Copyright © Hans Högman 2025-09-08
Infantry Fighting Vehicles,
Sweden - 2
Tracked Armored Personnel
Carrier (Pansarbandvagn)
Pansarbandvagn 301 (Tracked Armored
Personnel Carrier 301)
The tracked armored personnel carrier 301
(Pansarbandvagn 301 (Pbv 301)) was an armored
personnel carrier used by the Swedish Army
between 1962 and 1971. The Pbv 301 was
developed as a temporary solution to provide
armored units' riflemen with armored transport
while awaiting delivery of the new armored
personnel carrier 302 (Pbv 302). The vehicle
consisted of a chassis from the now
decommissioned m/1941 tank (Stridsvagn
m/1941), but with a new superstructure. The vehicle
was also fitted with a new 4-cylinder air-cooled boxer
engine from Svenska Flygmotor AB (SFA).
The conversion was carried out by Hägglund &
Söner, and 220 vehicles were delivered between
1962 and 1963. The Pbv 301 was organized into an
armored battalion in each armored brigade.
The image shows the tracked armored personnel
carrier 301 (Pansarbandvagn 301), No. 314. Image:
Artillery Museum, ID: ART.200006.
The crew consisted of a vehicle commander,
gunner, and driver. The driver sat at the front right,
and the gunner sat behind him. The vehicle
commander sat diagonally behind the engine on the
left. The Pbv 301 could transport seven soldiers in
full combat gear, three on the left side and four on
the right side. Entry and exit were through two doors
at the rear of the vehicle.
The soldiers could also fight from the vehicle
through an opening in the roof, which was closed
with two roof hatches.
The Pbv 301 was armed with a 20 mm automatic
cannon m/45 from the decommissioned Lansen J
21A fighter aircraft. The gun was given the new
designation m/45B. It was placed above the gunner's
observation hatch and was aimed and fired by the
gunner. The vehicle also had three smoke launchers
on each side of the front armor.
Variants:
The vehicle was available in three variants: troop
transport vehicle, combat command tracked
armored vehicle, and fire control tracked armored
vehicle.
•
Pbv 301: For troop transport. 185 were
manufactured.
•
Pbv 3011: combat command tracked armored
vehicle. 20 were manufactured.
•
Pbv 3012: Fire control tracked armored vehicle. 15
were manufactured.
The image shows the interior
of the tracked armored
personnel carrier 301
(Pansarbandvagn 301). Image:
Wikipedia.
Specifications:
•
Crew
3
•
Troops
7
•
Mass
11,700 kg
•
Length
4.66 m
•
Width
2.35 m
•
Height
2.64 m
•
Engine
5,15 l SFA B44, 4 cylinders,
petrol, 160 hp
•
Max. speed
45 km/h
•
Armor
8 – 50 mm (upper front 20 mm in
55º)
•
Main armament
20 mm automatic cannon
m/45B
•
Numbers
220
•
In Swedish service
1962 – 1971
Pansarbandvagn 302 (Tracked Armored
Personnel Carrier 302)
The tracked armored personnel carrier 302
(Pansarbandvagn 302 (PBV 302)) is a Swedish
armored personnel carrier developed in the 1960s
and used for armored infantry, troop transport,
personnel transport, medical transport, and
equipment transport. The PBV 302 was developed by
Hägglund & Söner, with the first prototype
completed in 1962. The series was manufactured
between 1965 and 1972, and in 1966 the first PBV
302 entered service and began to gradually replace
the Armored Personnel Carrier 301. Following
defense decisions in the early 2000s, the PBV 302
began to be phased out of the military organization.
In 2005, the first phase-out of 160 vehicles took
place, which then continued based on the progress
of the procurement of new combat vehicle systems.
In 2018, it was reported that there were an
estimated 180 armored personnel carriers PBV 302
remaining (with highly varying technical status),
which were then placed in the unit or equipment
reserve. In May 2024, the government announced
that the entire remaining Swedish stock,
approximately 250 units, of PBV 302 would be
donated to Ukraine.
The image shows a tracked armored personnel
carrier 302 (pansarbandvagn 302) at Revingehed in
2015. Image: Wikipedia.
The crew sits in the front and consists of a gunner,
driver, and vehicle commander. The gunner sits at
the front left under the weapon turret, the vehicle
commander to the right, and the driver in the middle
at the front. Troops transported in the rear combat
compartment are not counted as part of the crew.
The vehicle can transport nine troops, including a
vehicle commander, with full combat equipment.
They enter and exit through two doors at the rear of
the vehicle. It is also possible to battle from two
hatches on the roof.
These are called
combat hatches and
are opened and
closed hydraulically.
Fighting from the
combat hatches is
called vehicle combat,
and dismounted
combat is called close
combat.
The image shows a tracked armored personnel
carrier 302 (pansarbandvagn 302) at Revingehed.
Image: Wikipedia.
The armament of the PBV 302 consists of a 20 mm
Hispano Suiza HS 804 automatic cannon (m/47D) in
a weapon turret on the left side of the front of the
vehicle. The periscope sight has eight times
magnification and a ballistic reticle. Since 2009, there
has been a permanent solution for exterior
attachment of the machine gun 58 as secondary
armament. The vehicle is also equipped with two
smoke grenade launchers, each with three launch
tubes for close-range smoke.
In February 1966, the first production vehicle (No.
4002) was delivered to the Göta Life Guard Regiment
in Enköping, followed by deliveries continuing until
1972.
A total of 518 PBV 302 vehicles were
manufactured in the troop transport version and
126 vehicles in special versions – 69 vehicles for
combat control (Stripbv 3021), 48 vehicles for fire
control (Epbv 3022) and 9 vehicles as battery
position vehicles (bplpbv 3023).
Variants:
•
PBV 302A: the original standard troop
transport/IFV variant (models 3021, 3022, 3023,
3024, and 3026).
•
PBV 302B: a variant that incorporates internal
splinter protection, also known as liners, along
with additional external protection (3021B).
•
PBV 302C: a variant similar to the 302B, it includes
illuminating mortars, new lights, a new turbo
engine, air conditioning, and reinforced
suspension (models 3021C, 3022C, 3023C, 3024C,
and 3025C). It has mainly been used for UN and
KFOR missions.
•
PBV 302H
Specifications:
•
Crew
3
•
Troops
8
•
Mass
14,000 kg
•
Length
5.35 m
•
Width
2.86 m
•
Height
2.5 m
•
Engine
9.6 L Volvo PENTA THD 100, 6-
cylinder direct-injection supercharged diesel 201
kW (270 hp)
•
Max. speed
66 km/h (road), 8 km/h (water)
•
Armor
23 mm (front)
•
Main armament
20 mm automatic cannon
m/47
•
Sec. armament
7.62 mm machine gun 58
•
Manufactured
1965–1972
•
Numbers
644 (518 + 126)
•
In Swedish service
1966 – 2005 (?)
Pansarbandvagn 401 (Tracked Armored
Personnel Carrier 401)
The tracked armored personnel carrier 401
(Pansarbandvagn 401 (PBV 401)) is the Swedish
designation for the MT-LB vehicles purchased from
reunified Germany in 1993 to provide the Norrland
and Infantry Brigades with an armored off-road
vehicle at a low price.
The MT-LB was developed in the former Soviet
Union in the late 1960s. When East Germany
rejoined with West Germany in the early 1990s, a
military surplus arose, which was sold at a very low
cost. Sweden acquired a total of 1,016 vehicles. Of
these, 460 PBV 401s and 90 tracked recovery vehicles
4012 were refurbished and transferred to Sweden.
The remaining vehicles, including the 2S1 Gvozdika
(228 units), were scrapped on-site in Germany for
various reasons, including the recycling of spare
parts. Today, there are no PBV 401 vehicles left in the
Swedish Armed Forces.
The image shows the tracked armored personnel
carrier 401 (Pansarbandvagn 401 (PBV 401)). Image:
Miliseum, ID: MILIF.024534.
The crew consisted of a driver and a vehicle
commander, and in the case of the PVRB 56 (missile
system RBS 56), also a missile gunner. At the rear
was a combat compartment for up to 11 troops, or
alternatively extra radio equipment and work tables
for the unit commander and staff.
The armament consisted of a light machine gun
(Ksp m/95) mounted in a small turret and operated
by the vehicle commander.
Variants:
The PBV 401 tracked armored personnel carrier was
available in a large number of variants.
Specifications:
•
Crew
2-3; driver, vehicle commander +
possible missile operator.
•
Troops
11
•
Mass
10,350 kg
•
Length
6.45 m
•
Width
2.85 m
•
Height
1.87 m
•
Engine
JaMZ-238W V-8 diesel 177 kW
(240 hp)
•
Max. speed
61 km/h (road), 30 km/h (off-
road), 6 km/h (water)
•
Armor
3–14 mm
•
Main armament
7.62mm PKT machine gun,
2.500 rounds
•
In Swedish service
1995 - 2010
•
Numbers
460 + 90
Pansarbandvagn 501 (Tracked Armored
Personnel Carrier 501)
The tracked armored personnel carrier 501
(Pansarbandvagn 501 (PBV 501)) is an amphibious
armored infantry fighting vehicle (IFV) created in the
former Soviet Union under the designation BMP-1,
which was developed in the early 1960s and built
since 1966. At that time, it was the most powerful
armored infantry fighting vehicle in the world. The
BMP-1 had a 73 mm smoothbore cannon and a
9M14 Maljutka anti-tank missile. Production was
discontinued in 1983.
The BMP-1 was also used in Sweden under the
designation PBV 501 (Pansarbandvagn 501) and
was a transitional vehicle between the PBV 302 and
the combat vehicle CV 90.
The crew consists of a gunner, driver, and vehicle
commander. The driver sits at the front left of the
vehicle. Behind him, level with the turret, sits the
vehicle commander.
The vehicle can carry six troops. The troops can
disembark at the rear through two large doors.
There are roof hatches from which the troops can
fight, as well as four small firing ports on each side
and one in the left rear door.
The armament consists of a 73 mm low-pressure
cannon with a parallel-connected machine gun. The
turret can be rotated 360°.
The image shows the tracked armored personnel
carrier 501 (Pansarbandvagn 501 (PBV 501)) in
single-color camouflage. Image: Arsenalens
fordonsmuseum, Strängnäs.
In the Swedish defense decision of 1992, funds
were allocated for, among other things, the
mechanization of the infantry brigades. As a result,
609 MT-LB (PBV 401) tracked armored personnel
vehicles with splinter protection were obtained from
former East Germany.
In 1993, the Swedish army wanted to purchase
additional vehicles from Germany, as it was
considered that the 609 PBV 401 vehicles already
purchased were not sufficient to fill the infantry
brigades. The army proposed the BMP-1 as an
alternative. Five BMP-1 vehicles were procured for
testing.
In 1994, 433 armored personnel carriers of the BMP-
1 SP-2, BMP-1P, and BMP-1A1 variants were
purchased. Of these, 83 were used as spare parts for
the remaining 350 vehicles that were planned to be
included in the war organization.
However, the tracked vehicles that were purchased
were in great need of renovation, as many of them
had been left outdoors without protection. The
Czech business VOP 026 carried out the renovation
of the 350 vehicles. After the final modifications were
approved in 1996, the first deliveries began that
same year. Deliveries continued at a rate of 12
vehicles per month until the end of 2001.
In Sweden, the BMP-1 was designated
Pansarbandvagn 501 (PBV 501).
Of the 350 PBV 501s, only 120 were deployed to the
units, while the remaining 230 were immediately
placed in storage. In 2005, it was decided that 335
vehicles would be sold. In December 2008, the Czech
state-owned company VOP-026 purchased 335
vehicles with associated equipment and spare parts.
Several vehicles remain in Sweden at various
museums.
Specifications:
•
Crew
3
•
Troops
8
•
Mass
13,500 kg
•
Length
6.74 m
•
Width
2.94 m
•
Height
2.15 m
•
Engine
Diesel 225 kW (300 hp)
•
Max. speed
65 km/h (road), 45 km/h (off-
road), 7 km/h (water)
•
Armor
33 mm (max)
•
Main armament
73 mm 2A28 cannon (40
rounds), 9M14 Maljutka ATGM
•
Sec. armament
7.62mm PKT machine gun
•
In Swedish service
1996 - 2005
•
Numbers
350
