In the beginning of the 1950's Sweden carried out some extensive AFV trials and developments. In 1953 Sweden was able to purchase 80 Centurions (strv 81 or "tank 81") from Great Britain and therefore the development work temporarily stopped, at least concerning the tank trials. Later on Sweden purchased additional Centurions to form the entire national tank fleet. However during the late 50's Sweden decided to pick up the trials where they had left them. Due to very thorough investigations and reports about recent conflicts (the main source of course being WW2) Sweden drew its own conclusions about how a future tank concept would look like. The main idea was to reduce the tanks frontal silhouette to a minimum and to give the crew maximum protection. According to hit probability analysis that Swedish engineers did, the hit probability increased with increased height of the vehicle and that it was 100% higher/ square inch in the turret than in the hull. So the solution was get rid of the turret! Several initial trial vehicles were built, amongst others a WW2 Sherman (bought from France after the war) which featured a fixed gun and a rebuilt running gear, this prototype was used to test aiming and gun traversing using only the tracks.
The result of these trials resulted in a very complicated hydraulic suspension system wich also incorporated the elevation and traverse of the main gun.
In 1959 "Bofors" (the well known Swedish ordnance manufacturer) got the order to build two main prototypes (S1 and S2) to "stridsvagn S" as it was called, S standing for Swedish. The prototypes were delivered in 1961 and later on 10 additional test vehicles (the "0" series) were delivered. In 1964 the Swedish government decided to purchase 290 tanks, the first in the series were delivered in 1967 and the last were delivered in 1971. The tank underwent two major rebuilds, the first in the middle of the seventies (strv 103B) and the second in the middle of the eighties (strv 103C). The "C" conversion added german Diehl tracks, laser range detector, new engines and additional protection, the most visible change being the "jerry can" rack on the sides.
Its main advantage was always the excellent 105 mm (though rifled) gun. The latest ammunition to be used had penetration nearly as good as contemporary 120 mm smoothbore guns. Another good feature was that both driver/gunner and the commander could both fire and drive the tank. In effect, if the reverse driver and the gunner/driver were put out of action the commander could still both "shoot´n scoot"!
The S-Tank was supposed to have good protection and with the engines and transmission in front of the crew thus serving as additional armour it did, at least in the 60's when it first was introduced. But when the T-72 arrived it became apparent that the protection needed to be improved. A steel "fence" was added to the front armour wich had some effect but when the T-80 appeared it was apparent that the protection was inadequate, to say the least!
In fact during the beginning of the 90's Sweden managed to get hold of some T-72's. The armour development section made some live firing tests against the "S" with them and the results were horrifying. Most of the rounds penetrated the frontal armour (through the steel "fence") smashed their way through the engines and crew compartement and ended their days in the ammunition stowage compartment, in the rear of the tank. NOT a very comforting surprise.
Another main disadvantage was that you couldn´t fire with any precision on the move! And with a fixed gun you couldn´t aim your gun at the most dangerous direction while on the move. Crucial, basic needs for any modern tank.
To add on the list of disadvantages the giant hydraulic system was both hazardous and posed a very serious firethreat. It was also prone to breaking down. The MTBF was appallingly short... (Mean Time Between Failures).
Today the "S" tank is no longer in service, the last conscripts to get training did so in 1996. It was decided to scrap the tanks but only when Sweden had aquired enough new tanks.This happened in the end of the 90's when Sweden purchased Leopard 2 A4 and A5 (the "Improved"). Recently the scrapping began and now (Jan 2000) the trains, loaded with tanks, are steadily rolling to the blast-furnaces.
Data:
Combat weight: 42.5 metric tons
Length: 8.99 metres
Width: 3.63 metres
Height: 2.14 metres ( turret roof)
Crew: 3, one commander, one driver/gunner and one "reverse driver" facing backwards, behind the driver/gunner.
Ground preassure: 104 kPa
Power/ weight ratio:18.4 hp/ton
Max speed: 50 km/ hour
Engines: 1 x Detroit diesel (6V-53T) mainly used to produce power for the hydraulic system.
1 x Caterpillar diesel gas turbine engine for the propulsion of the tank.
Total hp: 780 (the piston diesel: 290 hp and the gas turbine 490 hp)
Transmission: Volvo and Bofors, 3 automatic gears. The reverse utilizes the forward gears also so it as fast in reverse as in forward gear.
Hydraulics: contains 140 litres of HIGHLY flammable and VERY toxic hydraulic oil........
Armament: 1 x 105 mm main gun (the license built British L7 gun)
2 x fixed ksp 58 (the swedish licensebuilt MAG) in the hull.
1 x ksp 58 by the commander (which he can aim and fire independently from his seat)
2 x 71 mm flaremortars ("lyran"), the "S" had no thermal imaging sights or other modern observation devices.
8 x close proximity smoke dischargers fixed on the commanders cupola. (The commanders observation cupola was hydraulically powered and he could elevate and traverse it and fire the smoke and machinegun in any direction he saw fit.)
Ammunition: 105 mm APFSDS
105 mm HE
105 mm smokerounds for the main gun (a separate magazine manhandled by the reverse driver containing 5 rounds)
The main gun used an autoloader (located in the rear) containing up to 50 rounds . This worked very well and had loading times of about 3 seconds. To change ammunition you simply pressed a button. You could also fire in "automatic" mode (when for example you wanted to fire for effect with HE rounds). Thereby the system "locked" the elevation system giving it quite good precision. 1500 7,62 rounds for the machineguns (500 in each magazine).
Additional Sources: ipmslondon.tripod.com
www.trackpads.com
de.academyhobby.com
afvid.topcities.com
www.foreningenp5.com
www.haaland.info
w1.500.telia.com
softland.com.pl
www.ifrance.com
www.army.lt
On This Day In History
Birthdates which occurred on June 08:
1625 Giovanni Domenico Cassini discovered 4 satellites of Saturn
1813 David D Porter US Admiral (Civil War)
1829 Sir John Everett Millais England, painter (Order of Release)
1847 Ida Sazton McKinley 1st lady
1867 Frank Lloyd Wright Richland Center, Wisc, master builder
1914 Joseph de Pietro US, 56kg weightlifter (Olympic-gold-1948)
1916 Francis Crick codiscovered DNA's structure (Nobel 1962)
1917 Byron R (Whizzer) White Ft Collins CO, NFLer/Supreme Court Justice
1918 Robert Preston Newton MA, actor (Music Man, Mame, Last Starfighter)
1925 Barbara Pierce Bush Rye NY, 1st lady (1989- )
1925 Eddie Gaedel 3'7" St Louis Browns pinch-hitter (he walked)
1929 Jerry Stiller Bkln NY, comedian/actor (Stiller & Meara, Hairspray)
1933 Joan Rivers Brooklyn, comedian (The Late Show, Hollywood Squares)
1937 Bruce McCandless II Boston, Cap USN/astronaut (STS 41B, STS-31)
1939 Herb Adderley Phila, NFL hall of famer (Packers, Cowboys)
1940 Nancy Sinatra Jersey City, singer, her boots were made for walkin'
1944 William Royce "Boz" Scaggs Dallas Tx, rocker (Steve Miller Band)
1950 Alex Van Halen drummer (Van Halen-Jump, 1984)
1958 Keenen Ivory Wayans comedian (In Living Color)
Deaths which occurred on June 08:
632 Mohammed prophet of Islam (Koran), dies (according to tradition)
1376 Edward "Black Prince" of Wales, son of King Edward of England, dies at 46
1809 Thomas Paine writer (Age of Reason, Common Sense), dies at 72
1845 Andrew Jackson, seventh president of the United States, died in Nashville, Tenn.
1874 Apache Chief Cochise dies
1951 Paul Bobel, Werner Braune, Erich Naumann, Otto Ohlendorf, Oswald Pohl, W. Schallenmair & Otto Schmidt -- last Nazi war criminals hanged by Americans -- at Landsberg Fortress
1969 Robert Taylor actor (Death Valley Days), dies at 57
1979 Herb Polesie producer/playwright (20 Questions), dies at 79
1982 [Leroy] Satchel Paige, US baseball pitcher, dies at 75
2000 Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist Jeff MacNally died in Baltimore, Md., at age 52.
Reported: MISSING in ACTION
1963 KRAUSE ARTHUR E.---ONARGA IL.
[11/18/63 RELEASED]
1967 APODACA VICTOR J.---ENGLEWOOD CO.
1967 BUSCH JON T.---COLUMBUS OH.
[REMAINS RETURNED 10/88 CONTESTED]
1967 MYERS DAVID GEPHART---STATE COLLEGE PA.
1969 HARRIS JESSIE B.---PORT CHESTER NY.
[10/20/69 RELEASED]
1972 MURPHY JOHN S. JR.---WACO TX.
[03/27/73 RELEASED BY PRG, ALIVE AND WELL 98]
POW / MIA Data & Bios supplied by
the P.O.W. NETWORK. Skidmore, MO. USA.
On this day...
452 Italy invaded by Attila the Hun
536 St Silverius begins his reign as Catholic Pope
570 Relgion of Islam founded in Mecca
1783 Laki Volcano in southern Iceland begins 8-month eruption
1786 1st commercially-made ice cream sold (NY)
1815 39 German states unite under the Act of Confederation
1824 Washing machine patented by Noah Cushing of Quebec
1861 People of Tennessee vote to succeed from Union
1862 Valley Campaign-Battle of Cross Keys, Virginia
1869 Ives W McGaffey of Chicago patents 1st vacuum cleaner (it sucks)
1875 A Borrelly discovers asteroid #146 Lucina
1887 A Borrelly discovers asteroid #268 Adorea
1889 Start of Sherlock Holmes Adventure "The Boscombe Valley Mystery" (BG)
1900 Start of Sherlock Holmes "The Adventure of the 6 Napoleons" (BG)
1915 William Jennings Bryan quits as Secretary of State
1917 Walt Disney graduates from Benton High School
1918 Nova Aquila, brightest nova since Kepler's nova of 1604, discovered
1923 S Belyavskij discovers asteroid #995 Sternberga
1928 1st US-to-Australia flight lands (Sir Charles Kingford)
1937 World's largest flower blooms in NY Botonical Garden, 12' calla lily
1940 Discovery of element 93, neptunium, announced
1948 "The Milton Berle Show" premiers on NBC TV
1948 John Rudder becomes 1st negro commissioned officer in US marines
1953 Cluster of 6 tornaodes touch down in Flint Michigan killing 113
1953 Segregated lunch counters in DC forbidden by Supreme Court
1959 X-15 makes 1st unpowered flight, from a B-52 at 11,500 m
1965 US troops ordered to fight offensively in Vietnam
1965 USSR launches Luna 6; missed Moon
1966 NFL & AFL announce plans to become NFC & AFC in 1970
1967 Israel attacks USS Liberty in Mediterranean, killing 34 US crewmen
1968 Don Drysdale pitches a record 58th consecutive scoreless inning
1968 Gary Puckett & The Union Gap release "Lady Will Power"
1968 James Earl Ray, alleged assassin of Martin Luther King Jr, captured
1968 Rolling Stones release "Jumpin' Jack Flash"
1969 Mickey Mantle Day, 60,096 saw #7 retired
1969 Rolling Stones guitarist Mick Taylor replaces Brian Jones
1972 N Chernykh discovers asteroid #3230
1975 USSR launches Venera 9 for Venus landing
1979 The Source, 1st computer public information service, goes online
1982 Reagan addresses joint session of British Parliament
1983 Charlos Vieira begins 191 hr "nonstop" cycling in Leiria, Portugal
1986 Alleged Nazi Kurt Waldheim elected pres of Austria
1990 Phil Bradley hits the 18th inside-the-park HR in Oriole history
1991 A victory parade was held in Washington, D.C., to honor the veterans of the Persian Gulf War.
1995 U.S. Marines rescued Captain Scott O'Grady, whose F16-C fighter jet had been shot down by Bosnian Serbs on June 2.
2004 Transit of Venus (between Earth & Sun) occurs
Holidays
Note: Some Holidays are only applicable on a given "day of the week"
Swaziland, Botswana : Commonwealth Day
Massachusett : Children's Day (Sunday)
Shelby, Mich : National Asparagus Festival (Thursday)
Great Britain : Queen's official birthday (National Day)(Saturday)
National Fishing Week (Day 2)
National Humor Week (Day 3)
National Fragrance Week (Day 3)
National Bathroom Reading Week (Day 2)
Cancer in the Sun Month
Religious Observances
Christian : Feast of St Chlodulph
RC : Feast of St. Medard, bishop/confessor
Religious History
1536 Ten Articles of Religion were published by the English clergy, in support of Henry VIII's Declaration of Supremacy. The Anglican Church had begun defining its doctrinal distinctions, after breaking with Roman Catholicism.
1810 Birth of German composer Robert A. Schumann, who composed the sacred tune CANONBURY, to which is commonly sung the hymn, 'Lord Speak to Me That I May Speak.'
1942 Unevangelized Fields Mission (UFM) was incorporated in Philadelphia. Today this interdenominational mission agency works in a dozen countries in Latin America, Europe and Africa.
1973 The American Society of Missiology was founded in St. Louis. The ecumenical organization seeks to stimulate an academic interest in Christian missions, and publishes the journal 'Missiology: An International Review.'
1978 Through the voice of its president Spencer W. Kimball, the Mormon Church reversed a 148-year- long policy of spiritual discrimination against African-American leadership within the denomination.
Source: William D. Blake. ALMANAC OF THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. Minneapolis: Bethany House, 1987.
Thought for the day :
"Would that government spent our money like it was their own."
Actual Newspaper Headlines...
Include your Children when Baking Cookies
Why did the Chicken cross the Road...
Joseph Stalin:
I don't care. Catch it. I need its eggs to make my omelette.
Dumb Laws...
Texas:
Criminals must give their victims 24 hours notice, either orally or in writing, and to explain the nature of the crime to be committed.
A Cowboy's Guide to Life...
If you're ridin' ahead of the herd, take a look back every now and then to make sure it's still there with ya.
