Sweden, in addition to the very unexpected and much-needed strengthening of Ukraine with the Saab 340 AEW&C long-range radar detection aircraft, is also handing over PbV 302 armored vehicles to the Ukrainian military - and, as Swedish Defense Minister Pal Jonson stated, "its entire stock".
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It should be noted right away that for Sweden, the transfer of the PbV 302 is not a threat to defense capability, because these vehicles were decommissioned back in 2014 and replaced by the CV90 IFVs, with which Sweden also reinforces Ukraine on an ongoing basis, both from stocks and by ordering new ones vehicles from the manufacturer. The PbV 302 armored personnel carrier is a really important reinforcement for Ukraine, because we are talking about a classic tracked armored personnel carrier similar to the American c APC, which, despite its age, has earned extremely positive feedback from Ukrainian fighters.
PbV 302 was developed in the early 60s by Hägglund (now BAE Systems). Since 1966, this vehicle has become the main armored personnel carrier of the Swedish armed forces, as 647 such vehicles were produced and delivered to the Swedish army.
In Sweden, this vehicle is classified as a high-mobility infantry fighting vehicle (Swedish: pansarskyttefordon). This is due to the fact that this vehicle is armed with a 20 mm Hispano-Suiza HS 804 automatic cannon, which is mounted in a turret on the right side of the vehicle. It should be noted that the cannon is fed by drum magazines for 30 shots, which was due to the low reliability of a belt feed.
The weight of the vehicle in the linear version is 12.3 tons. This made it possible to install fairly powerful armor for this type of vehicle, which was designed to protect against 20 mm guns. For the use of these vehicles in Bosnia in 1993, part of the vehicles received additional armor reinforcement due to the installation of a layer against debris material on the inside of the armor. From the outside, ceramic elements with a total weight of 800 kg were also installed on the vehicle. This version of the vehicle was named Pbv 302C.
The vehicle is powered by a 270-horsepower PENTA THD 100B diesel engine by Volvo, which is combined with a 4-speed manual transmission. At the same time, the choice of so many speeds was due to the fact that in tests with a 6-speed gearbox, military mechanic drivers simply ignored and skipped some gears. The machine is able to overcome water obstacles by moving afloat due to the movement of caterpillars.
The crew of the vehicle consists of three people. The driver-mechanic occupies the workplace in the center of the vehicle. The landing compartment accommodates 8 people. Due to the placement of the engine under the floor of the landing compartment, the exit of the landing party is provided through the aft door.
The most popular version of this vehicle is the Pbv 302B. This modification took place as a result of the modernization of the vehicle, which was carried out from 1984 to 1997. It was then that they decided to use a magazine for cannon shells, a new sight was integrated, a system of central adjustment of track tension and lubrication was installed, and the gunner's and driver's seats were replaced with more comfortable ones.
The total number of vehicles that can be in Sweden's stocks is already significantly less than the total number of released APCs. The fact is that they began to be decommissioned in 2005, with the first batch of 160 units withdrawn, and two years later another 210 vehicles were written off. According to the plans at the time, only the "peacekeeping" Pbv 302C, which were also used in Kosovo, were to be left until 2018.
It is known that as of 2018, about 180 units of Pbv 302 were in storage in various technical conditions. These vehicles can potentially be handed over to the Ukrainian military. With a high probability, before the transfer, these vehicles can be repaired and minimally modernized.
As Defense Express reported, Sweden was the first country allowed Ukraine to use its weapons against russia's territory
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Read more: Ukraine’s Defense Ministry States Ukraine and Sweden Will Establish Joint Production of CV90 IFVs
