Pbv 301

Pbv 301

Lvtdgb m/40

Pbv 301

Lvtdgb m/40

Sweden

II Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
2.3	2.3	2.3

Class:

SPAA

Research:7 900

Purchase:10 000

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Description

The Pansarbandvagn 301 was a Swedish infantry fighting vehicle based on ageing Strv m/41 hulls that were no longer intended for service. The rebuilding of these hulls was tasked to Hägglund & Söner, to create a vehicle able to safely carry a squad of eight fully equipped soldiers for use by the Swedish Army. A total of 220 Strv m/41s were converted to the Pbv 301, which had a short service life but provided valuable lessons for the upcoming Pbv 302 that would replace them.

Able to carry eight soldiers, the Pbv 301 was also equipped with an oscillating casing housing a 20 mm Akan m/45B cannon taken from old decommissioned J21A-2s to provide direct fire support for the infantry, enabling them to engage both hostile infantry and lightly armoured vehicles. Infantry could also fight from inside the vehicle via two hatches on the roof, which provided cover for the Pbv 301 if the main armament was occupied with other targets. It served from 1962 as troop transport for armoured brigades until it was phased out in the early 1970s in favour of the newer Pbv 302.

Introduced in Update "Direct Hit", the Pbv 301 is a fully enclosed infantry fighting vehicle within the Swedish Army's beginner ranks. The Pbv 301 has a low profile, allowing players to simply hide behind obstacles to avoid unwanted attention from adversaries. The weapon has a high rate of fire and can attack both ground targets and low-flying aircraft. Furthermore, it is outfitted with hull-mounted smoke grenades, enabling retreat in difficult situations - a feature unique among its counterparts. However, due to its incredibly low crew count (just two crew members), the chances of surviving penetrating shots are poor. Finally, since the vehicle has a high reload time, it is critical for players to conserve ammunition throughout combat.

General info

Survivability and armour

Smoke grenades

Creation of a smoke screen in front of the vehicle

Armourfront / side / back

Hull15 / 8 / 8

Turret8 / 8 / 8

Crew2 people

Visibility88 %

The Pbv 301 is a small casemate with a sloped front. The driver and the gunner are located on its right front side, while the engine is located on the left. The back has spare magazines on the floor and otherwise is completely empty.

Due to a slope and the 20 mm of RHA, the hull front will sustain 12.7 mm machine guns and might sustain 20 mm fire from the low ground (but not the high ground) or from about 500 m away. The lower frontal plate is 50 mm RHA and will sustain some explosions.

The sides and the back are only 8 mm RHA and should not be exposed if at all possible, whether fighting against tanks or aircraft. If it is necessary to flank other tanks and expose the sides, only the left side should be visible, as the engine will often take a hit for the crew. Despite poor side armour, the Pbv 301 takes only minor overpressure damage from close artillery strike misses and can survive standing in it.

It's technically possible to penetrate the gunner cupola, since its edges are only 8 mm thick, but it is very difficult to do without knowing, and most opponents won't have a clue.

Due to its low profile, the Pbv 301 can hide behind other tanks, rocks or hills and only expose the autocannon. In such case, it becomes anywhere from difficult to near impossible to take the Pbv 301 out, as many will aim at the gun itself, but not at the ammo belt, and gun hits won't be fatal, unless made with high-explosive shells, which are mostly carried by SPGs at the BR, not to mention that medium tanks of some nations don't have any explosive filler at all in their rounds.

If everything else fails, this SPAA has smoke screens (which is already incredibly rare for SPAA as a class and won't be expected at all) and there is not just one, but two groups of them as well. These can blind enemy players and disable aim assist in AB after 5 seconds. Unfortunately, it is usually necessary to fire off both groups at once, as otherwise the smoke wall is often incomplete.

Armour type:

• Rolled homogeneous armour

Armour	Front (Slope angle)	Sides	Rear	Roof
Hull	50 mm (14°) Front plate 8 mm (63°) Lower glacis	15 mm Bottom	8 mm
Casemate	20 mm (53°) Upper glacis 10 mm Gun mantlet	8 mm (20°) Top	8 mm	20 mm (37°) Front glacis 10 mm Crew compartment
Gun mount	15 mm (spherical)			10 mm Centre 15 mm Outer ring

Notes:

• Suspension wheels and tracks are 20 mm thick.
• Belly armour is 8 mm thick.

Mobility

Speedforward / back

AB50 / 8 km/h

RB and SB46 / 7 km/h

Number of gears5 forward

1 back

Weight11.5 t

Engine power

AB286 hp

RB and SB150 hp

Power-to-weight ratio

AB24.9 hp/t

RB and SB13.0 hp/t

Game Mode	Max Speed (km/h)		Weight (tons)	Engine power (horsepower)		Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
	Forward	Reverse		Stock	Upgraded	Stock	Upgraded
Arcade	50	8	11.5	213	286	18.52	24.87
Realistic	46	7		133	150	11.57	13.04

Modifications and economy

Repair costBasic → Reference

AB428 → 579

RB361 → 488

SB561 → 759

Total cost of modifications6 930

6 740

Talisman cost530

Crew training3 000

Experts10 000

Aces115

Research Aces160 000

Reward for battleAB / RB / SB

30 / 40 / 50 %

112 / 112 / 112 %

Modifications

Mobility	Protection	Firepower
Tracks Research: 350 Cost: 340 70 Suspension Research: 310 Cost: 300 60 Brake System Research: 310 Cost: 300 60 Filters Research: 580 Cost: 560 115 Transmission Research: 560 Cost: 550 110 Engine Research: 560 Cost: 550 110	Improved Parts Research: 350 Cost: 340 70 Improved FPE Research: 310 Cost: 300 60 Crew Replenishment Research: 580 Cost: 560 115 Smoke grenade Research: 560 Cost: 550 110	Horizontal Drive Research: 350 Cost: 340 70 20mm_sw_kan_HE_ammo_pack Research: 350 Cost: 340 70 Adjustment of Fire Research: 310 Cost: 300 60 20mm_sw_kan_AP_ammo_pack Research: 310 Cost: 300 60 Elevation Mechanism Research: 580 Cost: 560 115 Artillery Support Research: 560 Cost: 550 110

Armaments

Main armament

20 mm Akan m/45B cannon

Ammunition480 rounds

Belt capacity80 rounds

Reloadbasic crew → aces

10.4 → 8.0 s

Fire rate725 shots/min

Vertical guidance-15° / 48°

The gun is similar to 40B on the previous SPAA, but with a lot of quality of life upgrades.

There are now 6 belts with 75 shells each, and the gun can fire twice as fast, allowing for smoother shell streams. The turret turns a bit faster and allows the gun to turn slightly more down or up. All of this ensures that SPAA can take down planes before they get into the dead zone.

The Pbv 301 still can fight back against other tanks, whether by firing at their weak spots, or by breaking their tracks (to force them to turn) and then hitting their side or running away. It is ill-advised to attack medium tanks frontally, particularly of higher BR. Most heavy tanks will ignore the 20 mm fire with the present ammunition. Most British and Soviet tanks at a higher BR are immune to the 20 mm attacks (in the case of the British, even their SPAAs can in some situations be immune to 20 mm cannon fire).

Pbv 301 can fire over obstacles that other tanks can't use. Pay attention to the map.

Since the autocannon is placed above the tank and, if proper cover is taken, only the gun and ammo belt are visible, the Pbv 301 can obliterate entire light tank squads at its leisure and make charging medium and heavy tanks slip up and become a target for allied SPGs without any fear. It's also possible to ambush tanks from usually impossible angles, as the gun is technically as tall as a heavy tank. This can be done over some hills as well due to a decent gun depression.

The downside of the new gun is that the reload now takes 10 seconds, which technically could be avoided on the predecessor by not overheating the weapon. It is better to unload the half-empty belt somewhere safe before trying to attack.

20 mm Akan m/45B						Turret rotation speed (°/s)					Reloading rate (seconds)
Mode	Capacity (Belt)	Fire rate	Vertical	Horizontal	Stabilizer	Stock	Upgraded	Full	Expert	Aced	Stock	Full	Expert	Aced
Arcade	450 (75)	725	-15°/+48°	±180°	N/A	26.4	36.6	44.4	49.1	52.2	10.40	9.20	8.48	8.00
Realistic						17.9	21.0	25.5	28.2	30.0

Ammunition

• Default: AP-T · HEFI-T · HEFI-T
• slsgr m/42: HEFI-T
• slpgr m/42: AP-T

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
Default AP-T	AP-T	42	40	30	22	16	11
slsgr m/42	HEFI-T	5	4	3	2	2	2
slpgr m/42	AP-T	42	40	30	21	15	10

Shell details
Ammunition	Type of warhead	Velocity (m/s)	Projectile mass (kg)	Fuse delay (m)	Fuse sensitivity (mm)	Explosive mass (TNT equivalent) (g)	Ricochet
							0%	50%	100%
Default AP-T	AP-T	815	0.15	-	-	-	47°	60°	65°
slsgr m/42	HEFI-T	845	0.14	0.1	0.1	10.2	79°	80°	81°
slpgr m/42	AP-T	845	0.14	-	-	-	47°	60°	65°

Ammo racks

Full ammo	1st rack empty	2nd rack empty	3rd rack empty	4th rack empty	5th rack empty	6th rack empty	Visual discrepancy
6 450	5 (+1) 375 (+75)	4 (+2) 300 (+150)	3 (+3) 225 (+225)	2 (+4) 150 (+300)	1 (+5) 75 (+375)	0 (+6) 0 (+450)	Yes

Usage in battles

It's usually safe to help your teammates when they are in trouble, just do not overextend.

The Pbv 301 shall be used mainly as an SPAA. Its cannon with its pinpoint accuracy and a high rate of fire for its BR along the slsgr m/42 HEFI-T belt prove devastating to deal with low-flying planes and bombers. During a game, it is recommended to either stay within the confines of your spawn or to stay somewhere safe nearby to the main allies group and scout the skies for any aircraft. The high muzzle velocity and rate of fire make this vehicle effective against aircraft at medium ranges.

In proper cover and with decent support, the Pbv 301 is effectively invincible.

In an anti-tank role, the Pbv 301 is only effective against light tanks, light SPGs and SPAAGs, as the frontal armour of most medium tanks at its BR or higher is thick enough to resist 20 mm cannons shells. It is therefore not recommended to play this tank offensively in an uptier, since attacks have to be done from the sides, which is not always possible. Avoid playing super agressive against Soviet or British, which have a lot of tanks being completely immune to the 20 mm.

Situation changes drastically if proper medium-sized cover is present, as the Pbv 301 then can work as a portable indestructible turret, particularly if that cover is also a capture point, as they provide spare ammunition. While it's still necessary to pay attention to the skies (to avoid being strafed through poor side armour or bombed), most tanks would need explosives or a lot of artillery to be able to deal any real damage or to force it to move. The engine also has a tendency to catch lucky overhill shots, if the left side is in the front. Depending on the distance between enemy cover and SPAA, it can cause various levels of nuisance even to the tanks which are immune to the 20 mm, starting with annoying sprays into their viewports (which can tilt them and force them to make a mistake) and ending with actually deadly track breaks, as charging behemoths will be forced to turn about 90 degrees upon losing a track if they do not hit the brakes immediately, which is more than enough for any medium tanks nearby to instantly destroy them.

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Fully-enclosed design, granting the crew a higher chance of survival
• Can employ full hulldown tactics due to its cannon being mounted above the tank, effectively making it to be only vulnerable to explosives
• Front can sustain direct assault of a 12.7 mm and might sustain 20 mm from long range, will sustain some bombs from moderate range
• Equipped with hull-mounted smoke grenades, which is incredibly rare for an SPAA (and its BR in general)
• Low profile allows it to hide behind many other tanks
• Adequate mobility
• Good rate of fire, can sometimes win a fight with poor aim

Cons:

• Side, back and roof armour is still lacking and vulnerable to rifle-calibre machine gun fire at close range and to airstrikes in general
• Only 2 crew members, very low chance of surviving a penetrating shot, unless it was from the left
• Limited gun elevation angle, it's necessary to pay attention to the skies before it is too late
• Long reload time and rather limited belt capacity
• Confined to a strict AA role in an uptier when no good cover is present, inadequate on its own against ground forces consisting of medium or heavy tanks

History

The Pbv 301's first prototype was made in 1959 and put into service in 1961. It was fitted with a 20 mm Bofors cannon and a crew of 2, with room for 7 soldiers. It had a Svenska Flygmotor B44 engine producing 160 hp.

Media

Skins

• Skins and camouflages for the Pbv 301 from live.warthunder.com.

See also

Vehicles equipped with the same chassis

• Strv m/41 S-I
• Strv m/41 S-II

Related development

• Spj fm/43-44
• Sav m/43 (1944)
• Sav m/43 (1946)
• Pvkv II

External links

• [Devblog] Pbv 301: Trading In Those Bicycles

Hägglund & Söner
Light Tanks
Ikv 91	Ikv 91 · Ikv 91-105
Tank Destroyers
ATGM Carriers	UDES 33 · Pvrbv 551 · Pbv 302 (BILL)
SPAA
Strv m/41	Pbv 301
SAM	Lvrbv 701
See Also	BAE Systems AB