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Canadian Forces — Hägglunds Bv206 Medium Over-Snow
Vehicle |
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Hägglunds' Bv206 tracked utility vehicles emerged from obscurity in 2002 when CF
'Tonkas' briefly became stars in the Tora Bora campaign. 3 PPCLI used the vehicles for
medevac on the rough narrow roads of rural Afghanistan. The Bv206's tractability impressed the US 10th
Mountain, [1] but CF Bv206s didn't reappear in Afghanistan.
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Over-Snow – Bv, MOSV, NTV, or What You Will
As MOSV (Medium Over-Snow Vehicle) suggests DND never envisioned the CF Bv206s being used in hot overseas
locales – the MOSV were intended primarily for use in winter in Central and Northern Canada. At one
point, Canadian Bv206 production was planned as the Northern Terrain Vehicle, with these NTVs to be built in
Calgary. MOSV variants are: Bv206 carrier, Bv2061 command post, Bv2062 gun tractor, and Bv2063 TOW missile
carrier. [2]
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Bv206 ( Medium Over-Snow Vehicle )
Specifications
| Crew: |
up to 17 ( 6 in the front, 11 in the rear )
[3] |
Size:
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Length: 6.86m (6.97m OA), Width: 1.85m,
Height: 2.4 m, Individ. track width: 0.62m
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| Weight: |
GVW: 6.34 tonnes, Payload: 1.9 tonnes |
Powerplant:
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93kW 3L Mercedes OM617A 5-cyl diesel,
Daimler-Benz W4A-040 auto (4 + 1 gears),
Hägglunds 2-spd (high/low) transfer case |
| Speed: |
Road: 52 km/h, Water: 4-to-5 km/h |
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Canada bought 78 Bv206s between 1983 and 1985. Only 62 remain, 16 being sold as surplus. However,
with a renewed interest in Canadian Arctic sovereignty, the Bv206 MOSV is receiving a renewed lease on life. The MOSV
has long been essential to CF high Arctic operations like CFS Alert but the MOSV fleet is now being prepared for a
greater role north of 60°. DND recently issued requests for a new 'Standing Offer' on spare parts and an R&O
(Repair and Overhaul) Services and Support contract for the Bv206s.
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[1] 3 PPCLI used six Bv206s for medevac during Op Anaconda in March 2002. At the time, these Canadian
troops were attached to the US Army's 2nd Brigade 10th Mountain Division which arranged for air transport of the
'Tonkas' aboard US Army CH-47 Chinook helicopters.
[2] The basic carrier is for personnel and/or cargo. The grun tractor/mortar carrier is either rare or no longer in
service. Trials had been run by Hägglunds with the 81 mm Royal Ordnance L16A2 mounted in the rear compartment.
The Canadian C3 is essentially the same mortar.
[3] The totals are for a basic Bv206 personnel / cargo carrier. For a Bv2061 CP, six comms operators can be seated
in the rear compartment.
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