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Artillerikanonvagn 151 (Akv 151) / Bandkanon 1 (Bkan 1)

Bandkanon 1 (Bkan 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 name Artillerikanonvagn 151 (Akv 151) Artillery Cannon Wagon 151. A total of 26 units were produced between the years 1967-68 and went out of service April 2003. Bandkanon 1 was developed by Bofors under the name Artillery Cannon Wagon 151 ( Akv 151 ) and was based on an extended chassis from Strv 103 and parts of several other components. Bkan 1 was the world's heaviest tracked artillery piece for its time and had the world's highest official rate of fire with 14 shells in 45 seconds. Each shell weighed 47 kg and reach a range of 25 km.

One of the world's heaviest self-propelled guns, the vehicle was armed with a fully automatic 15.5 cm cannon. The barrel may be elevated to + 38 ° and lowered to 2 ° mechanically and 40° to -3° manually. The turret can rotate 15 ° to the right or left.

For the time it had an exceptionally high rate of fire, being able to fire 14 shells in 45 seconds. The gun is loaded automatically from a 14 shot magazine with ammunition in two layers, each with 7 shots. The design allows a very high rate of fire. Reloading takes place from a dumper machine and takes about 2 minutes. With one round already loaded in the gun beside the two seven-round magazines, the rate of fire rose to 15 rounds in 45 seconds. Each shell had a weight of 47 kg and a tactical range of 25 km. The gun shoots explosive shells with a firing range of up to 26 km. Before filling, the wagon determined what charge the shots must have, there are 3 different depending on shooting distance.

The driver is positioned in the chassis. The other crew members are located in the turret. In the late 1980s the system was upgraded with a new engine and automatic transmission. The engine, a Detroit Diesel 6V-53T developing 290 hp, replaced the previous Rolls-Royce engine. GPS and other electronics were introduced.

In 1949 the Swedish Army asked Bofors to develop an armored 15.5 cm artillery carrier [cannon wagon], but Landsverk took over the task of developing a prototype based on one of the two KRV chassis. Landsverk developed a prototype from the EMIL / KRV program that never went through to series production. The prototype was completed in early 1960. It had an air-cooled gasoline V12 from the SFA and the entire seven-man crew. It was designated Artilllerikanonvagn (aq) 151 in accordance with the 1950s principles for names of vehicles. The new tracked artillery gun was planned for the purchase of 96 copies.

The Artillerikanonvagn 151 (Akv 151) was a Swedish prototype of self-propelled gun, made in 1960 (vehicle was armed in autoloaded 155mm French gun based on the EMIL prototype chassis). A memo (dated 1960-01-04) discussed series production of the AKV 151 SPG (aka. KV 155, the bkan 1 prototype) and some of the project history.

Bofors in March and December of 1952 respectively, describe the plans for developing a working prototype of the 15 cm self-propelled artillery piece that was originally proposed in 1949, variously called 15 cm kv fm/49, akv 1949 and VK 152 S 49 (the latter being the internal Bofors designation). Initially, three alternatives for the track assembly and drive train were proposed: one using the existing drive train from the strv m/42 (Volvo A8B engine uprated to 450 HP and VL 420 gearbox), one a purely experimental project based on a Sherman’s gearbox and drive train, and one possible “merge” with the drive train and gearbox of a future tank being developed by KAFT (which is obviously project EMIL, but it was very much a paper project at this point).

Since the original suggestion in the second quarter of 1949, eleven years had passed and series production had not yet started. A number of reasons for this were mentioned (lack of engineers, changes in the specification, doubts whether the project is viable at all). The conclution was that because of the changes in the specification and the fact that the current prototype is based on a chassis (the Krv) that is not likely to be mass produced, the vehicle (and its chassis in particular) will need to be reworked before it can enter series production.

It would be desirable to reduce the weight of the vehicle; the prototype weighed 45 metric tons but according to a 1958 report Swedish AFV’s should weigh no more than 37 metric tons, and if possible weigh less than 25 tons. Someone who read the memo probably doubts that this is possible (and they would be right, because the series production version turned out to weigh 52 metric tons in the end).

Finally, four alternatives were presented; two conventional and two using the suspension to help with gun elevation. The weight for all four alternatives is claimed to be less than 37 tons, which seems like a pipe dream in retrospect.

In parallel with the development of the Akv 151, however, the idea emerged in the other projects that it would be possible to find common components among different vehicles, primarily for the engine, transmission and track drives - especially when it came to the heavier vehicles. This resulted in a new orientation towards components and subsystems from Tank "S" would be the basis for all vehicles. Bofors undertook the task of developing the new artillery vehicle based on the S-chassis and its motor unit with combined diesel and gas turbine.

Bandkanon 1 was based on the chassis of Tank 103 (Strv S) and built by Bofors, with Landsverk contributing drivetrain components. Bandkanon 1 came to be made in two versions. The original named bandkanon 1 or Band Cannon 1A. After modifications in the 1980s called the bandkanon 1 C. The system was upgraded, including a new piston engine, automatic transmission and a new navigation system. Within the same upgrade program was modified Tank 103, which also got a new gas turbine that was never to be mounted on bandkanon 1 C.

A newsreel from 1966 reported that "Swedish Army unveils its newest nuclear-capable field artillery piece in Sweden. It is a mobile nuclear-capable long range artillery piece with a range of 16 miles and a self-contained nuclear fallout shelter." Some sources claim that the gun was initially designed to fire tactical nuclear rounds, but as Sweden decided to stop the Swedish Nuclear Weapons Program at the very last moment, this feature never came into use. Bandkanon 1 is surrounded by such rumors that it could have been intended to shoot tactical nuclear weapons developed within the framework of the Swedish nuclear weapons program. No support for this is found in previously secret documents have been made available from the program, which had a focus on air bombs of around 20 kilotons. These would have weighed several hundred kilos each, and would primarily be used against shipping ports on the Baltic Sea, and possibly also against hostile airfields.

Allegations of plans for nuclear munitions with 155 mm caliber, in light of the material available, is seen with skepticism from both the economic and tactical basis. Certainly were nuclear munitions in 155 mm caliber developed by the United States and 152 mm caliber of the Soviet Union. The only American artillery shell of this caliber which was actually completed, W48, however, had only 0.072 kilotons yield, even though it required as much plutonium 239 as a much larger weapon. Charges having greater effect were taken by the US mainly developed for the artillery of the caliber of 203 mm and 280 mm.

It also represented a different design principle, a linear implosion bomb, rather than the designs that had larger exterior dimensions. Since there all the time was the plutonium invetory was the key issue, and the limiting factor in the outlined Swedish program, and cost aspects seen with concern, it is hard to believe that the number of aerial bombs would have been reduced in favor of battlefield nuclear weapons with less yield, which also would have required the development costs to explore a further design principle.

However, it is likely that Bkan was designed to shoot chemical weapon shells. Doctrin in 1965 advocated the use of artillery to establish "gasspärrar" that would prevent a Soviet advance into Upper Norrland. Bkan was ideal for such a task with its extremely high rate of fire, but the absence of NBC protection and surface-mounted magazine made it quite vulnerable to counter-battery fire.

The main disadvantage of the Bkan was moved slowly - it could not be driven at a higher speed than 28 km / h on the road, as a direct result of high weight in relation to the low engine power. Bandkanon 1 was produced only in 26 copies, all used in artillery divisions in the north, at the Boden Artillery Regiment A 8 and later at the Norrbotten Regiment 19. These were organized into two battalions of twelve guns each to the late 1980s. After the reorganization was used Bkan three battalions of eight guns each, a regime applicable until the guns were discontinued in 2003.