Swedish BMP Strf 90 for Ukraine
Sweden has announced a new package of military-technical assistance to Ukraine. This time she is invited to transfer a certain amount of armored vehicles. In particular, it is planned to send fifty Strf 90 infantry fighting vehicles from the presence of Swedish combat units. It is assumed that such a technique will help the Kyiv regime to make up for losses and improve combat capability, but such a development of events is doubtful.
Support Processes
Despite the declared neutrality and non-bloc status, already at the end of February 2022, Sweden announced its intention to help Ukraine with the supply of military equipment. Over the next few months, several aid packages were formed, which included infantry weapons, equipment, etc.
By autumn, Sweden began to discuss the issue of supplying equipment, incl. armored combat vehicles. So, at the end of October, the Swedish press reported that the Ministry of Defense submitted to the government a closed report on the existing park of army equipment. The department studied its stocks and determined which vehicles and in what quantity could be transferred to Ukraine without compromising their own combat capability. In particular, the possibility of sending Archer self-propelled howitzers was considered.
Probably, this report was taken into account when drawing up further plans, announced only in recent weeks. Thus, in early January, Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billström announced the need to send armored vehicles to Ukraine, and also expressed Stockholm's readiness to provide such assistance. In particular, in this context, he mentioned the possibility of transferring Archer howitzers.
Finally, on January 19, the Department of Defense officially announced another aid package. It will include an unnamed number of Archer self-propelled guns, 50 Strf 90 infantry fighting vehicles and a number of other products of various types. The total cost of the provided property is approx. 390 million euros. This will be the biggest aid package from Sweden ever.
The dates for the start of deliveries of Swedish armored vehicles have not been named. They are going to take it from the combat units of their own army, which, in theory, allows shipment within the next few weeks. At the same time, infantry fighting vehicles require crews whose training takes time. How soon these issues will be resolved, and the Kyiv regime will be able to get Swedish armored vehicles, is not yet clear.
On a unified platform
Exactly 40 years ago, in 1983, the Swedish ground forces ordered the development of a promising infantry fighting vehicle with improved performance. In 1985, Hägglunds (now the Swedish branch of the international BAE Systems) and Bofors presented a finished project under the designation Stridsfordon 90 (“Combat Vehicle of the 90s”). Later, the export index CV 90 (Combat Vehicle) appeared.
In the second half of the eighties, several prototypes were made on a unified chassis and with different weapons or equipment. In the early nineties, tests of the main modifications of the Strf 90 were successfully completed, and the equipment received a recommendation for adoption. The operation of new infantry fighting vehicles and other armored vehicles officially began in 1993 - 30 years ago.
For its needs, Sweden produced a number of armored vehicles of the Strf 90 family. The bulk of such products were BMPs of the Strf 9040 type in modifications A / B / C. Another version of the BMP with other weapons did not advance beyond testing and did not enter service. On the same chassis, a self-propelled anti-aircraft gun, a self-propelled mortar, a command and control vehicle, a mobile artillery reconnaissance station, a repair and recovery vehicle, etc. were serially built.
A few more machines and modifications were developed specifically for export and taking into account the requirements of the international market. The most massive steel infantry fighting vehicles CV 9030 and CV 9035, as well as their upgraded versions with certain differences. Self-propelled mortars, engineering vehicles, etc. are also produced.
According to known data, since the beginning of the nineties, Hägglunds and BAE Systems have built about 1200 armored vehicles of the Strf 90 / CV 90 family of all modifications, and production continues. Several export contracts are being executed at once. The main customer of serial equipment in the past and present is Sweden. At the moment, its ground forces have approx. 550 infantry fighting vehicles.
According to the latest news, the Swedish army will transfer to the Kyiv regime 50 Strf 9040 infantry fighting vehicles it has. This is 9% of the available fleet. Such volumes of assistance will leave several Swedish units without equipment at once, but at the same time will not have a significant impact on the equipment of the ground forces as a whole.
After the shipment of the announced 50 infantry fighting vehicles, Sweden will have another 500 of these vehicles. Whether they will reduce their fleet again to help the Kyiv regime is unknown. Official Stockholm wants to support Ukraine, but at the same time intends to strengthen its own defense. How such plans will affect the fleet of armored vehicles, time will tell.
Technical issues
Stridsfordon 90 is a tracked infantry fighting vehicle of a traditional appearance with the usual functions for such equipment. An armored vehicle with a combat weight, depending on the modification, from 23 to 35 tons is capable of transporting 8 fighters under the protection of armor, landing them and supporting them with cannon and machine gun fire.
The hull and turret of the infantry fighting vehicle are welded, with spaced steel armor. All-round protection against 14,5 mm bullets is provided. Frontal armor can withstand small-caliber projectiles. The installation of additional booking modules is provided, and in this case the frontal projection can withstand 30-mm projectiles. It is also possible to strengthen mine protection.
Infantry fighting vehicles of early modifications were equipped with a Scania DSI14 diesel engine with an HP 550 power. With subsequent upgrades, more powerful power plants were introduced. The caterpillar undercarriage has a torsion bar suspension. On the highway, the BMP has a speed of up to 70 km / h. Due to the large mass, water barriers are crossed only along the fords.
The main armament of the Swedish Strf 9040 vehicles is the 40 mm Bofors L/70 automatic cannon. The gun is equipped with a magazine for 24 shells, replenished manually from packs. At the same time, the BMP carries a modern fire control system with day and night sighting channels and high accuracy in calculating data for firing. In later modifications, devices were introduced for programming fuses for promising projectiles.
Additional armament consists of a 7,62 mm Ksp m / 39 machine gun coaxial with a cannon and six 76 mm smoke grenade launchers.
In all modifications, the BMP Strf 90 is controlled by a crew of three. The driver is located in the bow of the hull, while the gunner and commander work in the turret. The aft troop compartment of the hull accommodates 8 people. Embarkation and disembarkation are carried out through the aft door. The landing party does not have the ability to fire from the vehicle.
Combat potential
The Swedish Strf 90 infantry fighting vehicle entered service 30 years ago, and it cannot be called new. However, a number of successive upgrades made it possible to maintain the characteristics at the required level, and the machine is still quite modern. Thus, high performance and compliance with current requirements are confirmed by the success of the Strf 90 / CV 90 on the international market.
The advantages of such an infantry fighting vehicle include a high level of protection provided by its own and mounted armor, an increased caliber gun with an effective FCS, etc. The capabilities and potential of this machine have been repeatedly demonstrated both in exercises and in the course of real military operations with the participation of the Swedish and other armies.
With all this, Strf 90 also has weaknesses. So, with a full set of reservations, the mass and load on the surface increase, which in a number of situations limits mobility. Mounted armor increases resistance to small-caliber artillery, but, as far as is known, does not provide protection against anti-tank weapons. The situation is similar with mine protection - heavy ammunition can at least deprive the BMP of mobility, which leads to additional risks.
The 40-mm Bofors gun, due to its caliber, shows improved performance, but has known drawbacks. The main ones are associated with a specific ammunition supply system. The 24-shot magazine seriously limits the practical rate of fire, and the need to replenish it manually distracts the crew from other tasks.
It should be recalled that the gun uses unitary 40-mm rounds, which are not in service with Ukrainian formations. Sweden and Ukraine will have to arrange the supply of such ammunition. At the same time, the next type of shot in service will further complicate the logistics and supply of units. Finally, the gun is very old, which can also create problems.
Having received Swedish infantry fighting vehicles, Ukraine will face all these problems. In addition, a number of other difficulties and risks are to be expected. First of all, Ukrainian formations will be hampered by a lack of the necessary experience. Short courses will not provide full-fledged training for crews, and they will not be able to use the potential of the equipment to the fullest.
Lack of experience and active influence on the part of the Russian army will naturally lead to losses. At the same time, each lined infantry fighting vehicle will negatively affect the general condition of a small fleet of such equipment. Despite all the additional protections, Strf 90 can be hit by portable anti-tank systems, fire tanks and artillery aviation means, etc.
However, it should be borne in mind that in terms of protection and firepower, the Strf 90 is superior to other models in service with Ukrainian formations. Fighting against such goals will be more difficult, and more efforts will have to be made to obtain the desired results. But the fight against Swedish infantry fighting vehicles is not a fundamental problem.
Predictable Consequences
In unsuccessful attempts to help the Kyiv regime, foreign states have reached the point of supplying quite modern armored vehicles with fairly high performance characteristics. So, after several months of deliberation, the Swedish government decided to provide Ukraine with its Strf 9040 infantry fighting vehicles and other armored vehicles.
How soon foreign BMPs, Swedish and from other countries, will enter the war zone is unclear. But it is already clear that they will become one of the priority targets for strikes using various means. Accordingly, the replenishment of the fleet of vehicles will be followed by new losses, which will again need to be replenished. And this time, in order to solve such a problem, foreign partners will have to reduce their own fleets of modern machines.
- Ryabov Kirill
- Swedish Ministry of Defense
Information