Bandkanon 1
Encyclopedia
The Bandkanon 1 was a Swedish
self-propelled artillery
vehicle in use with the Swedish Army
from 1967 to 2003. It was developed by Bofors
under the designation artillerikanonvagn 151 (akv 151) and the chassis was based on the never adopted KRV tank. When the KRV project was canceled the chassis of the self-propelled gun was re-designed to use the same drive train as the S-tank
. Bkan 1 was one of the world's heaviest self-propelled artillery vehicles in use during its service and since the engines were dimensioned for the lighter S-tank the bkan was somewhat underpowered. Despite this it had very good mobility.
It had an exceptionally high rate of fire
, being able to fire 14 shells in 45 seconds. With one round already loaded in the gun beside the two seven-round clips in the magazine, the rate of fire rose to 15 rounds in 45 seconds. The magazine could then be reloaded with a built in hoist in about 2 minutes.
Each shell
had a weight of 47 kg and a tactical range of 25 km. The gun was designed to fire tactical nuclear round
s, but as Sweden decided to not produce nuclear weapon
s, this feature never came into use.
, used by Bodens artilleriregemente and later Norrbottens regemente
. They were organized in two battalion
s of 12 vehicles each until the late 1980s and after that, three battalions of 8 vehicles each until the bkan 1 was discontinued in 2003.
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
self-propelled artillery
Self-propelled artillery
Self-propelled artillery vehicles are combat vehicles armed with artillery. Within the term are covered self-propelled guns and rocket artillery...
vehicle in use with the Swedish Army
Swedish Army
The Swedish Army is one of the oldest standing armies in the world and a branch of the Swedish Armed Forces; it is in charge of land operations. General Sverker Göranson is the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Army.- Organization :...
from 1967 to 2003. It was developed by Bofors
Bofors
The name Bofors has been associated with the iron industry for more than 350 years.Located in Karlskoga, Sweden, the company originates from the hammer mill "Boofors" founded 1646. The modern corporate structure was created in 1873 with the foundation of Aktiebolaget Bofors-Gullspång...
under the designation artillerikanonvagn 151 (akv 151) and the chassis was based on the never adopted KRV tank. When the KRV project was canceled the chassis of the self-propelled gun was re-designed to use the same drive train as the S-tank
Stridsvagn 103
The Stridsvagn 103 , or S-Tank , was a Swedish post-war main battle tank. It was known for its unconventional turret-less design, with a fixed gun traversed by engaging the tracks and elevated by adjusting the hull suspension...
. Bkan 1 was one of the world's heaviest self-propelled artillery vehicles in use during its service and since the engines were dimensioned for the lighter S-tank the bkan was somewhat underpowered. Despite this it had very good mobility.
It had an exceptionally high rate of fire
Rate of fire
Rate of fire is the frequency at which a specific weapon can fire or launch its projectiles. It is usually measured in rounds per minute , or per second .-Overview:...
, being able to fire 14 shells in 45 seconds. With one round already loaded in the gun beside the two seven-round clips in the magazine, the rate of fire rose to 15 rounds in 45 seconds. The magazine could then be reloaded with a built in hoist in about 2 minutes.
Each shell
Shell (projectile)
A shell is a payload-carrying projectile, which, as opposed to shot, contains an explosive or other filling, though modern usage sometimes includes large solid projectiles properly termed shot . Solid shot may contain a pyrotechnic compound if a tracer or spotting charge is used...
had a weight of 47 kg and a tactical range of 25 km. The gun was designed to fire tactical nuclear round
Nuclear weapons delivery
Nuclear weapons delivery is the technology and systems used to place a nuclear weapon at the position of detonation, on or near its target. Several methods have been developed to carry out this task....
s, but as Sweden decided to not produce nuclear weapon
Nuclear weapon
A nuclear weapon is an explosive device that derives its destructive force from nuclear reactions, either fission or a combination of fission and fusion. Both reactions release vast quantities of energy from relatively small amounts of matter. The first fission bomb test released the same amount...
s, this feature never came into use.
Use
The plan was to produce about 70 vehicles, but due to cuts in defence budget only 26 bandkanon 1s were manufactured. They were used as divisional artillery in NorrlandNorrland
Norrland is one of the three lands of Sweden , the northern part, consisting of nine provinces. The term Norrland is not used for any administrative purpose, but it is common in everyday language, e.g...
, used by Bodens artilleriregemente and later Norrbottens regemente
Norrbottens regemente
Norrbottens regemente , designation I 19, is a Swedish Army arctic armoured, light infantry and ranger regiment that traces its origins back to the 19th century. The regiment's soldiers were originally recruited from the province of Norrbotten, and it is currently garrisoned in Boden, Norrbotten...
. They were organized in two battalion
Battalion
A battalion is a military unit of around 300–1,200 soldiers usually consisting of between two and seven companies and typically commanded by either a Lieutenant Colonel or a Colonel...
s of 12 vehicles each until the late 1980s and after that, three battalions of 8 vehicles each until the bkan 1 was discontinued in 2003.