Strv 103-0
This page is about the premium Swedish medium tank Strv 103-0. For other versions, see Strv 103 (Family). |
Contents
Description
The Strv 103 "zero series" was a preproduction order for the army after the successful display of the S1 and S2 prototypes. 10 units of these series were built, and they were used to test how the Strv 103 would perform in Swedish defense doctrine. The tanks were also tested in order to evaluate logistics, organization, their compatibility with other tank units, and crew training. These trials ended in 1966, following an order placed by the Swedish Army for 70 Strv 103As in 1964. The first batch of these new tanks was delivered in 1967, a year after the "zero series" trials ended.
It was introduced as a pack vehicle in Update 1.95 "Northern Wind". The Strv 103 is a heavily angled tank, with relatively thin armour but a 77-degree slope. This allows the tank bounce most conventional shells like APCBC and even APDS, however it is very vulnerable to HEAT and HEAT-FS projectiles, since those are able to penetrate the tank with ease, and even if the crew is not injured, disabling the engine or transmission immobilizes the tank, and gun, since this is fixed to the hull. So it's better used as a sniper, using its variable suspension to peek over hills and retain a low profile.
The Strv 103-0 was removed from the store after the May 2021 sale but was reintroduced in Update "Direct Hit" as a premium vehicle purchasable in-game for Golden Eagles.
General info
Survivability and armour
With a superbly sloped front hull armour, incoming kinetic rounds are prone to harmlessly bounce off, though chemical rounds will typically do some damage. Side, rear and top armour of the vehicle are weak, most aircraft can penetrate the roof, especially if they have 20 mm rounds or larger. With a total of three crew members, survivability after taking hits tend to be slim. However, the Strv 103 series are the only tanks that can operate with only one crew member! A major drawback is without transmission/engine you can no longer manoeuvre the hull to aim left or right. Check out the Strv 103 Family here! |
Armour | Front (Slope angle) | Sides | Rear | Roof |
---|---|---|---|---|
Hull | 40 mm (77°) Upper Glacis 40 mm (74°) Lower Glacis |
30 mm +10 mm Upper 30 mm Lower |
30 mm | 20 mm |
Cupola | 35 mm | 35 mm | 35 mm | 20 mm |
Notes:
- Suspension wheels are 15 mm thick while tracks are 20 mm thick.
- The crew compartment is lined with an internal 10 mm RHA plate.
- Storage boxes are 10 mm thick.
Mobility
Game Mode | Max Speed (km/h) | Weight (tons) | Engine power (horsepower) | Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton) | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Forward | Reverse | Stock | Upgraded | Stock | Upgraded | ||
Arcade | 56 | 49 | 35 | 732 | 1,030 | 20.91 | 29.43 |
Realistic | 50 | 44 | 478 | 540 | 13.66 | 15.43 |
Modifications and economy
Armaments
Main armament
105 mm L74 | Turret rotation speed (°/s) | Reloading rate (seconds) | ||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Mode | Capacity | Vertical | Horizontal | Stabilizer | Stock | Upgraded | Full | Expert | Aced | Autoloader |
Arcade | 50 | -10°/+12° | N/A | N/A | 33.6 | 33.6 | 40.8 | 45.1 | 48.0 | 4.00 |
Realistic | 21.0 | 21.0 | 25.5 | 28.2 | 30.0 |
Ammunition
Penetration statistics | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Ammunition | Type of warhead |
Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm) | |||||
10 m | 100 m | 500 m | 1,000 m | 1,500 m | 2,000 m | ||
slpprj m/61 | APDS | 358 | 355 | 341 | 324 | 308 | 293 |
slpprj m/66 | APDS | 272 | 269 | 258 | 246 | 233 | 222 |
slsgr m/61A | HE | 23 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 23 |
slspgr m/61 | HESH | 127 | 127 | 127 | 127 | 127 | 127 |
Shell details | ||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Ammunition | Type of warhead |
Velocity (m/s) |
Projectile mass (kg) |
Fuse delay (m) |
Fuse sensitivity (mm) |
Explosive mass (TNT equivalent) (kg) |
Ricochet | |||||
0% | 50% | 100% | ||||||||||
slpprj m/61 | APDS | 1,500 | 4 | - | - | - | 75° | 78° | 80° | |||
slpprj m/66 | APDS | 1,450 | 4.53 | - | - | - | 75° | 78° | 80° | |||
slsgr m/61A | HE | 680 | 15.5 | 0 | 0.1 | 1.83 | 79° | 80° | 81° | |||
slspgr m/61 | HESH | 760 | 11.4 | 0.1 | 4 | 3.15 | 73° | 77° | 80° |
Smoke shell characteristics | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Ammunition | Velocity (m/s) |
Projectile mass (kg) |
Screen radius (m) |
Screen deploy time (s) |
Screen hold time (s) |
Explosive mass (TNT equivalent) (g) |
rökgr m/61 | 330 | 18.7 | 20 | 5 | 25 | 50 |
Ammo racks
Full ammo |
1st rack empty |
2nd rack empty |
3rd rack empty |
4th rack empty |
5th rack empty |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
50 | 46 (+4) | 41 (+9) | 36 (+14) | 31 (+19) | 26 (+24) |
6th rack empty |
7th rack empty |
8th rack empty |
9th rack empty |
10th rack empty |
Visual discrepancy |
21 (+29) | 16 (+34) | 11 (+39) | 6 (+44) | 1 (+49) | No |
Note:
- Shells are modeled individually and disappear after having been shot or loaded.
Machine guns
7.62 mm ksp 58 | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Mount | Capacity (Belt) | Fire rate | Vertical | Horizontal |
Coaxial | 500 (250) | 600 | N/A | N/A |
Coaxial | 500 (250) | 600 | N/A | N/A |
Usage in battles
The Strv 103-0 is a heavily angled tank offering 40 mm armour sloped at 77 degrees able to bounce almost any kinetic round in the game from the front. However a HEAT-FS round will penetrate right though the armour. It also lacks any ERA or composite protection, its rear armour is 30 mm thick, the flat sides have an additional 10 mm plate bringing their total thickness to 40 mm, and the roof is a measly 20 mm thick.
In order to stay alive, it is important to always have your front pointing towards the enemy. Its 105 mm L74 cannon is able to offer a maximum penetration of 303 mm. It may seem low compared to other tanks in-game, however with a skilled commander who utilise the map and who can stay stealthy is able to become the tanker version of the legendary Viking called Erik the Red.
One of the great advantages of this tank is its pure survivability, its crew is all located behind the engine and transmission. However one of the weaknesses is also this crew survivability, any shot that is able to penetrate from the side will knockout the engine and transmission, worse case causing fires or disabling the tank in combat allowing the enemy tanker to flank to the rear or sides and fire a single shot into the Strv 103-0 ammo racks or crew compartments.
The ideal playstyle is to play the tank as an ambusher, stay in the bushes then pop out and fire, reverse and then move to another location, with the idea being to press the attack from their rear and cause mayhem, however if you stay at range, it can function well as a sniper thanks to its good gun depression, rangefinder, small profile and good reverse speed.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- The gun has good penetration and damage
- Four second reload time makes it much easier to knock out enemy tanks
- The frontal armour is heavily sloped
- Has a tiny profile, making it much easier to hide in realistic and simulator battles
- Because the engine is located at the front most shots will not go through the whole tank if they penetrate and will simply be absorbed
- Has a 10 mm gun shield that will block most shrapnel.
- Ammo rarely explodes because it is located far in the back
Cons:
- The sloped frontal armour becomes pointless if angled incorrectly
- Very thin side and rear armour, any gun larger than a machine gun can go through
- The turret is fixed to the hull and cannot swivel
- APFSDS, HEAT, APDS and ATGM projectiles will go straight through the lower front plate, most of the time no matter the angle
- Very vulnerable front lower glacis plate
- HE can very quickly destroy the tank if they can penetrate the base thickness of the armour
History
Strv 103-0 is the prototype series before the head series with Strv 103A was delivered to the Swedish army. After the trial of the two trial vehicles S1 and S2 in 1961, Sweden ordered 10 pre-series Strv 103 which would become the 0-series. They were not finished until 1963, where they were put on trial to be combined with different vehicles to see how to efficiently utilize the tank system in squad and organization attempts. These attempts would have a great impact on how the Strv 103 would be shaped and molded and so the evaluation of the Strv 103 began that would last from 1963 till 1966. It only took half a year before it was decided that the Strv 103 "S" would become Sweden's new tank.
The trials with the 0-series worked well, the test results from the field testings, squad and organization attempts were favourable for the Strv 103-0 and it was not until 1964 that Sweden placed an order in a total value of around 500 million kr (SEK) which would total in 70 Strv 103 being produced to the first main series Strv 103 which would be designated Strv 103A. The main series tank order delivery started by 1967 giving the 0-series to be put to trials until the end of 1966.
Devblog
In the immediate postwar years, Sweden began looking for a replacement to the Centurion tanks, then in service with its army. The most straightforward solution was to once again look into the export market for potential candidates, although engineers were already working on a domestic design - the Kranvagn. While this process was ongoing, an engineer by the name of Sven Berge came up with a radical new tank design in 1956.
This new vehicle featured a turretless design with a cannon fixed to the hull, which would be trained onto its targets with the precise use of an adjustable suspension system. The design was based on results from a study on tank crew casualties during WWII and the Korean War, which showed a correlation between tank height and hit probability. As such, the 'S-Tank' was kept very small in dimensions and low in profile, while also utilizing some innovative new engineering solutions, such as a mixed power plant consisting of a diesel engine and a gas turbine.
In 1959, the Swedish government approved the construction and testing of two prototypes. In 1960, a pre-production batch of 10 vehicles of the '0-serie' was ordered for field trials, which went on into the mid '60s. Generating more than favorable test results, the vehicle was formally ordered into production and procured as the 'Stridsvagn 103'.
Despite its original purpose being to replace the Centurion tanks in the Swedish Army, the Strv 103 ended up serving alongside it for a number of decades, until it was ultimately decommissioned in the late 1990s. By that time, 290 Strv 103s were built, spanning over five variants.
Media
- Skins
- Images
- Videos
See also
Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:
- reference to the series of the vehicles;
- links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.
External links
AB Bofors | |
---|---|
MBTs | |
Strv 103 | Strv 103-0 · Strv 103A · Strv 103С |
Tank Destroyers | SAV 20.12.48 · Bkan 1C |
SPAA | Lvkv 42 |
Radar | VEAK 40 |
SAM | ASRAD-R* |
See Also | BAE Systems AB |
*Saab Bofors Dynamics |
Sweden medium tanks | |
---|---|
Strv m/42 | Lago I · Strv m/42 EH · Ikv 73 · Strv m/42 DT · Pvkv IV |
Centurion derivatives | Strv 81 · Strv 81 (RB 52) · Strv 101 · Strv 104 · Strv 105 |
Strv 103 | Strv 103-0 · Strv 103A · Strv 103С |
Strv 121/122 | Strv 121 · Christian II · Strv 122A · Strv 122B PLSS · Strv 122B+ |
Other | Sherman III/IV · T 80 U |
Finland | |
WWII | ▄T-28 · ▄T-34 · ▄Pz.IV · ▄T-34-85 |
Post War | ▄Comet I · ▄Charioteer Mk VII · ▄T-54 · ▄T-55M · ▄T-72M1 · ▄Leopard 2A4 · ▄Leopard 2A6 |
Norway | Leopard 1A5NO2 |
Sweden premium ground vehicles | |
---|---|
Light tanks | ▄T-26E · Strv m/39 · Pbil m/40 · Strv m/41 S-I · CV9035DK · CV 90105 |
Medium tanks | Sherman III/IV · Strv 81 (RB 52) · Strv 103-0 · Leopard 1A5NO2 · Christian II |
Heavy tanks | ▄KV-1 m1942 · Kungstiger |
Tank destroyers | Ikv 73 · SAV 20.12.48 · VIDAR |