Elbit Systems announced on March 21 that it was awarded a contract in the amount of approximately $27 million by the Swedish Defence Material Administration, to provide the Swedish Armed Forces with M339 rounds, 120mm ammunition, and Data Setting Units, for its Stridsvagn 122 Main Battle Tanks (MBTs). The contract will be performed over a period of ten months.
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Swedish army Stridsvagn 122 (Picture source: Wikipedia/Anders Lagerås)
Suitable for all NATO 120mm smoothbore gun MBTs, the M339 is a high-accuracy, multi-purpose 120mm tank ammunition that complies with the applicable standards of the U.S. Military and NATO. The Swedish Armed Forces selected the M339 to improve the firepower and the ability of the battle tanks to engage different types of targets.
Yehuda (Udi) Vered, General Manager of Elbit Systems Land, commented: “I believe that this selection by Sweden underscores the growing recognition by Western armies of the unique quality of our portfolio of products.”
Stridsvagn 122 (Strv 122) is based on the German Leopard 2 improved variant, just like the German Leopard 2A5, utilizing newer technology such as command-, control-, and fire-control systems, as well as reinforced armor and long-term combat capacity. Externally, the vehicle can be distinguished from the Leopard 2A5 by the French Galix smoke dispensers, different storage bins, and the thicker crew hatches. The Strv 122B, has been equipped with modular AMAP composite armor from IBD Deisenroth to give "360° protection" against threats such as explosively formed penetrators, rocket-propelled grenades and improvised explosive devices.
The armament of the Stridsvagn 122 includes one 120 mm Rheinmetall L44 smoothbore tank gun, one 7.62mm coaxial machine gun and one 7.62mm machine gun mounted on the commander cupola. The tank is powered by an MTU MB 873 Ka-501 liquid-cooled V-12 Twin-turbo diesel engine developing 1,479 hp at 2,600 rpm. It can run at a maximum road speed of 68 km/h with a maximum cruising range of 550 km.
The Stridsvagn 122 features:
* Heavily reinforced armor to protect against man-portable anti-tank weapons.
* An advanced CBRN defense system for protection against chemical, biological and radioactive weapons.
* Wading capability to pass through water up to 1.4 meters deep.
* Quick ability to discover, identify and lock on a target with the assistance of a laser rangefinder, thermographic camera, and a speed/distance/accuracy calculator for maximum accuracy.
* Ability to lock onto numerous targets at once, enabling the tank to fight numerous enemy vehicles without having to manually re-aim the gun after every shot.
* Active communication for improved cooperation between units.
* Tank Command & Control System TCCS by Celsius Tech Systems AB
M339 “Hatzav” High Explosive Multi-Purpose Tracer tank cartridge (HE-MP-T)
