Bandvagn 206

Bandvagn 206 (Bv 206) is a tracked articulated, all-terrain carrier developed by Hägglunds (now part of BAE Land Systems) 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), although the trailer unit can be adapted for different applications (see Variants section).

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 km/h. Over 11,000 have been produced and they are used in more than 37 countries worldwide.

The total load capacity is 2,250 kg and a trailer of up to 2,500 kg 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 ambulance variant, the flat-bed cargo carrier, tactical operations center variant, and the standard model. 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.

Additional users include the American and Australian Antarctic research organizations and Icelandic search and rescue services. They are also used for search and rescue services in the Australian alpine region. As well, the Bv 206 was used in combat by the Canadian Armed Forces during Operation Anaconda. The Singapore Armed Forces also uses the Bv 206 and recently transferred several of them to the Singapore Civil Defence Force to be used as a firefighting platform.

Variants

Bv 206A

The Bv206A is an ambulance version, which is capable of carrying stretchers in the rear compartment.

Bv 206F

The BV206F is a fire appliance variant.

PvBv 2062

The PvBv 2062 is an open top version of the Bv 206 armed with a 90 mm Pvpj 1110 recoilless anti-tank gun.

PvBv 2063

The PvBv 2063 is 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 Bv206S 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 (200 units ordered), Spain, Netherlands, Italy (189 units) and Sweden (50 units).

The vehicle can carry the driver and 11 combat equipped troops — four in the front compartment and eight in the rear. The Bv 206S can be under slung and air lifted 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.

BvS 10

The BvS 10, not to be confused with the Bv 206 or Bv 206S, is a much larger and fully amphibious armoured vehicle based upon the characteristic twin-cab, articulated steering system typical of Hagglunds all terrain vehicles. It was originally designed for the British Royal Marines Commandos and named VIKING. It is in service with the Royal Marines Armoured Support Group and the Netherlands Marine Corps.

Other variants

Numerous other variants exist including mortar launcher, cargo carrier, fuel carrier, radar, command post and radio relay. The units can easily be customised to meet the specific needs of a customer.

Specifications (original version)

Engine: 2.8L 99 kW Ford Cologne V6.
Gearbox: MB W 4A-018 automatic transmission
Weight: 4500 kg
Cargo load: 2240 kg (630 kg in front unit and 1610 kg in trailer unit)
Length: 6.9 m
Width: 1.87 m
Height: 2.4 m

Operators

Mexican Navy

External links

All Terrain Tracked Carrier
Bv206S at Army-Technology.com
Land Systems Hägglunds (previously Alvis Hägglunds, before that Hägglunds Vehicle, and in the very beginning Hägglunds & Söner)
Video British Bv S10s part of ISAF convoy in southern Afghanistan (source: British Ministry of Defense).
The Polish owner and enthusiast of BV206 and BV202