'Värja' - the Swedish Tracked Rapier System
By the 1970s, Sweden's Armén was considering a smaller and much more mobile surface-to-air missile. Such a SAM system would slot in below the capabilities of the in-service Rb 67 HAWKs and Rb 68 Bloodhound Mk.IIs while replacing the aging Bofors 40 mm lvakan m/48 AA guns. [1] By 1969, Bofors AB had also been contracted to produce what would later emerge as the smallest Swedish SAM - the Rb 70 SHORAD, a replacement for the US-built Rb 69 Redeye MANPADS.
Although several low-altitude SAMs were put forward for Försvaret use, the FMV rejected the Franco-German Roland for being 'daylight only' (the all-weather Roland 2 remaining conceptual at that point). The French R440 Crotale met most technical requirements but, riding an export wave, Thomson CSF Matra wanted to sell a complete, integrated system - local modifications and carrier vehicle types were most unwelcome. By a process of elimination, FMV was left with the British BAC Rapier which was accepted into service as the Rb 66. [2]
While the off-the-shelf Rapier suited Flygvapnet air base defence needs, Armén required a mobile SAM. Having rejected BAC's trailer-mounted proposal, Hägglund & Söner pitched a missile carrier based upon their Pbv 302 APC. This carrier concept was adopted as the Luftvärnsrobotvagn 661. This mounted a modified Rapier system on the rear deck of an altered Pbv 302. This revised missile/launcher combination fell under FMV's Projekt Värja - the värja having been a Swedish rapier.
Projekt Värja - Delivering a System of Systems
The Lvrbv 661 differed little in appearance from a standard Pbv 302 APV. However, the rear section was now open to the elements. This was to facilitiate operation of the Rb 66 SAMs. The original BAC Rapier system was effectively divided into two. The lower compenent - consisting of radar electronics and a guidance computer - would be mounted under cover in the bottom of the Lvrbv 661's rear compartment. Umbicals connect this lower component to the upper. This cylindrical upper component - consisting of missile launch arms, surveillance radar (with dish and IFF under the same radome); and, at the front, a prominent parabolic antenna for missile guidance signals - was mounted on scissor jacks.
On the move, most of the Rb 66 system would be protected behind the Lvrbv 661 armoured walls. Only the system's surveillance radar and IFF antenna were exposed. Coming into action, the scissor jacks were raised, bring the missiles and their guidance radar above the hull sides of the Lvrbv 661. Although Lvrbv 661 mobility was emphasized, that was for deployment of the Rb 66 missiles. For the Lvrbv 661 was part of a system-of-systems. On arrival at a firing location, the Lvrbv 661 would be joined by a control vehicle (a modified stripbv 3021 command post); 2-to-4 PS-70/R Giraffe radar units; [3] an all-weather radar system - the Saab-Marconi DN 181S 'Blindeld'; and 2-to-4 radar-assisted 57 mm lvakan m/54 Bofors guns.
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[1] The lvakan m.48s went to Hemvärnet reserve units as dual-purpose anti-helicopter and ground fire support weapons. The related 57 mm lvakan m/54 guns would be integrated into the larger Värja system.
[2] The designation Rb 66 seems to have been intentionally confusing - duplicating numbers from the rejected Rb 366 Bomarc SAM and the entire designation of USAF RB-66 Destroyer recce aircraft. Chronologically, the Rb 66 came much later than either the Rb 67 HAWK or Rb 68 Bloodhound Mk.II SAMs.
[3] The PS-70/R Giraffe radar was attached to an arm which raised the antenna 12 m above the terrain. This combo was carried by a 6x6 Terrängbil 40 (TgB 40 or Scania SBAT 111S) truck. The more compact DN 181S 'Blindeld' system was carried by a smaller 4x4 Terrängbil 30 (TgB 30 or plain Scania SBA 111).
