Stockholm 2020-05-18
Yesterday I passed by the Army Museum in Stockholm. One of the main exhibitions that are outdoor is the “S-tank”, officially called Stridsvagn-103 (Tank 103). The S-tank was famous for its “unique” or “strange” design. Military or tank experts had disagreements regarding its status because not all experts could agree if S-103 even was a “main battle tank”. The main argument was that the S-tank lacked a turret and should be classified as a self-propelled (artillery) gun or as a tank destroyer. Anyway, during the 1970s the S-tank was also considered as one of the best tanks in the world. This was mainly due to its low size and front protection system that made the S-tank a “hard target” on the battlefield in relation to the function of contemporary tanks’ gun elevation systems. It is also important to have in mind that the S-tank was designed for the “Swedish/Scandinavian” terrain, including forest areas.
