United to win: Ukraine’s armed forces enhance arsenal with addition of Swedish armored personnel carriers

The Ukrainian Ministry of Defense has authorized the distribution of the Swedish Pbv 302 tracked armored personnel carrier to Ukrainian troops.

The department's press service reported that.

What is the problem?

Armored personnel carriers are crucial for the military's protection and mobility. Supplying units with armored vehicles remains highly relevant.

These assets allow Ukrainian troops to conduct raids, dislodge the enemy from their positions, shield against Russian fighters, and pressure them to retreat from populated areas to avoid being encircled – before launching a sweep.

What is the solution?

Sweden is one of the countries that consistently strive to meet Ukraine's needs. In 2023, Ukraine received around 50 CV90 armored personnel carriers from Sweden. And now, the Ukrainian army will be further reinforced with Pbv 302, which Sweden has promised to provide in full.

The Swedish government announced at the end of May that it would include Pansarbandvagn 302 (Pbv 302) armored personnel carriers from the Swedish Armed Forces in the 16th defense assistance package for Ukraine's armed forces. This new package demonstrates Stockholm's immense support for Ukraine, which has remained unwavering since the start of the Russian full-scale war.

How does it work?

The Swedish army utilized these armored vehicles until 2014. The Swedish government has stated that the addition of these armored vehicles will bolster the new brigades of the Ukrainian military. They will also provide spare parts, maintenance equipment, and ammunition for the Pbv 302 armored personnel carriers.

This armored personnel carrier is amphibious, capable of swimming over water obstacles. Pbv 302 is equipped with steel bulletproof armor.

As for weapons, the armored personnel carrier is equipped with:

• automatic cannon Hispano-Suiza 804, caliber 20 millimeters. It is located in a single tower, which was taken from a decommissioned Saab 29 aircraft. The gun can fire 500 shots per minute at a distance of up to 2 kilometers. Because of this armament, this vehicle is often referred to as an infantry fighting vehicle rather than an armored personnel carrier;
• machine gun Ksp 58 caliber 7.62 millimeters.
• two Lyran mortars.

Hagglund & Soner developed the Swedish Pansarbandvagn 302 tracked armored personnel carrier in the 1960s. They began entering the army in 1966, and 644 cars were produced.

The body is made of welded steel plates, and the side panels have a dual-layer construction. The front plates can withstand a strike from a 20-millimeter projectile.

"An armored personnel carrier weighing more than 13 tons has wide tracks, which creates less pressure on the ground than a tractor. This allows the armored vehicle to move on difficult off-road, soft and loose soils, particularly on swamps and sands, and to overcome water obstacles," the Ministry of Defense noted.

The Swedish armored personnel carrier, fitted with a tracking system, runs on a 280-horsepower diesel engine and can reach speeds of over 60 kilometers per hour.

Even though the machine was initially designed as an armored personnel carrier, it can function as an infantry fighting vehicle in the Ukrainian Defense Forces. Its driving abilities, cannon weapon, and strong armor suit this role.

In addition, their transfer will provide the infantry with high-quality transport with the ability to fight enemy light vehicles.

Critics frequently argue that it appears as though Ukrainian partners are simply supplying Ukraine with weapons that need to be disposed of. Russian propaganda heavily promotes this narrative. Nevertheless, it is essential to realize that Europe extends assistance to Ukraine when facing a need to fortify itself—this is evident from the growing number of calls for Europe to prepare for war.

It should be mentioned that the Swedish armored personnel carriers serve as a clear example that older equipment does not always equate to inadequate battlefield performance. As Defense Express reported, the M113 armored personnel carriers received from the USA may be even older (originally developed and adopted in the 1950s) but have received praise from Ukrainian soldiers.

For reference:

In general, since the beginning of the full-scale war, the Ministry of Defense has codified and approved about 20 samples of armored combat vehicles with protection against mines and ambushes for use by the troops.

For the military's needs, samples of armored vehicles produced by defense concerns of the USA, Great Britain, Australia, Türkiye, and other countries, as well as those manufactured by Ukrainian manufacturers, were admitted to operation.