Logistics: Viking Handles Snow Deep Snow and Heavy Gunfire

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May 7, 2023: Germany, Sweden and Britain have placed a combined order for 437 BV410s, an updated version of the BvS10 Viking, an all-terrain supply vehicle designed and developed for the British Royal Marines for use in Afghanistan. Viking entered service in 2005 and is manufactured in Sweden, which also participated in development. The basic Viking is protected against small arms fire and shell fragments. Additional armor protects the vehicle against heavy (12.7mm and 14,5mm) machine-gun fire as well as landmines. The BV410 has improved landmine protection and can carry more cargo or troops. This version is also known as the CATV (Collaborative All-Terrain Vehicle).

The 14.2 ton BvS10 can haul five tons and is an articulated vehicle, with a tracked trailer connected by a power transfer and steering linkage. The front part weighs 4.9 tons, the rear part 3.1 tons. Because of this trailer arrangement the vehicle has a 15.2 meter (47 foot) turning radius. Four passengers can be carried in the front car and eight on the rear one. The vehicle is built to be amphibious and has a top speed in the water of five kilometers an hour (compared to 65 kilometers an hour on land). The vehicles are built to cope with Swedish marshes and mountains the country is full of, as well as deep snow. Low ground pressure created by its wide tracks was designed for better snow mobility though it also tends to go over landmines without detonating them. The crew consists of a driver although if the vehicle is armed with a 7.62mm or 12.7mm machine-gun, one of the passengers or a second crew member will have to handle the weapon. Nearly a thousand BvS10s and BV410s have been delivered or are on order so far for Austria, France, Netherlands, Sweden and Britain. Ukraine recently received 28 used BvS10s from the Netherlands.