• Military Menu                       

• Introduction
• Systems
• Facilities
• Agencies
• Industry
• Operations
• Countries
• Hot Documents
• News
• Reports
• Policy
• Budget
• Congress
• Links

• WMD
• Intelligence
• Homeland Security
• Space

GRKPBV90 Mjölner

Mjölner [normally seen as Mjolnir] is the hammer of Thor in Norse mythology and is depicted as one of the most fearsome weapons, capable of leveling mountains. Miniature Thor's hammers were widely used as religious amulets during the Viking era. These charms were normally between two and three centimeters in length, and typically made from silver, worn suspended round the neck as crucifixes are in the Catholic church. This marked the wearer as belonging to Thor, and consequently under his protection; the crosses referred to in the Kalevala as so suspended probably were Thor's hammer. It is unquestioned that the crosses now worn in Christendom are representations of the cross upon which Christ died; but both beyond Christendom, and in times anterior to the Christian era, crosses were used as religious emblems.

Thor was worshipped by the Norwegians, as the most powerful of the Gods. His favourite weapon was a hammer, which was shaped like a cross. Johannes Magnus and his brother Olaus Magni represent Thor with a sceptre in his right hand, and twelve stars round his head. Others give Thor also a cruciform thunderbolt in his left hand, and seven stars over his head.

Thor was the Spring god, who subdued the frostgiants of Winter. In this phase of his character he teaches the doctrine of resurrection and immortality. Longfellow interprets him as saying :

Here amid icebergs
Ruled the nations ;
This is my hammer,
Mjolner, the mighty;
Giants and sorcerers
Cannot withstand it!

Force rules the world still,
Has ruled it, shall rule it;
Meekness is weakness,
Strength is triumphant;
Over the whole earth.

Thor's hammer is described in the Eddas with the additional name of miolner. It may be seen, that Thor the son of Odin among his chattels possessed the hammer miolner, which the Rimthussi and mountain sorcerers knew to their cost. When Thor dressed himself, he took the hammer miolner, lifted up and brandished it. Thor struck the hammer against the head of the giant Skrymner ; another time Thor threw the hammer after Yme the sorcerer, and broke his head.

The mark of the hammer with its handle upon the Runestone at Roby is seven spans, as the length of a moderate sceptre requires. The ancient inhabitants of this country did not use a sceptre with lilies, but with a cross upon it, or like the trident of Neptune. The shape of Thor's hammer in the time of paganism was exactly a cross; for when king Hakon sacrificed with the Heathens in Norway, and was forced to drink out of the offering cup, he made the Christian sign of the cross before his mouth; but this was interpreted by his heathen subjects, as if he had made the sign of Thor's hammer before his mouth, and so made the holy libation to the God Thor. The king's governors and ministers had formerly permission to the representation of Thor's hammer or a cross, to show the might and power entrusted to them. In former times, when the people were convened by the king to the public assembly and court of judicature, the hammer of Thor was used among the Heathens for sign and summons; but, when they became Christians, a cross of wood was adopted in its stead, which was sent round the villages.

The Granatkastarpansarbandvagn (Grkpbv - Tracked Armoured Mortar Vehicle) Mjolner combines the proven CV90 chassis and the high performance Mjolner mortar-turret. The Mjölner vehicle mounted mortar system, developed and produced by BAE Systems Hägglunds, will increase the indirect fire capability to support mechanized battalions. It allows the user army to field a capability well adapted for different vehicle platforms while enhancing the whole fleet’s firepower.

Mjölner is a turret solution with two smoothbore 120 mm gun barrels mounted on the vehicle. The weapon is loaded allowing a robust mechanical system to rapidly and reliably reload in all combat conditions. Mjölner gives a full 60 degrees of slew in azimuth without the complexity and costs of powered turret rotation. With an elevation from 45 to 85 degrees, targets can be effectively engaged over a wide range of distances.

Mjölner will add indirect fire capability to any suitable vehicle, wheeled or tracked. It allows the user to field a capability well adapted for different vehicle platforms while enhancing the whole fleet’s firepower. Mjölner is highly scalable with the possibility to integrate more advanced automated fire-control systems and the ability to handle a wide range of ammunition.

Mjölner maximizes the space available in the vehicle by the basket-less design, resulting in in optimal ergonomics for the crew. In addition, the storage of the majority of the ammunition in the turret bustle provides rapid and easy access from both the inside and outside, during loading and firing as well as when resupplying the up to 56 grenades. Mjölner was designed from the very beginning to be intuitive and highly user-friendly.

AMOS or Advanced Mortar System is a Finno-Swedish 120 mm automatic twin barrelled, breech loaded mortar turret, fitted to a wide range of armoured vehicles, such as the Sisu Pasi, Patria AMV and Combat Vehicle 90. The Swedish Navy originally planned to fit AMOS to the CB90 assault craft, but found that it was too small to carry it. Instead, a project to develop the larger Combat Boat 2010 was launched specifically to carry AMOS. Sweden cancelled its acquisition of the AMOS in 2009 due to budget recommendations from Genomförandegruppen.

Mjölner is based on the AMOS and has many visual similarities but is not as advanced. The Mjölner program for the delivery of 40 vehicle-mounted mortar systems for the Swedish Army’s CV90s started in December 2016, when the new self propelled mortar system called Mjölner, based on a CV90 hull, was ordered by the Swedish armed forces. BAE Systems Hagglunds’ CV90 twin 120 mm Mjolner mortar system tests led to the Critical Design Review (CDR) by the end of 2017. The first four test vehicles were delivered to the FMV in February 2019 for training and validation.

BAE Systems completed the first full rate production delivery of the CV90 Mjölner Mortar System to the Swedish FMV (Defence Materiel Administration) in September 2019, introducing a new capability to the fleet of CV90s by adding indirect firepower. The first four vehicles were handed over to the Swedish Army following the delivery that met schedule, budget and quality requirements. A full-scale version of the CV90 Mjölner was on show at DSEI 2019, with support from Swedish Army personnel.

Following the CDR and changes indicated, the design process was completed and production began. The Mjolner system entered Swedish Army service as the GRKPBV90. Production of the Mjolner turret systems started at BAE System’s Hagglunds facility in 2018 with deliveries to run through 2020.

“Mjölner is a step-change solution on the battlefield – a turret system that is easy to train, simple to use, and highly effective,” said Tommy Gustafsson-Rask, General Manager for BAE Systems Hägglunds. “Having the latest variant of the versatile CV90 on display at DSEI, with the support of our FMV customer, is proof of BAE Systems’ ability to deliver new technology milestones to a demanding program schedule.”

“We are very pleased with the progress of the CV90 program to date, and we are meeting the key milestones for fielding on time, quality and budget,” added Mikael Frisell, Brigadier General/Director Land Systems at the FMV. “This new variant is a powerful addition to our fleet of CV90s and also helps us prepare our brigades for the future by increasing the vehicles’ lifespan in support of Army capabilities.”