#sweden

The Cold War was a unique period of world history. The fierce confrontation between the USSR and the USA led to the birth of many unique aircraft used in specialized missions, one of which was the high-altitude supersonic reconnaissance aircraft of the US Air Force, SR-71, nicknamed the Blackbird. This aircraft, created in the '60s, was practically invulnerable to interception by both ground and air defense systems as it could develop an outstanding speed of over Mach 3.0 at an altitude of over 22,000 meters.

The Bandkanon was a Self-Propelled Artillery Gun developed by Bofors from 1960 to 1965. It was part of a longer Swedish Army project to develop a modern autoloaded SPAG for its forces. The Bkan was based on the S-tank chassis and initially used the powerpack of the A version, which was severely underpowered to drive this 50-ton tank. Because of this, all Bkans were later upgraded to the powerpack of the Strv 103C, giving it the 1C designation.

Tank destroyers are obvious in what they do: they sport firepower and ammunition to take down tanks (obviously), whether light or heavy, with ease. However, certain tank destroyers, like the M10 or the StuG have armor to keep them alive in combat, and not all tank destroyers have access to such armor. That doesn’t stop tank destroyers like the small but mighty Pvkv II from picking their targets out like fish in a barrel.

The Combat Vehicle 90120 is a Swedish light tank built on the CV 90 chassis, combining high mobility with formidable firepower. Designed to offer a cost-effective alternative to main battle tanks, it features a powerful 120mm gun and advanced systems to enhance battlefield performance.

The J 35A Draken is a second-generation Swedish jet fighter that was manufactured by SAAB from 1955 until 1974. This legendary aircraft had its maiden flight in 1955 and was designed to replace the aging J 29 Tunnan and J 32 Lansen as an all-weather fighter-interceptor. Further, the Draken was the first West European jet fighter to breach the sound barrier and is well known for its very unique looks and shape. In War Thunder, this unique aircraft is a premium jet fighter that used to be in the Swedish air tree but has since been removed to only appear on special occasions. It was introduced with the update “Direct Hit”.

The Saab 39 Gripen, often called the JAS 39 Gripen, is a highly capable multirole fighter aircraft renowned for its exceptional maneuverability, advanced avionics, and cost-efficient operation. Since its first flight in 1988 and subsequent introduction into service in 1996, Gripen has become the cornerstone of the Swedish Air Force and has since been adopted by several other nations around the world.

The Swedish King Tiger is a unique vehicle in its history and for the Swedish tank tree. It is almost the only heavy tank in the entire tree (KV-1 being the other), and it retains all the strengths of the German tank: strong hull, powerful gun, and good maneuverability. But now its vulnerable turret ring along with overall weak turret protection can be disappointing. Read more about the Kungstiger in this article.

The shape of the J22 brings to mind the F6F Hellcat in the American Tech Tree, and one may come to think of the shape as a heavier fighter with high speed. However, the J22 delivers both good speed and nimbleness for the pilots who choose to use it in battle. The unassuming J22 brings a lot to the table with its powerful 13.2 mm guns and maneuverability. 

The name S-Tank is one of, if not the most common name for the strv 103 internationally. Contrary to popular belief, however, the S-prefix does not actually refer to Sweden, nor is the name English in origin, but actually a translation of the Swedish project name stridsvagn S.

The Kingdom of Sweden has been famously neutral for most of the last two centuries. But even though the country managed to stay clear of big conflicts of the 199th century and remained largely neutral in WW1, its government still had to account for the possibility that Sweden might go to war in the future. That’s why, in the 1930s the kingdom was just as interested in developing their military capabilities as its neighbours. Given the situation in Germany, it was pretty clear that Europe was slowly steering towards a new global conflict. In the beginning, Sweden bought most of its aircraft abroad. But then there was a moment when they couldn’t get enough P-35s from the US, and after it, the government decided to support domestic production and development of military aircraft, and Saab was the company that rose to the challenge.