PBV-301 series of tracked armoured vehicles

PBV 301

SERIES OF ARMOURED VEHICLES

The need for a replacement of the existing wheeled armoured personnel carriers as well as the evolving threat of air assaults, amphibious assaults and the nuclear threat prompted the development of an armored vehicle that could not only transport the infantry but also provide fire support as well as undertake limited anti-armour operations. It was thought that the obsolete Strv m/41 could be remanufactured into an APC/IFV and in mid-1957 a wooden mock-up was built on chassis #80032. This vehicle was shown to representatives of AB Landsverk and Hägglund & Söner in May 1958 and two prototypes were ordered and delivered in the winter of 1959. A pre-series of 10 vehicles was ordered in June 1959, three vehicles from AB Landsverk and seven from AB Hägglund & Söner. AB Landsverk build a further three prototypes on chassis #80074, 80075 and 281. Hägglund & Söner also developed 7-8 prototypes, among them: #301, 302, 303, 80043 and the final version accepted for production #80091. In summer of 1960, the first complete Pbv 301 underwent testing and by the autumn of 1961, nine chassis had been delivered though they had no turrets and an m/39 MG were used as temporary armament. In June 1960 220 Pbv 301 were ordered, Hägglund's got the order, and all were delivered by April 1963. It had a crew of two men and could carry another 8 personnel but the interior was cramped when the vehicle was fully loaded and as there was no heater inside it was an uncomfortable vehicle in winter. There were two hatches on the personnel compartment roof which could be opened, enabling 4 men to fire from inside the vehicle. The overhead mount turret was armed with a m/45B 20mm automatic cannon was taken from the J-21 fighter aircraft. The engine was a SFA B44 modified air-cooled aircraft engine which provided 150hp. The transmission was the original semiautomatic Praga-Wilson type with 5 gears. The original tracks were the same as when the vehicle was a Strv m/41 and they were sometimes very worn and caused a number of problems.