Ikv-91/Ikv-93

     Notes: This vehicle belongs to Sweden's previous generation of tank destroyers, yet was not out of service until the mid-1990s.  210 of these vehicles were produced.  The Ikv-91 is armed with a 90mm gun; the Ikv-93 is armed with a 105mm gun and was produced only as an experiment.  The Ikv-93 is rather rare.  The commander, loader, and gunner exit through hatches in the turret deck, while the driver has a hatch on the deck on the front left side.  The commander and gunner have periscopes that are the equivalent of binoculars as well as night vision devices.  The Ikv-91 is designed for operations in northern Sweden, and is sure-footed on difficult terrain.  The engine has a preheater to ensure that it starts in cold weather.  The commander can control the gun as well as the gunner, but the commander has no access to the fire control computer, and his shots are at +2 at best.  The vehicle is balanced such that the main gun or machineguns may fire while the vehicle is swimming without danger of sinking.

     Power is provided by a Volvo Penta TD 120 330-horsepower diesel, coupled to an automatic transmission, and with torsion bar suspension. In addition to primary armament, the Ikv-91 and 93 have a pair of 71mm Lyran flare launching mortars on the back of the turret, which must be loaded and fired by reaching out of one of the turret hatches to the Lyran device.  On each side of the turret are a cluster of six smoke grenade launchers.

     Twilight 2000 Notes: A number of conversions from Ikv-91s were made to the Ikv-93 standard before the Twilight War; some more were made afterwards, and there was even a tiny amount produced as new vehicles.  About 50 were available for the Twilight War.

     Merc 2000 Notes: The Ikv-93 was never produced in any large numbers.

Ikv-98/99

     Notes: This is a tank destroyer based on the CV90 chassis.  Instead of the normal turret, the Ikv-98 mounts a GIAT TML turret armed with a NATO 105mm gun.  This vehicle was produced in tandem with the Ikv-99; originally meant for export purposes, the Swedes have been aggressively marketing this vehicle and the Ikv-99.  This vehicle is even more rare than the Ikv-99 listed below. The Ikv-98 was trialed against other vehicles for the program that eventually produced the US Army’s M10 Booker light tank. However, Hagglunds and SAAB are still shopping the design around worldwide, so far with several evaluations but no takers.

     The Ikv-99 is a tank destroyer based on the CV90 chassis.  Instead of the normal turret, the Ikv-99 mounts a larger turret armed with a 120mm Rheinmetall cannon.  This vehicle was meant to replace the much older Ikv-91, since that vehicle's 90mm gun lacks the penetration to defeat newer tanks. 

     The Ikv-98/99 hull is designed with a high level of base armor (for an IFV) made of all-welded steel, meant to offer protection for against up to 30mm rounds from the front, and an appliqué armor package was also devised from the outset.  Other armor upgrade packages have been designed since then, as well as a lug system for ERA; this includes simple bolt-on steel plates, the MEXAS ceramic spaced armor package, and bar/slat/anti-RPG mesh cages. The design of the Ikv-98/99 has a low, generally rounded silhouette which reduces the radar signature, as well as dampeners for the exhaust system and engine heat in general which lower its IR signature (-2 deficit for detection by both methods).  The sound signature is also relatively low; under some circumstances, the Ikv-98/99 cannot be heard by the enemy until the Ikv-98/99 is almost on top of them. The Ikv-98/99 is equipped with separate automatic fire detection and prevention systems for the turret, engine and driver’s compartment, troop compartment, and fuel tanks.  The crew and passengers are protected by an MBC overpressure system with a collective NBC backup system, as well as a chemical agent and radiation detector. The Ikv-98/99 is not designed to be amphibious.

     In addition to a coaxial machinegun, the Ikv-98/99 is armed with two Lyran 71mm mortars on the rear of the turret behind the commander’s station which can fire smoke or illumination rounds to an extended range, and four smoke grenade launchers on each side of the turret.  A later addition was a pintle mount at the commander’s station for a SAW-type weapon or a light machinegun. Both the Lyran mortars and the smoke grenade launchers can be fired when buttoned up from the commander’s station.  The turret carries the commander on the right side of the turret and the gunner on the left. The sighting system on the Ikv-98/99 incorporates a ballistic computer and laser rangefinder, and the night vision system is comprehensive.

     The driver is in the front left; he has three vision blocks to the front, and can replace the middle vision block with a night vision block. The driver has a conventional steering yoke with a gas and brake pedal. The troop compartment has a large door in the rear for entry and exit, but the Ikv-98/99 has no firing ports or vision blocks for the troops, as tactical doctrine for all countries involved so far call for troops to dismount in all cases and not fight from the vehicle.  There are two overhead hatches on the rear deck for standing troops, and hatches on the turret deck for the commander and gunner. The Ikv-98/99 has heating and air conditioning systems for crew comfort, as well as an NBC overpressure system with a collective NBC backup system.

     The suspension of the Ikv-98/99 is particularly noted for its smooth ride and large lack of the squeaks and creaks that tend to go along with most tracked vehicles, and this contributes greatly to its ability to move on enemy positions without being noticed until it’s too late.  The engine noise is also effectively dampened out by insulation and exhaust baffles that also reduces its IR signature and gives the engine good protection from burning fuel being poured into the engine compartment.  The engine used is a Scania DSI-14 550-horsepower turbocharged diesel; coupled to an automatic transmission.  The engine, transmission, and part of the drive train are part of an integrated power pack that can be removed from the vehicle in one piece, quickening and simplifying maintenance and allowing a complete powerpack change in as little as 15 minutes.

     Upgrades started in 2001 gave the Ikv-98/99 a Scania DI-16 600-horsepower engine and matching transmission, general suspension and drive train improvements, and electrical system updates, as well as a fully-stabilized main gun and coaxial machinegun.  A US-designed FLIR system was also fitted as well as an improved ballistic computer.  A laser warning system was added to the defensive suite, and a commander’s independent sight system was installed to give the Ikv-98/99 a hunter/killer capability.  After this first set of improvements, the resulting vehicle was dubbed the Ikv-98/99B. Between 2005 and 2008, some Ikv-98/99s were equipped with a battlefield management system, though the resulting vehicle was still called the Ikv-98/99B. The Ikv-98C/99C have these improvements as well as bolt-on spaced appliqué steel armor modules for the hull and turret, bar/slat/anti-RPG mesh and improved hull floor, hull deck, and turret deck armor as well. Thickened Kevlar anti-spalling liners have been added to the interior. Every hit on a face protected by bar/slat/RPG mesh combination will destroy 5% of the bar/slat/RPG mesh.  Thus, a skilled enemy gunner can exploit this damage in an attempt to hit a hole in the armor, and if hit enough, the bar/slat/RPG mesh can become useless. (This is true in general of any type of bar/slat/anti-RPG mesh appliqué).

     Twilight 2000 Notes: Both of these vehicles were placed into mass production and used by Sweden in the Twilight War. As production of these vehicles began only in 1997, stocks of these vehicles were never high and they never fully replaced the Ikv-91 and 93. 

*This version has a hull and turret deck AV of 3, and a hull floor AV of 4.

**The Ikv-98C and the Ikv-99C have a hull and turret deck AV of 3, and a hull floor AV of 5Sp.