The Stridsvagn 122 is a modification of the German Leopard 2 main battle tank made by Sweden.
In the last day, there has been a flurry of press reports claiming that Germany had “approve[d]” the shipment of Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine.
Military specialists are currently making assumptions about which nations can provide Kyiv with which sorts of tanks.
Unexpectedly, a lot of eyes shifted to Stockholm. Sweden has formally declared that the Stridsvagn 122 main battle tank (MBT) is capable of fighting in the conflict, despite not yet being a member of NATO.
There are, however, some opposing viewpoints. For instance, the Swedish Defense Minister, Mr. Paul Jönsson, stated in an interview with the newspaper Svenska Dagbladet, “We are not ready to deliver some of our tanks.
The preparation for the supply of tanks from Sweden is not yet in motion, but Jonsson noted that it may do so in the following stages. Statistics show that this Nordic nation now has roughly 120 such combat vehicles.
A variant of the German Leopard 2 tank is the Stridsvagn 122. Additionally, this Leopard 2 is arguably the best improved Leopard 2 in use right now. Only the Swedish military uses this MBT, which has been in service since 1997.
This tank is of the third generation. With an engine delivering 1,500 horsepower (the “heart” of the Russian T-90M Proryv only has 1,125 horsepower), one of the most potent chariots may reach high speeds of roughly 68 km/h, which is comparable to the US M1A2 Abrams.
The T-90M, Leopard, Abrams, and Challenger 2 travel shorter distances (450–550 km) with a full tank, which contains 1,550–1,900 litres of fuel. The Stridsvagn 122 has impressive fuel efficiency and range. While the Stridsvagn 122 from Sweden can travel 550 kilometres on a single tank of 1,200 litres of fuel.
Unquestionably, smaller tanks are lighter and more manoeuvrable. The Leopard 2A4 is equal to Sweden’s Stridsvagn 122, which weighs just 62.5 tonnes, less than the Abrams and Challenger 2.
The Stridsvagn 122’s weaponry are little distinguishable from comparable Western weapons. A 120 mm smoothbore Rheinmetall L/44 serves as its primary weapon. Two 7.62 mm machine guns are available as backup weapons for close quarters warfare. Because there is no automatic reloading system, the crew of the tank is four persons by Western standards.
Sweden is a nation where practicality is valued. The nation’s automakers produce a very strong selection of vehicles that can be employed for either military or civilian purposes.
The Swedish Stridsvagn 122 tank is made for battle in thick, snowy forests. To put it another way, the engine must guarantee dependability as well as highly accurate weapons under such weather and environmental conditions, which are perfectly appropriate for the current scenario in Ukraine.
Sweden developed the Stridsvagn 122 to fix the problems with the first German-built tank. Reinforced armour, advanced active protection, deeper water penetration, quick target detection, identification, and locking, and concurrent multi-targeting are among the advancements.
The scenario of Sweden’s Stridsvagn 122 tank against Russia’s T-90M Proryv in the Ukraine battlefield is attracting deep attention from the media as well as military analysts around the world.
