Late Cold WarMBTMain Battle TankSweden

Stridsvagn 104

In service 1984 - 2000s

Based onStridsvagn 81 (upgrade of)

Sweden final Centurion rebuild: a 1945 design given a diesel engine, laser rangefinder and applique armour and kept in service to the 2000s.

Built byHagglunds rebuild of British Centurion

Photograph pending. No clearly licensed photograph of this vehicle was found.

Development history

The Strv 104 programme took the Strv 102 Centurions, replaced the thirsty Meteor petrol engine with an American AVDS-1790 diesel, added a modern fire-control system with laser rangefinder, improved the transmission and bolted on spaced applique armour. Eighty were converted from 1984. Like the Israeli Sho-t, it showed how much life a well-designed 1940s hull still had, and Swedish crews used them until Leopard 2 deliveries were complete.

Variants

One canonical record, 1 recorded variants.

  1. Strv 104

    1984

    Diesel engine, laser rangefinder fire control and applique armour on Strv 102 hulls.

Notable actions

  • Cold War Swedish home defence