Bandvagn 206

Bandvagn 206
Type - Armoured vehicle
Place of origin - Sweden
Production history
Manufacturer - Hägglunds
Produced - 1980-
No. built - 11,000+ (as of 2017)
Specifications
Mass - 4,500 kg (9,900 lb)
Length - 6.9 m (22 ft 8 in)
Width - 1.87 m (6 ft 2 in)
Height - 2.4 m (7 ft 10 in)
Crew - Driver + 5 passengers (front car)
Passengers - 11 passengers (rear car)
Main armament - Heavy machine gun on ring mount
Secondary armament - Smoke grenade launchers (front), mortars (back)
Engine - 2.8L 99 kW Ford Cologne V6 . 99 kW (132 hp)
Maximum speed - 65 km/h (40 mph) (roads) . 5 km/h (3.1 mph) (water)

Bandvagn 206 (Bv 206) (meaning "Tracked Vehicle 206" in English) is a tracked articulated, all-terrain carrier developed by Hägglunds (now part of BAE Systems Platforms & Services) for the Swedish Army. It consists of two units, with all four tracks powered. It can carry up to 17 people (6 in the front compartment, 11 in the rear), and the trailer unit can be adapted for different uses (see Variants section).
History
Development of the Bv 206 all-terrain articulated tracked carrier began in 1974. Three batches of trial vehicles were delivered between 1976 and 1978 and the first production examples were delivered to the Swedish Defense Administration in 1980.
Like its predecessor, the Volvo Bv 202, the Bv 206 is designed to carry troops and equipment through snow and bog-lands in northern Sweden. The low ground pressure enables the Bv 206 to cope with a wide range of difficult conditions. It is also fully amphibious, with a speed in water of up to 4.7 kilometres per hour (2.9 mph). Over 11,000 have been produced and they are used in more than 37 countries worldwide.
The total load capacity is 2,250 kilograms (4,960 lb) and a trailer of up to 2,500 kilograms (5,500 lb) gross weight can also be towed behind the second compartment.
The Bv 206 is referred to as a Small Unit Support Vehicle (SUSV) pronounced "susvee" in United States service. U.S. military variants include the standard model (M973), a tactical operations center variant (M1065), an ambulance variant (M1066) and a flat-bed cargo carrier (M1067). U.S. military models are fitted with a 6-cylinder Mercedes diesel engine and a non-halon fire suppression system since 1997 due to several cases where the front car caught fire and burned to the frame.
Users include the American and Australian Antarctic research organizations and British, Icelandic and Canadian search and rescue services. They are also used for search and rescue services in the Austrian alpine region. The Bv 206 was used in combat by the Canadian Army during Operation Anaconda. The Singapore Armed Forces uses the Bv 206, and recently transferred several of them to the Singapore Civil Defense Force for use as a firefighting platform.
Decommissioned units have been purchased by private owners and rented as transports, particularly in Alberta, Canada, to access remote oil wells, as well as cut blocks which need to be reforested by tree planting.
The Bv 206 is used in Antarctica, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Israel, Indonesia, Italy, Lithuania, Latvia, Malaysia, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Pakistan, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

Variants

Bv 206A
The Bv 206A is an ambulance version, which is capable of carrying stretchers in the rear compartment.
Bv 206F
The Bv 206F is a fire appliance variant.
RaBv 2061
The RaBv 2061 (RadioBandvagn 2061) is a Swedish Army communications/command version, fitted with radio equipment and workplaces for staff members.
PvBv 2062
The PvBv 2062 (PansarvärnsBandvagn 2062) is a Swedish Army anti-tank vehicle, an open top version of the Bv 206 armed with a 90 mm Pvpj 1110 recoilless anti-tank gun.
PvBv 2063
The PvBv 2063 (PansarvärnsBandvagn 2063) is another Swedish Army anti-tank vehicle, similar to PvBv 2062, but fitted with the launch system for an ATGM, either the TOW (Rbs 55) or the Bofors BILL (Rbs 56).
Bv 206S
The Bv 206S is an armoured personnel carrier variant of the Bv 206, which provides protection from small arms fire for the occupants. It is in service with the armed forces of France, Germany (379 Bv 206D/S ordered), Spain, Netherlands, Italy (158 units), Sweden (50 units), Greece (Bv 208) and Singapore (300 units), which has replaced it with the Bronco All Terrain Tracked Carrier.
Using a Steyr M1-"Monoblock" engine (6-cylinder, 130 kW), the vehicle can carry the driver and 12 combat-equipped troops - four in the front compartment and eight in the rear. The Bv 206S can be underslung and airlifted by Boeing CH-47 Chinook and Sikorsky CH-53E Super Stallion helicopters or carried in the C130 Hercules airplane, amongst others.
Canadian troops taking part in Operation Anaconda in Afghanistan made good use of this vehicle, riding over rough mountainous terrain with full combat gear, allowing the men to avoid the exhaustion they would have felt moving on foot at such high altitudes and in such conditions.
The UK is looking to replace its Bv206Ds by 2020.
GAZ-3351
Produced in Russia under license from Hägglunds by the GAZ Group at the Zavolzhsky Plant Of Caterpillar Tractors. Uses a 6-cylinder Steyr M16 turbodiesel engine.
BvS 10
The BvS 10, not to be confused with the Bv 206 or Bv 206S, is a much larger (therefore equipped with a 6-cylinder Steyr M1 engine with 200 kW) but still fully amphibious armoured vehicle based upon the characteristic twin-cab, articulated steering system typical of Hägglunds all terrain vehicles. It was originally designed for the British Royal Marines Commandos and named All Terrain Vehicle (Protected) - ATV(P) VIKING. It is in service with the Royal Marines Armoured Support Group and the Royal Netherlands Marine Corps while the French Army have recently ordered 130 Bvs10s. The Austrian Armed Forces 32 BvS10AUT represents the most modern variant with full vehicle and crew protection and a .50 calibre remote-controlled weapon station. It is also planned for the Italian Army.
BvS 10 Beowulf
The BvS 10 Beowulf is essentially an unarmored version of the BvS 10 Viking.
Other variants
Other variants exist including mortar carrier, cargo carrier, fuel carrier, radar, command post and radio relay. The units can easily be customized to meet customer requirements.
Specifications (original version)
Diagram of the Bv 206
Engine: 2.8L 99 kW Ford Cologne V6
Gearbox: MB W 4A-018 automatic transmission
Weight: 4,500 kilograms (9,900 lb)
Cargo load: 2,240 kilograms (4,940 lb) - 630 kilograms (1,390 lb) in front unit and 1,610 kilograms (3,550 lb) in trailer unit)
Length: 6.9 metres (23 ft)
Width: 1.87 metres (6.1 ft)
Height: 2.4 metres (7.9 ft)

Operators

Current operators
Argentina Argentine National Gendarmerie
Austria Austrian Armed Forces
Brazil Brazilian Marine Corps
Canada Canadian Army - (78)
Chile Chilean Marine Corps
Estonia Estonian Defence Forces
Finland Finnish Army
France French Army
Germany German Army
Greece Hellenic Army - Used with ARTHUR counterbattery radar.
Indonesia Indonesian Army - Used by 2nd Group of the Kopassus special forces.
Republic of Ireland Irish Defence Forces - (7) Fitted with GIRAFFE Mk IV radars.
Israel Israel Defense Forces
Italy Italian Army (about 110 BV-206; 112 BV-206S7 and 46 BV-206S)
Latvia Latvian Land Forces
Lithuania Lithuanian Land Force
Malaysia Malaysian Army - (80)
Netherlands Netherlands Navy
Norway Norwegian Army - (1000)
Singapore Singapore Army
South Korea South Korean Army
Spain Spanish Army
Sweden Swedish Army - (4,500) Includes BvS 10 variant.
United Kingdom British Armed Forces
United States United States Armed Forces - Used in the United States Army by the 86th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, the 4th Brigade Combat Team (Airborne) and 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division. Also used by the United States Marine Corps.
United States United States National Guard
Civilian operators
Armenia Ministry of Emergency Situations of Armenia
Australia New South Wales Ambulance
Canada Low Impact (Inc)
Canada Red Deer County Technical Rescue Task Force
Canada Four Tracks All-Terrain Edmonton Alberta
Denmark LEGOLAND Billund
Estonia Estonian Rescue Board
Greece Hellenic Fire Service
Iceland Icelandic Association for Search and Rescue
Indonesia Mobile Brigade Corps of Indonesian National Police
Indonesia Indonesian Red Cross
Republic of Ireland Civil Defence Ireland
Italy Italian National Firefighters Corps
New Zealand New Zealand Antarctic Research Programme
Russia Several hundred ex-Norwegian sold and believed to have ended up in Russia
United Kingdom Royal National Lifeboat Institution
United Kingdom Bay Search and Rescue Team
United Kingdom Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service
United States Massachusetts State Police
United States Schlumberger
United States South Metro Fire Rescue in Parker, CO in the south part of Denver metropolitan area at Station 46

Similar vehicles with the Bv206 ATV include:
Sisu Auto Sisu Nasu
ST Kinetics Bronco All Terrain Tracked Carrier
Hägglunds (BAE Systems AB) BvS 10
Bolinder-Munktell (Volvo BM) Bandvagn 202
(World War II Germany's) Raupenschlepper Ost