Pansarbandvagn 302 APC The Pansarbandvagn 302, or Pbv 302, fully tracked amphibious APC was first mooted in 1961 when the then Hagglund and Soner (now Hagglunds Vehicle AB) received a contract to develop such a vehicle, Prototypes appeared during 1962 with production of 700 units commencing the following year. The Pbv 302 is operated only by the Swedish armed forces and remains in service with them, having been scheduled for replacement by the CV 90 series (see previous entry). The base Pbv 302 APC is typical of its design era, being little more than an armoured steel box set on a tracked chassis. The armour is proof against projectiles up to 20 mm in calibre while the main armament, a magazine-fed 20 mm cannon capable of high elevation to engage aircraft or helicopter targets, is mounted in a small one-man turret offset to the left of the front hull roof. The nine troops carried enter through large doors in the hull rear; there is no provision for them to fire
their weapons once inside the hull other than from the open hydraulicallyoperated roof hatches; they also lack vision devices once the hatches are closed down. After a front-mounted trim vane has been raised the Pbv 302 is fully amphibious, being propelled in the water by its tracks. Direct Pbv 302 variants include a command vehicle (Stripbv3021), and two artillery fire control or direction vehicles (Epbv 3022 and Bpipbv 3023). The basic Pbv 302 interior may also be configured as a front line load
Sweden carrier for 2 tonnes of stores, or as an armoured ambulance. Projects to produce 'product improved' versions of the Pbv 302 came to nothing. Developments of the basic Pbv 302 chassis, also from Hagglunds, include an armoured bridgelayer (Brobv 941) and an armoured recovery vehicle (Bgbv 82), both using hulls similar to that of the Pbv 302, The Ikv-91 tank destroyer is also based on a chassis essentially similar to that of the Pbv 302.
