Bandvagn 202

Last updated
Volvo BM Bandvagn 202 (Bv 202)
AMA.0008961.jpg
Bandvagn 202 from Västernorrlands regemente (I 21), carrying skis on the rear roof
TypeTracked frame-steered vehicle
Place of origin Sweden
Service history
Used bySee operators
Production history
Designed1957-1961 [1]
Manufacturer Bolinder-Munktell
Produced1964–1981
No. built1 700 [1]
Variantsmk I, mkII, see variants
Specifications
Mass2,900 kg (6,400 lb) [1]
Length6.175 m (20 ft 3.1 in) [1]
Width1.8 m (5 ft 11 in) [1]
Height2.2 m (7 ft 3 in) [1]
CrewDriver + 1 passenger (front car)
Passengers8 passengers (rear car)
Secondary
armament
 Ksp58 machine gun on pintle mount
EngineVolvo B18B in mkI, mkII B20B
82.5 hp/97 hp
Payload capacity800 kg (in terrain). [1]
Drivetracked, with 0.1 kg/cm2 ground pressure
TransmissionmkI VOLVO M 42 , mkII ZF [2]
Fuel capacity78 litres [2]
Operational
range
200 km
Maximum speed39 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 oversnow tracked articulated, all-terrain vehicle developed by Bolinder-Munktell, a subsidiary of Volvo, for the Swedish Army in the early 1960s.

Contents

Description

Bv 202 in amphibious use MILIF.002281.jpg
Bv 202 in amphibious use

The vehicle is formed by two rubber Kegresse 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 a propshaft 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 in Arvika in 1964 and ended in 1981. The Bv 202 has since been succeeded by the Bandvagn 206, originally designed and built by Swedish engineering company Hägglund & Söner and now produced by BAE Systems AB.

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 less ground pressure than a skier and is fully amphibious.

Operational history

The Bv 202 was used by NATO forces, and replaced the older Swedish Snow Trac ST4 Over-snow Vehicle, which was employed by the British Royal Marines under NATO. The Royal Marines operated around 76 Bv 202 units during the Falklands War, with some of the being present during the capture of Port Stanley and some being transported by the SS Atlantic Conveyor when it sank. One of the surviving Bv 202s is located at the Ontario Regiment Museum, in Oshawa. [3] [4]

The Bv 202 was designed to transport troops and equipment through snow or boglands in northern Sweden. The Norrland Dragoon Regiment was last Swedish unit to use this vehicle, finding that the manual gearbox Bv 202 was much quieter than the automatic transmission Bv 206. [5]

The Norwegian Army used both Bv 202 and Bv 206 concurrently, with the Bv 202 being the one used in situations of deep snow due to better performance in such condition.

Some Bv 202 units were donate to the Armed Forces of Ukraine during the Russo-Ukrainian war, being used by units such as the 115th Mechanized Brigade (Ukraine) and 118th Territorial Defense Brigade (Ukraine). Those were donated by the Norwegian government and by private Nonprofit organizations. [6]

Variants

A radiocommunications variant called Bandvagn 203 was used by Sweden, with one of them being in the Kalix Line museum in Kalix, in the county of Norbotten. [7]

Operators

Civilian operators

See also

Radiobandvagn 203, in the Artillerimuseet in Kristianstad. Radiobandvagn 203 Artillerimuseet 2017.jpg
Radiobandvagn 203, in the Artillerimuseet in Kristianstad.

Similar vehicles to the Bv 202 ATV include:

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "BM-Volvo Bandvagn 202". Archived from the original on 2004-07-10. Retrieved 2020-01-05.
  2. 1 2 Bv 202 SMHS
  3. ↑ admin (2021-07-07). "Bandvagn 202 - The Canadian Tank Museum" . Retrieved 2025-12-19.
  4. ↑ "The Bandvagen Goes to War". www.keymilitary.com. 2022-05-16. Retrieved 2025-12-19.
  5. 1 2 "Rare Sweden-made tracked carriers spotted in Ukraine". defence-blog.com. 2023-01-03. Retrieved 2023-01-04.
  6. ↑ "Latvian organization donated Bandvagn tracked all-terrain vehicles to Ukraine". Militarnyi. Retrieved 2025-12-19.
  7. ↑ "BV 203B". Kalixlinjens museum. Retrieved 2025-12-19.
  8. ↑ Canadian Tank Museum (2020-11-14). Museum Vehicle Collection: BV 202 Part 1 . Retrieved 2025-12-19– via YouTube.
  9. ↑ "Karlsborg", Tafeln zur Funkortung, Oldenbourg Wissenschaftsverlag, pp. 11–20, 1925-12-31, retrieved 2025-12-19
  10. ↑ "Forsvaret solgte beltevogner til russere".
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