Demonstration of the elevation system on the strv 103
I’m not perfectly sure but I don’t believe these are the full extents of the elevation system – the depression is probably close to the max but I think the elevation could go another couple of degrees. To add to your enjoyment, here are a few pictures from the manual that shows how the system works. “Kvävgas” means “nitrogen”, and “olja” means “oil”.
Oil is pumped from the front cylinder into the rear one, the rear swing arm is forced down and the tank depresses.
Oil is pumped from the rear cylinder to the front one, the front swing arm is forced down and the tank elevates.
Schematic view of the strv 103 elevation system components.
By the way, in case you ever wondered what the heck “elgon” means in Swedish and been unable to find out (the word isn’t in the Swedish Academy Dictionary and is basically ungoogleable), the appropriate English translation is synchro. Naturally, I mistranslated it at first, so where it says “resolver” in the schematic above, it should say “synchro”.
Was there any consideration given to using the Strv 103 platform for other purposes?
Not that I have found in the archives. The idea to use the suspension for elevation to get a lower vehicle lived on for a while during the 1970’s in various experimental designs (some of the UDES projects) but nothing made it to production.
The bkan 1 does use the 103’s power train and a modified version of its running gear, though, and there was also a prototype self-propelled anti-aircraft vehicle with two 40mm Bofors guns – called the VEAK 40 – that did the same.
Actually they tried to use the chassi as an demining vehicle nicknamed “glufs glufs” (“nom nom”).
But due to its short track length it showed unstable and was cancelled.
I’m doing a research project on this and I was wondering what book you got the blueprints from?