Sweden to upgrade Stridsvagn 122 tanks due to the war in Ukraine

The Swedish Armed Forces have signed a contract with the German company Krauss-Maffei Wegmann for a large-scale modernization of the Stridsvagn 122 tank fleet.

The Swedish Defence Materiel Administration (FMV) announced this in a statement.

This contract is the largest since the purchase of tanks of this type, with 44 combat vehicles expected to undergo deep modernization.

“Tanks will be the backbone of army brigades for a long time to come – this is the conclusion we can draw from the ongoing war in Ukraine. The order we are currently placing with KMW means a significant modernization of our tank fleet and extends the service life of the tanks until at least the 2030s,” Jonas Lotzne, Head of Army Vehicles at FMV, shared.

The upgrade includes replacing virtually all electronic components of the tank to ensure the system’s compatibility with other modern Leopard 2s.

In addition, tanks will be equipped with a new L55 gun with the ability to use programmable ammunition, new night sights for the gunner and tank commander, and a night vision camera for the driver and new tracks.

The modernized combat vehicles are to be delivered to the Swedish Armed Forces in 2026. The tanks will receive the Stridsvagn 123A index.

According to open sources, Sweden had about 120 Stridsvagn 122 tanks at the beginning of 2022.

In February 2023, Militarnyi reported that Sweden intends to join the international “tank coalition” and transfer 10 Stridsvagn 122 tanks to Ukraine.

Stridsvagn 122

The Stridsvagn 122 main battle tank is a licensed copy of the Leopard 2A5 tank, developed in cooperation with the German Krauss-Maffei and the Swedish Åkers Krutbruk Protection AB.

Overall, the Stridsvagn 122 differs significantly from the Leopard 2A5. During the tank’s adaptation to the Swedish Ministry of Defense, the armor, fire control system, and a number of other units were changed the most.

The Swedish tank has an improved armor kit that increases protection against mHEAT ammunition compared to the basic version.

The fire control system has been upgraded to track multiple targets and calculate their range and speed. The targeting equipment includes a new laser range meter and thermal imaging camera.

The turret’s rotation drive has also changed – the hydraulic system has been replaced by an electric one. This increased the speed and accuracy of targeting in the horizontal plane.

The combat vehicle also received smoke mortars from the French company Galix. Their ammunition includes not only standard smoke grenades, but also high-explosive ones that increase the tank’s capabilities in urban combat.