BvS 10 (Viking) Swedish Amphibious/Airborne Armored Personnel Carrier (APC)

The BvS 10 is an All-Terrain Armored Vehicle produced by BAE Systems Land Systems Hägglunds of Sweden and under license by FNSS of Turkey. This vehicle, referred to as the All-Terrain Vehicle (protected) - ATV(P) or Viking by the UK forces, was originally developed as a collaboration between industry - Hägglunds Vehicle AB - and the UK Ministry of Defense (MoD) on behalf of the Royal Marines. The BvS 10 is similar to, but distinct from, the Bv 206 or Bv 206S. It is a much larger and fully amphibious armored vehicle based upon the characteristic twin-cab, articulated steering system typical of Hägglunds all-terrain vehicles. The main differences from the older Bv206s are a more powerful Cummins 5.9 liter diesel engine, improved ground clearance, and newly developed chassis, power train and steering units that give the vehicle considerably enhanced speed (from previous 51.5 km/h on-road), and comfort on-road and in terrain, as well as greater load-carrying capability (up to 5 tons), and the ability to add various modular sub-systems such as add-on armor, weapon mounts, a load-changer, and cargo platforms. French Order On 18 December 2009, the French Armed Forces placed an initial order for 53 BvS 10 Vikings, with a total order for 129 of the vehicles. Including servicing, the contract is estimated to be worth £220 million, and the vehicles will be assembled at the BAE factory in Sweden. This is a historic order, as it is the first French order for military equipment from the United Kingdom in decades. In placing the order, France broke with their tradition of supporting domestic products, in this case, the Bronco All Terrain Tracked Carrier, built jointly by ST Kinetics and Thales. Swedish Order On 5 January 2012, it was announced that the Swedish Armed Forces decided to procure 48 units of the model BvS10 MkIIB, to be delivered starting in the autumn of 2012, and deployed to the Swedish contingent in Afghanistan in the spring of 2013. The contract is worth approximately 700 million SEK, and also includes support and training equipment. There are also options to order an additional 127 vehicles divided into three different batches in the future. On 25 September 2013, Sweden agreed to buy 100 additional BvS10 vehicles for over $160 million, as part of the options agreed upon in the first order. On 19 December 2013, Sweden officially ordered 102 BvS10 vehicles for $120 million. The vehicles include troop carrier, command, ambulance, and logistic carrier variants and will be delivered from 2014 to 2015. Austrian Order On 30 June 2016, it was announced on Baesystems homepage that the Austrian Army decided to procure 32 units of the model BvS10, to be delivered from 2017 to 2018. The BvS10 will also play a role in Austria's mission in the European Union Mountain Training Warfare Initiative (EU MTI). According to the Austrian military magazine "Truppendienst", the Austrian Army will receive the first build BvS10's MkIIB with CBRN protection and all vehicles equipped with WS4 PANTHER remote-controlled weapon station. A possible additional BvS10 MkIIB order could be signed after the 2018 delivery. The Austrians received the first of BvS10 vehicles in February 2019.