| Volvo BM Bandvagn 202 (Bv 202) | |
|---|---|
 Bandvagn 202 fromVästernorrlands regemente (I 21), carryingskis on the rear roof | |
| Type | Tracked frame-steered vehicle |
| Place of origin | Sweden |
| Service history | |
| Used by | Seeoperators |
| Production history | |
| Designed | 1957-1961[1] |
| Manufacturer | Bolinder-Munktell |
| Produced | 1964–1981 |
| No. built | 1 700[1] |
| Variants | mk I, mkII, seevariants |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 2,900 kg (6,400 lb)[1] |
| Length | 6.175 m (20 ft 3.1 in)[1] |
| Width | 1.8 m (5 ft 11 in)[1] |
| Height | 2.2 m (7 ft 3 in)[1] |
| Crew | Driver + 1 passenger (front car) |
| Passengers | 8 passengers (rear car) |
Secondary armament | Ksp58 machine gun on pintle mount |
| Engine | VolvoB18B in mkI, mkIIB20B 82.5 hp/97 hp |
| Payload capacity | 800 kg (in terrain).[1] |
| Drive | tracked, with 0.1 kg/cm2ground pressure |
| Transmission | mkI VOLVO M 42 , mkII ZF[2] |
| Fuel capacity | 78 litres[2] |
Operational range | 200 km |
| Maximum speed | 39 km/h (24 mph) (roads) 5 km/h (3.1 mph) (water) |
Steering system | Articulated frame-steering, mkI mechanical hydraulic, mkII orbitrol hydraulic |
Bandvagn 202 (Bv 202) is an amphibious oversnowtracked articulated, all-terrain vehicle developed byBolinder-Munktell, a subsidiary ofVolvo, for theSwedish Army in the early 1960s.
The vehicle is formed by two rubberKegresse track units with a multi-directional pivot in between. The front unit contains the engine and gearbox through which power is delivered to the front and, via apropshaft in the pivot mechanism, the rear tracks. A hydraulic ram on the pivot "bends" the vehicle in the middle to steer it—there is no braking of track units for steering as on conventional tracklaying vehicles. The controls are a conventional steering wheel on the left-hand front of the vehicle. It can reach a speed of 35 km/h on land and 7 km/h (3.8 kn) on water.
The Bv 202 carries a driver and a commander in the front unit and up to eight troops or 800 kg in the trailer unit. It can be adapted for other applications.
Production started inArvika in 1964 and ended in 1981. The Bv 202 has since been succeeded by theBandvagn 206, originally designed and built by Swedish engineering companyHägglund & Söner and now produced byBAE Systems AB.
The Bv 202 was designed to transport troops and equipment through snow orboglands in northern Sweden. The last Swedish unit to use this vehicle was theCavalry, who found that the manual gearbox Bv 202 was much quieter than the automatic transmission Bv 206.
The Norwegian army units that had both Bv 202 and Bv 206 ran the Bv 202 as the first vehicle if the snow conditions were challenging. The Bv 202 performed better in deep and/or difficult snow conditions.
The Mk1 Bv 202 is powered by an 82.5 bhp (61.5 kW)Volvo B18, the MK2 by the 97 bhp (72 kW) B20. It has lessground pressure than a skier and is fullyamphibious.
The Bv 202 was used by NATO forces, and replaced the older SwedishSnow Trac ST4 Over-snow Vehicle, which was employed by the British Royal Marines under NATO.
Canada
Czechoslovakia1
Finland - replaced byBv 206 andSisu Nasu
Netherlands
Norway - replaced theM29 Weasel and subsequently replaced byBv 206
Sweden - replaced byBv 206
United Kingdom - replaced "ST4 Snow Trac Over-snow Vehicle" and subsequently replaced byBv 206
Ukraine - donated by Sweden an unnamed number of vehicles[3]
Russia At least 27 ex-Norwegian vehicles sold to Russian company for tourist use in the Murmansk area.[4]Similar vehicles to the Bv 202 ATV include:
Finland
Singapore Sweden Sweden
Soviet Union