- Yes
- No
History
Bofors, ever the antagonist to air power, was contracted in 1969 to develop a short-range ground-launched anti-air missile system. In spirit of Swedish needs it needed to be easy to operate for a mainly conscript army, and low-cost. In just six years Bofors had developed a competitive product that fulfilled its needs and would be exported and used by at least 17 nations between its adoption in 1977 (production in 1975) and today in 2025, with various generations in-between.
Surely feeling confident in their product, Bofors announced in 1978 that they were developing a mobile platform for their newly developed RBS-70 anti-air missile system, that went into service for the first time the year prior. From this development, two vehicles would emerge, the already in-game Lvrbv 701, and the ARMAD System (Armored Unit Air-Defence System).
While a fair amount of information exists about the Lvrbv 701, the same can not be said for the ARMAD, and it seems most of history has forgotten it. I’ve done my best here to dig up what I can find, so please excuse the grainy pictures and if it’s a bit barebones in many areas.
From the announcement onwards, with proper development starting in 1979, the Lvrbv 701, based on the Ikv 103 chassis, would be completed around mid-1981, and the ARMAD, based on the M113A1 chassis, would be completed about a year later in 1982 and pass successful trials in early 1983. The Lvrbv 701 would see adoption and production around 1984 by the Swedish Army. The ARMAD, however, seems to have been less interesting to the Swedish army. This was likely due to its increased complexity compared to the Lvrbv 701, and the fact that it used the M113 chassis that wasn’t in use by Sweden, unlike the domestic Ikv 103 chassis.
Norway:
However, interest was piqued by Norway who, already operating the normal RBS 70 system and the M113 APC (A2-version), was quite a good fit for this particular system. In the same year the ARMAD completed development (1982), Norway placed an order for the system, mounted on their M113A2 chassis, with deliveries estimated to begin in 1984. Unfortunately, this contract doesn’t seem to have been fulfilled as no vehicles have been reported in service with Norway.
- This suggestion is mainly for the M113A1 variant, since little info is known about the Norwegian A2-version, if it was ever even produced. But it could be a cool addition for a Norwegian update. If you plan on suggesting this version for Norway, feel free to copy as much or little as you’d like from this suggestion!
After this, any new information seemingly peters off about the ARMAD, with some trials, notably in Canada together with the Trinity system, being conducted without success before it goes silent.
ARMAD M113 timeline shorthand
Announcement: 1978
Development: 1979-82
Norwegian order: 1982
Norwegian deliveries: N/A - estimated 1984. No information why it wasn’t fulfilled.
Canadian competition: 1985-86 (lost to the ADATS)
Carrier Vehicles Specifications/Data
M113A1
Type: Prototype development platform.
Engine: General Motors 6V53 Model 5063-5299; V-6, 2 cycle, diesel. 212 hp (158 kW) @2800 rpm (gross horsepower).
Transmission: Allison TX-100-1, 3 forward gears, 1 reverse gear.
Speed: 64 km/h (40 mph).
Combat Weight: 10,920 kg (note: this likely includes a .50 cal with 2,000rds. The ARMAD can also be quipped with this gun but it’s unknown what the added weight is).
Armor: Aluminum Alloy 5083, 38/44/38mm on front/sides/rear.
Photo: Tank Enyclopedia/Presidio Press
M113A2
Type: Norwegian service.
Engine: General Motors 6V53 Model 5063-5299; V-6, 2 cycle, diesel. 212 hp (158 kW) @2800 rpm (gross horsepower).
Transmission: Allison TX-100-1, 3 forward gears, 1 reverse gear.
Speed: 64 km/h (40 mph).
Combat Weight: 11,343 kg (note: this likely includes a .50 cal with 2,000rds. The ARMAD can also be quipped with this gun above the commander’s hatch but it’s unknown what the added weight is).
Armor: Aluminum Alloy 5083, 38/44/38mm on front/sides/rear.
Photo: nrk.no / Per Anders Bjørklund/Forsvaret
The main differences between the A1 and A2 version is the increase in weight. This was mainly brought upon by the improved suspension system and shock absorbers installed in the A2 version. This also increased the ground clearance by an inch (+25.4mm), which is the distance between the hull’s “belly” and the ground. Another improvement was the cooling by reconfiguring the layout of the cooling system. Whether this has an effect or not in the game is unclear.
Armament & Turret Data
Protection: Proof against small arms and shell splinters.
Turret Weight: ca. 4,000 kg.
Main Armament: Robotsystem 70.
Warhead: RB 70, HE and prefragmented with dual-purpose proximity or impact detonation fuze.
Guidance: Laser, beam-riding.
Reload time: unknown. Reload starts immediately after firing while missile is in-flight. The system only takes 4 seconds to deploy and be ready to fire. That’s a decent minimum time for a reload time reference.
Missile stats: Up to the devs which missiles to use. Capable of both proxy detonation and impact detonation.
Ammunition Carried: 7 or 8 total, in the turret autoloader with one loaded and ready to fire (7/8+1). Sources disagree on 7 or 8 missiles. Unknown if more could be carried inside the hull.
Secondary Armament: M2 .50 cal above the commander’s hatch on the turret.
Other Notes:
- The missile in the launch position will follow the tracking sight in elevation until it is launched.
- The missile doors can be closed with the missiles inside until the vehicle is ready to launch. This would give a bit more protection during marches, or if you want a bit more protection during enemy strafing.
- The radar can fold to the back of the turret to lower the profile of the vehicle. This obviously disables the use of the radar while it is folded down.
Search and Tracking:
Type: Pulse-Doppler I/J band search radar.
Detection Range: 10-12 km (aircraft sized targets), 9-10 km (helicopter sized targets).
Time from detection to fire-ready: 4-5 seconds.
(This is a copy-paste from wikipedia. I haven’t been able to track down the primary source.)
Instrumental detection range – 12 km
Guaranteed detection range — 8-9 km
Error of the determination of range - ± 50 m
Error of determination of true azimuth – ±0.5°
Error of measurement of angular coordinates - ±1°
Rotation speed – 40 revolutions per minute.
Minimum input power – 30 W
Edit: @DevilO6 pointed out the radar is the same one used on the ASRAD and ASRAD-R (HARD 3D), and kindly provided a data sheet from the ASRAD-R. Thanks, buddy! o7
The fire control system uses the Ericson HARD (Helicopter and Aircraft Radar Detection) radar station, which allows you to detect and monitor several targets at the same time.
Source: Энциклопедия Вооружений | RBS 70 — зенитный ракетный комплекс малой дальности
The stabilized antenna allowed it to track and fire on the move.
Source: RBS-70 – последние из могикан войсковой ПВО Норвегии (дополнение): andrej_kraft — LiveJournal
Data on the Unified System
Weight: 14,224 kg (on M113A1 (Jane’s Armour & Artillery 1982-83))
Crew: 3-4. Driver, System Operator/Gunner, Radar Operator/Commander. One more member was added to the turret for the later model to relieve some of the work off of the other two members.
Crew Positions: Driver, as normal on the M113. The commander is seated on the left of the turret, the missile operator in the centre and forward of the commander and the loader on the right.
Height: 3.2m (antenna lowered), 4.08m (antenna raised).
Other notes: The commander has a cupola with periscopes for all-round observation, a single-piece hatch cover and a 12.7mm M2 HB machine gun. The missile operator has a single-piece hatch cover and four periscopes and the missile loader has a single-piece hatch cover and two periscopes.
Gallery
The ARMAD would likely sit between the Lvrbv 701 and the ASRAD-R, only being able to fire one AA-missile at a time like the Lvrbv 701 but providing better crew protection like the ASRAD-R. Another benefit is the ammunition stowage and the reload from this, which would give the vehicle a better capability for sustained fire for a larger number of missiles than either other system.
Other notes:
One of the early platforms for the RBS 70 was obsolete Ikv 103 chassis. These were later converted by Hägglund & Söner into the Lvrbv 701 seen in the game. The Ikv 102, which was almost as equally obsolete, were converted by the same company but with TOW-launchers into the UDES 33 tank destroyer, also seen in the game. It would be quite swell to see these two Ikv-twins get their SPAA brother that was developed at the same time parallel to them.
Sources
ARMAD:
Written Publications
Jane’s Armour and Artillery 1982-83 / 1983-84 / 1985-86 (all three publications)
Internet Sources
- ARMAD — Википедия (still looking for the sources cited to use them instead of “wiki says so”)
- https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/tr/pdf/ADA347910.pdf (JPRS Report, Soviet Union, Foreign Military Review 1987. Provided by the Defense Technical Information Center) - ARMAD radar range of 12km, p.29 (pdf. page 34).
- https://web.archive.org/web/20240704113203/https://bdex.eb.mil.br/jspui/bitstream/123456789/9081/1/TCC%20ten%20Rodrigo%20Barreto%20Ferreira%20da%20Silva%202008.pdf - Brazilian essay/report on the modernization of AA-systems. ARMAD mentioned on p.53 (.pdf page 56).
- http://thewednesdayreport.com - Defence Policy 1980's to Current - Results of the Canadian competition in which Bofors-Marconi ARMAD lost to the Oerlikon-Buhrle ADATS system in 1986.
- https://mags.shephardmedia.com/legacy-handbooks/REWSH2022.pdf (p.48) - small text on the more modern HARD 3D radar, which could possibly be used for a backtracking/max stat framework reference.
- Энциклопедия Вооружений | RBS 70 — зенитный ракетный комплекс малой дальности - States seven missiles are carried. States only 3 crew members total, which is only for the early version.
- http://amicale.3emedragons.free.fr/Docs%20materiels%20WW2/Waffen%20Arsenal%20So01%20-%20Raketen%20der%20Nato,%20Lenkwaffen%20&%20Flugkörper.pdf - Source on HARD radar system using pulse-doppler C-band (p.32/.pdf page 34).
List of operators of the RBS 70 - Wikipedia - number of RBS 70 operators (normal system).
Vehicle:
M113A1:
APC M113
M113A2:
APC M113
M113 armored personnel carrier - Wikipedia
Other:
RBS-70 – последние из могикан войсковой ПВО Норвегии (дополнение): andrej_kraft — LiveJournal
RBS70 air defence turret | Secret Projects Forum - some light discussion and pics about the system.
Jane's articles
ARMAD, Jane’s Armour and Artillery 1982-83 p.517
ARMAD, Jane’s Armour and Artillery 1982-83 p.518
ARMAD, Jane’s Armour and Artillery 1983-84 p.554-555
ARMAD, Jane’s Armour and Artillery 1983-84 p.555-556
ARMAD and Lvrbv 701 & UDES 33, Jane’s Armour and Artillery 1983-84 p.556
ARMAD, Jane’s Armour and Artillery 1985-86 p.523-524
ARMAD, Jane’s Armour and Artillery 1985-86 p.524 (enlarged)
