Then, in 1956, Sven Berge of the Swedish Arms Administration proposed Alternativ S, a domestic alternative (S standing for Swedish).
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Wikipedia