Stridsvagn 122
| Stridsvagn 122 | |
|---|---|
 Stridsvagn 122 during an urban warfare exercise, 2006 | |
| Type | Main battle tank |
| Place of origin |
Germany Sweden |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1999-present |
| Used by | Swedish Army |
| Production history | |
| Manufacturer | BAE Systems AB |
| Unit cost | US$5.74 million |
| Produced | 1999-present |
| Number built | 280 |
| Variants |
Strv 121 Strv 122 Strv 122B |
| Specifications | |
| Weight | 59.85 tonnes (58.90 long tons; 65.97 short tons) |
| Length | 9.97 m (393 in) (gun forward) |
| Width | 3.87 m (152 in) |
| Height | 3.12 m (123 in) |
| Crew | 4 |
|
| |
| Armour | 3rd generation composite; including high-hardness steel, tungsten and plastic filler with ceramic component. |
Main armament |
1 x 120 mm Rheinmetall L44 smoothbore gun 42 rounds |
Secondary armament |
2 x 7.62 mm Ksp m/94 4,750 rounds 8 x smoke grenade launchers |
| Engine |
MTU MB 873 Ka-501 liquid-cooled V-12 Twin-turbo diesel engine 1,500 PS (1,479 hp, 1,103 kW) at 2,600 rpm |
| Power/weight | 24.19 PS/t (17.79 kW/t) |
| Transmission | Renk HSWL 354 |
| Suspension | Torsion-bar suspension |
| Ground clearance | 540 mm |
| Fuel capacity | 1,200 liters (317 US gallons; 264 imp. gal) |
Operational range | 550 km (340 mi) (internal fuel) |
| Speed | 72 km/h (45 mph) |
Stridsvagn 122 (Battle Tank 122) is a modified version of the German-built Leopard 2A5, utilizing newer technology such as, command, control and fire control systems, as well as reinforced armor and long-term combat capacity. Externally, the vehicle can be distinguished from the Leopard 2A5 by the French GALIX smoke dispensers, different storage bins, and the thicker crew hatches.[1] The Strv 122B, a variant equipped with modular AMAP composite armour from IBD Deisenroth, provides "360° protection" against threats such as EFPs, RPGs and IEDs.[2] The width of exactly 4 metres (13 ft) has been kept, while the weight increases by only 350 kilograms (770 lb).[2] Discovery Channel named it the best main battle tank in existence as of 2010.[3]
Features
The Stridsvagn 122 was designed to fight in Swedish conditions including heavily forested areas as well as urban terrain. It also had to overcome the perceived flaws of the original German tank, and features the following abilities:[4]
- Heavily reinforced armor to protect against man-portable anti-tank weapons.
- An advanced CBRN defense system for protection against chemical, biological and radioactive weapons.
- Amphibious ability to pass through water up to 1.4 m deep.
- Quick ability to discover, identify and lock on a target with the assistance of a laser rangefinder, infrared sights, and a speed/distance/accuracy calculator for maximum accuracy.
- Ability to fight an opponent effectively at a distance of 4,000 meters whilst maintaining a maximum combat range of 8,000 meters.
- Ability to lock onto numerous targets at once, enabling the tank to fight numerous enemy vehicles without having to manually re-aim the gun after every shot.
- Active communication for improved cooperation between units.
Production and Service
As of 2013, only 120 of these tanks remain in active service while 160 earlier versions are kept in storage as a part of the Swedish army reserves. The active tanks are divided upon three regiments, namely Skaraborgs regemente, södra skånska regementet, and Norrbottens regemente.
Comparison with other main battle tanks
 Strv 122 |
 M1A2 |
 T-90 |
 Leopard 2A5 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unit cost | US$5.74 million | US$6.21 million | US$4.24 million | US$5.74 million |
| Weight | 59.85 t | 62.1 t | 47.5 t | 62.3 t |
| Length | 9.97 m | 9.77 m | 9.63 m | 9.97 m |
| Width | 4 m | 3.7 m | 3.78 m | 3.75 m |
| Height | 3.12 m | 2.4 m | 2.22 m | 3 m |
| Crew | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 |
| Armour | 3rd generation composite | Depleted Uranium composite | Composite/reactive | 3rd generation composite |
| Main armament | 1x 120 mm smoothbore gun | 1x 120 mm smoothbore gun | 1x 125 mm smoothbore gun | 1x 120 mm smoothbore gun |
| Main ammunition | 42 rounds | 42 rounds | 42 rounds | 42 rounds |
| Secondary armament | 2x 7.62mm machine guns | 1x 12.7mm heavy machine gun 2x 7.62mm machine guns |
1x 12.7mm heavy machine gun 1x 7.62mm machine gun |
2x 7.62mm machine guns |
| Secondary ammunition | 4,750 rounds | 900 rounds 8,800 rounds |
7,000 rounds | 4,750 rounds |
| Engine | 1,500 hp | 1,500 hp | 1,250 hp | 1,500 hp |
| Power/weight | 25.06 hp/t | 24.5 hp/t | 26.3 hp/t | 23.86 hp/t |
| Suspension | Torsion-bar suspension | Torsion-bar suspension | Torsion-bar suspension | Torsion-bar suspension |
| Fuel capacity | 1,200 l | 1,900 l | 1,200 l | |
| Operational range | 550 km | 391 km | 700 km | 550 km |
| Speed | 72 km/h | 67 km/h | 65 km/h | 72 km/h |
References
- ↑ Swedish Defence Materiel Administration: Leopard 2 - Stridsvagn 122 (Swedish)
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "New MBT122B Evolution with Unprecedented Protection" (PDF). IBD Deisenroth Engineering. Retrieved 28 December 2010.
- ↑ http://www.garaget.org/video/119602
- ↑ http://www.forsvarsmakten.se/sv/materiel-och-teknik/fordon/stridsvagn-122/