(Brobv-941 prototype image). Despite previous attempts by the Swedish Army to have dedicated armored bridgelayer, it can be said that the Brobv-941 was the first Swedish vehicle to achieve such a purpose. The development of the Brobv-941 is closely linked to that of the Bgbv-82 ARV and it can be said that the Brobv-941 is a direct derivative of the Bgbv-82. The prototype of the Brobv-941 was delivered only 5 months after that of the Bgbv-82 and if you compare the chassis of the AVLB without the bridge on top with that of the ARV, the vehicle is practically the same, except that it lacks a turret and the ground anchor spades.The Brobv-941 is mechanically the same as the Bgbv-82, having a 6-roadwheel undercarriage with torsion bar suspension. The engine is the same 310 hp Volvo-Penta THD-100C from the Bgbv-82 ARV, which allows a maximum speed of 56 km/h and a range of 400 km. The Volvo-Penta R-61 transmission, the gearbox and the rest of the steering and control elements are the same as in the Bgbv-82 ARV. This AVLB has a dozer blade installed in the front of the hull that serves to stabilize the vehicle during the bridge laying and recovery maneuvers, and to prepare the ground where it must be placed if necessary.The Brobv-941 carries a crew of 4 members, driver, commander, gunner and bridge operator. The driver is located in the central part of the hull with the commander on the right and the bridge gunner on the left, with the bridge operator behind him. Each crew member has his own hatch equipped with several observation periscopes. The bridge can be launched and recovered by the operator from inside the vehicle while the rest of the crew remained under cover inside.The bridge was constructed of a very strong light alloy and was designated as “Krigsbro 4 (KB-4) type bridge”. It was made up of 8 sections joined together and was of the “single span” type, and thanks to its launch and recovery method, it was difficult for the enemy to detect it from a long distance. The bridge weighed around 7 tons and measured 15.2 meters long by 4.0 meters wide, so it could span rivers and gaps 15 meters wide. The bridge is “class 50”, according to NATO designation, which means that vehicles weighing up to 50 tons can pass through this bridge. The time spent launching or recovering the bridge was between 3 and 5 minutes, and it could be recovered by either end by reversing the lying procedure.The firm Hägglunds invented an original way of launching and recovering the bridge. In addition to the bridge, the Brobv-941 had a hydraulically operated bridge cradle and a telescopic cantilever beam to lay and recover the bridge horizontally, similar to how most modern bridgelayers do today. The method was as simple as extending the telescopic beam over the gap to be bridged, then sliding the bridge over the beam and finally removing the telescopic beam once the bridge is supported at the far end and then on the near end closest to the vehicle. This method avoided having to lift the 15 meters of the bridge vertically into the air, as in scissor-type bridges or other single span type bridges that were launched using the “flip-over” method.Brobv-941 AVLB was completely amphibious and moved in the water using its tracks after minimum preparation similar to that of the Bgbv-82 ARV and Pbv-302 APC. When the vehicle had to cross a deep and wide watercourse, it could not do so with the bridge carried on the chassis, so the bridge, which floated due to its lightness, was deposited in the water and was towed by the carrier. The Brobv-941 lacked the turret with the 20mm gun and instead had two 7.62mm Ksp 58B machine guns for self-defense, one on a pintle mount for the gunner and another on a support for the commander. The ammunition carried was 1,500 rounds and it also had 12 smoke grenade discharges distributed in 3 groups of 4.The Swedish Army ordered 17 Brobv-941s in April 1970, which were delivered between 1972 and 1973. These vehicles carried serial numbers 204871 to 204887 and in 1984, all vehicles received a small modernization consisting of changing the rear support of the bridge with a new one and new Diehl-type tracks, receiving the designation “Brobv-941A”. These 17 AVLBs remained in service until 1994, when they were all retired.
