Strv 128
| Stridsvagn 128 | |
|---|---|
 Strv 128A | |
| Type | Main Battle Tank |
| Place of origin |  Acrea |
| Service history | |
| In service | 2022-Present |
| Used by | Acrea |
| Production history | |
| Designer | Landrut ASA Rjukan Industrier ASA Kobalt-Zeiss ASA Thyssen AB |
| Designed | 2015-Present |
| Manufacturer | Landrut ASA |
| Produced | 2021-Present |
| Specifications | |
| Weight | 65 tonnes |
| Length | 7.7 metres (hull) |
| Width | 3.85 metres |
| Height | 3.24 metres |
| Crew | 3 |
Main armament | KvK M181 120mm smoothbore gun |
Secondary armament | 6.8mm MG 59 30mm RWS Various Top-Mounted 6.8x51mm and 12.7mm machine guns |
| Engine | Thyssen MFH-160HP hydrobar diesel engine 1193 kw (1,600 hp) |
| Transmission | Thyssen CVTM-TC Continuously Variable Transmission |
| Suspension | Hydropneumatic suspension |
Operational range | 500 km |
| Speed | 65 km/h (Road) ~50 km/h (Cross-Country) |
The Stridsvagn 128 is a main battle tank developed by Landrut ASA for the Acrean Armed Forces, intended to supplement and eventually replace both the Strv 126 and Strv 125 in the Acrean Army and Marines respectively. It began development in 2015, with the first concept demonstrators produced in 2018. A field trials pre-production model of the Strv 128 was first presented by Landrut in 2021, and the vehicle entered initial production in 2021 and service in 2022 under the designation Strv 128.
Design
Basic requirements outlined for the Strv 128 stipulated a loaded combat weight of no more than 62 tonnes, unspecified protection requirements believed to equal or exceed that of the Strv 126, a minimum road speed of at least 65 km/h. The vehicle was also required to be equipped to accept an integrated active protection system and laser warning system, designed to accept either a 120mm or 130mm main gun, and to be network-capable.
The Strv 128 meets most of the Acrean military's original requirements, coming in overweight with a loaded combat weight of 65 tonnes in exchange for increased protection requested by the Army. Increased situational awareness and crew efficiency was one of the primary design goals set out in the requirements, and to meet this objective the Strv 128 incorporates a wide array of integrated technologies. The vehicle incorporates the required integrated active protection and laser warning systems, augmented by the addition of an acoustic gunshot detector mounted on top of the turret. To improve crew visibility of the vehicle's immediate environment, the Strv 128 uses a Local Situational Awareness System (LSAS), consisting of an array of up to twelve camera sensors routed to internal crew displays. The camera sensors incorporate low-light and thermal imaging with varying fields of view depending on position, with two of the twelve available sensor inputs reserved for dedicated driver's forward and reversing cameras.
Armament
The Strv 128 can be variably armed with either the high-pressure M181 120mm or the M210 130mm smoothbore guns. The turret is a two-man design with an autoloader, which holds either 32 rounds for a 120mm-armed vehicle, or 22 rounds for a 130mm armed vehicle. The gun and ammunition system's datalink between the ammunition and fire control system is improved over the Strv 126, and is designed to be retrofitted into the Strv 126 and 124.
Mobility
The Strv 128 is equipped with a 1600 horsepower MFH-160HP hybrid diesel powerplant. The HP indicates that the powerplant utilises a hyperbar system, in which the primary diesel engine's turbocharger is replaced with a gas turbine which acts both as the engine's supercharger and auxiliary power unit. Engine exhaust which is redirected to the top of the vehicle is cooled to reduce the thermal signature, and the hull design integrates other materials to reduce the engine's thermal signature.
The suspension system as originally designed technically allows independent control of each road wheel, however this capability was considered unnecessary and so the final design implemented on Strv 128 is a simplified hydropneumatic suspension system akin to the Strv 126's, and simply allows the tank to change the angle of the hull relative to the terrain with ease. Leaning the hull forward or back to gain gun depression and elevation, or tilting the hull on sloped terrain to level the gun were features well-regarded by crews and retained from the Strv 126. The overall height of the tank can be adjusted, although the tank is either limited in movement or forced to be stationary when not at standard ride height depending on the attitude. An automatic track tensioning system was tested and implemented on some early prototypes, however added complexity, cost, and maintenance required by this system was not considered efficient and so the same simple tensioning system of the Strv 124 and 126 was retained.
Protection
The armour composition of the Strv 128 is classified. The composition is reportedly very similar to, if not the same as, the Strv 126's. It is estimated that the Strv 128 has more armour on the hull and parts of the turret, as the pre-production vehicle is only 2 tonnes lighter than the Strv 126 despite the updated chassis and new turret saving a combined 8 tonnes of weight.