The Stridsvagn 103, shortly Strv 103, was the one of most unusual tanks of the First
Cold War period. This turretless tank caused many disputations. It was a brilliant design
for some. Yet, many others have claimed the turretless tank concept was freaky and useless.
Now, we are investigating the Strv 103, the way-out and legendary Swedish tank.
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A little note before we get started. We may have slightly lost our neutrality in this
video about the Strv 103, which we absolutely love as a whole team. So, we ask for your
sympathy and understanding. The Strv 103 was one of the Swedish out of
the box weapon systems developed during the First Cold War. In this era, no other country
had used such a tank. Yes, there were some vehicles such as the
Soviet ASU-57 and ASU-85, and the German Jagdpanzer Kanone 90mm. But, they were assault guns,
not a turretless tank. To explain this distinction better, let's
first look at the historical and geographical factors that paved the way for the development
of the Strv 103. The mass production capability and manpower
had decided the winning side of the Second World War.
In the conventional phase of the possible Third World War, both NATO and the Warsaw
Pact was still relying on their massive production capabilities and manpower.
However, Sweden had a small population but a large territory with many water obstacles.
Relying on numerical superiority was not an option for this country.
In the early 1950s, with its powerful gun and thick armour, the Soviet IS-3 was a major
concern for Western countries. In those years, the Swedish Army was still
operating the British Centurions, designed for the requirement of the Second World War's
conditions. Therefore, they began to seek a tank, which has better protection, firepower,
and mobility. At first, Sweden began to work on a tank called
the EMIL with an oscillating turret. But, this design had made the tank high and expensive.
After a while, the Swedish army staff and engineers carefully studied the combat reports
of the Second World War and the Korean War. It was obvious that increasing the tank's
height also increased the risk of being hit. More than half of the tanks had been knocked
out because their turrets had been penetrated. So, they decided that the height of the new
tank must be low as possible. Therefore, a radical solution emerged; eliminating
the turret. This design was lighter yet offering better armour protection.
So, Sweden terminated the EMIL Project. In fact, it was not an innovative idea to
design an armoured combat vehicle without a turret.
During the Second World War, both sides developed many assault guns. However, these vehicles
were defensive systems used individually or in small groups.
They were laying an ambush in the areas attacked by the enemy and waiting for their prey. In
offence, they were usually conducting the fire support missions for the infantry or
flank protection for attacking forces. However, using some innovative technologies,
Sweden intended to use this new vehicle in large groups within armoured brigades for
offensive purposes. That is why the Strv 103 was not an assault
gun but a turettless tank. Of course, a turretless tank had to stop first
to fire accurately. But, in that years, other conventional tanks
had to stop too because none of them had turret stabilization systems.
So, a turretless design had no particular disadvantage in terms of firing accuracy.
In 1958, Sweden approved to build of two prototypes. Two years later, the Swedish Army ordered
10 additional pre-production version of the new tank, called Strv 103.
The Strv is the abbreviation of "Stridsvagn", which means "combat vehicle" in Swedish.
The 103 indicates that it was the third tank armed with a 10cm gun in the Swedish Army
service. The Strv 101 was the service name of the Centurion
Mk 10 with a 105mm gun. Sweden also had 160 Centurion Mk 5s with an
84mm gun. Later, 81 of these tank were fitted with a
105mm gun and re-named as the Strv 102. The serial production of the Strv 103 began
in 1967. The 3-person crew of the Strv 103 consisted
of a commander, driver/gunner, and radio operator/rear driver. The tank was 8.99 metres long, 3.63
metres wide, and 2.14 metres high. The combat weight was 39.7 tons. The B version of the
tank had one 240 brake horsepower Rolls-Royce K60 multi-fuel engine and one 490 shaft horsepower
Caterpillar 553 gas turbine. It had a maximum road speed of 50 kilometres per hour. The
range was 390 kilometres. All version of the Strv 103 had hydropneumatic suspensions. It
could negotiate 0.9-metre vertical steps, 2.3-metre trenches and could ford to a depth
of 1.5 metres. But with preparation, the tank could swim with a water speed of 6 kilometres
per hour. The Strv 103 had a 105mm 62 calibre rifled main gun and three 7.62mm Kps 58 machine
guns, which is the Swedish variant of the Belgian FN MAG.
The first production vehicles was the Strv 103A, which had Boeing GT502 gas turbine.
However, the performance of this gas turbine was insufficient.
For this reason, the production of the B model started shortly after.
The Strv 103B, had both the flotation screen and the dozer blade.
The A version tanks were subsequently modernized to B standard.
Not all Strv 103Bs had dozer blades. One tank in each platoon had this attachment under
the front hull. The Strv 103C had a similar dimension to its
predecessor. But, its combat weight was 42.5 tons. Also, this version was equipped with
the 290 horsepower Detroit Diesel 6V-53T diesel engine instead of Rolls-Royce K60 multi-fuel
engine. It had a new 3-step automatic main gearbox, two 71mm Lyran mortar, and laser
rangefinder. Also, there was a D version, which never became
operational. The Strv 103 had a fixed gun. This gun was
being rotated by the rotation of the hull and being elevated by the inclination given
to the hull using hydropneumatic suspensions. Therefore, naturally, the driver was also
the gunner. The radio operator seated to the rear of the
driver and controls to drive backwards if required. Thanks to this feature, the Strv
103 could easily conduct hit-and-run attacks and escape from the combat area.
The commander seated the slightly rear of the radio operator.
His sight system was fully stabilised in elevation between -11 to +16 degrees. The commander's
cupola could traverse through 208 degrees. All the periscopes and sights on the Strv
103 had armoured shutters. These shutters were providing some protection to the periscopes
against shell splinters. Besides, they were preventing the reflection of light from the
glasses. There was a hull escape hatch in the fighting
compartment. The 105mm main gun was basically a longer
version of the British L7. It had a bore evacuator but no muzzle brake.
The Strv 103 had the autoloader. A magazine at the rear of the hull was holding 50 rounds
in 10 racks. In a typical mission, the Strv 103 was carrying
25 Armour-piercing fin-stabilized discarding sabot, 20 high-explosive, and five smoke rounds.
The theoretical maximum firing rate of the gun was 24 rounds per minute. But, the practical
firing rate was 15 rounds per minute. It means that the tank could fire its main gun every
4 seconds. This was a very impressive capability at that
time. The other tanks of that time had to wait for
8 to 10 seconds for each fire. Relying on the tank's rapid-fire capability,
the crew could secure to hit the target by one short, one medium, and one long shot in
a short time. The crew could reload the magazines through
two hatches at the rear in about 10 minutes. Many viewers may think that the turretless
Strv 103 had worse tracking capability for moving targets than the tanks with a turret.
This would be a wrong assumption. For example, in that years, the turret of
the Leopard 1 had a rotation speed of 37.55 degrees per second.
But, the Strv 103 could turn its whole hull 90 degrees between 1 to 2seconds, depending
on terrain. There were two fixed 7.62mm Ksp 58 machine
guns on the left side of the hull as a coaxial weapon. The crew had to leave armour protection
to reload them. The Lyran mortars were being used to fire
flares to illuminate battlefields and targets. The Strv 103 had a combined diesel and gas
engine configuration similar to a warship. The tank was using its diesel engine when
it went to the mission area and during the aiming.
For a higher speed and manoeuvrability, the gas turbine was being engaged.
The hydropneumatic suspension system was providing good manoeuvrability.
During the fire, these suspensions were being locked.
By erecting the flotation screen, which was carried around the top of the hull, the Strv
103 could swim. This process was taking between 15 and 20 minutes.
The driver, who stands on top at the rear, was using remote throttle control and steering
the swimming Strv 103 by reins attached to the main tiller.
At first glance, you may think that there were some additional armour packages on both
sides of the hull. But, it is not true. These blocks were actually fuel cans. During mobilisation,
the tank was being fitted with 18 fuel cans, each containing 22 litres of fuel.
Luckily Sweden had never used the Strv 103 in real combat. But, the tank tested its abilities
in many international trials. In these trials, the Strv 103 proved its superior observation
capability and reliability. Many sources confirmed that this turretless tank was equal to or
even better than other tanks with a turret in some aspects.
Well, if the Strv 103 was a good tank, why did other countries not embrace this concept
or adapt it. Yes, the Strv 103 was an advantageous tank
in the 1960s. But, it had some disadvantages too. The complex mechanical components of
the tank were fairly reliable. But, if a malfunction occurred, it was difficult
to repair the Strv 103. The glacis plate and the main armament had to be removed to reach
the powerpack. And this was taking nearly 4 hours.
The fuel consumption of the gas turbine was extremely high. So, when the Strv 103 cruised
with top speed, its range was decreasing dramatically. Hydropneumatic suspension was an expensive
technology in those years. The Strv 103's length of track on the ground
was 2.85 metres. So, it had 1.04 kilogram per centimetre square
ground pressure. The number was 1.17 for the C version. This was high.
For example, the Leopard 1 had 0.88 kilograms per centimetre square ground pressure while
the Centurion had 0.95. The Strv 103's performance in muddy terrain
was naturally low. Although it was developed for use in a possible
war with the USSR, the Strv 103 did not have an NBC system.
But real problems occurred in a later decade. In the 1970s, the turret stabilization system
had reached maturity. Thanks to this system, the tanks with a turret could engage the enemy
while they were on the move. This time, the turretless design caused a
real disadvantage. Long story short, the Strv 103 fell behind
the new technology shortly after becoming operational.
Nevertheless, it still held up to 1997. Then, the Strv 122s, which are the Swedish
version of the Leopard 2A5, replaced the Strv 103s.
We never know how the Strv 103 would perform in a real war. But, undoubtedly, it was one
of the most fascinating and handsome tanks of all times. It was designed according to
the special conditions of Sweden. This fact made the tank unique from its counterparts
in the world. So, the Strv 103 still managed to become a legend.
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