Hagglund BV206 Personnel Carrier
The Hagglund BV206 was brought into service to replace the Volvo BV202 Snow Cat, an example of which is also within the collection. It went into service in 1986, and although exact details cannot be confirmed it is highly probable that it was used by the Royal Marines. It can carry 17 people, 6 in the front and 11 in the rear, over almost any terrain. It is not a vehicle with a trailer but one vehicle which is steered by means of a hydraulic pivot between the two sections, all the tracks are driven at all times. The vehicle is fully amphibious and can propel itself in water by means of its tracks at about 2 knots. It was primarily designed to be used in Norway in the Artic Circle to protect against a Russian attack during the cold war period and as such is fitted with a very large heater system. When in Norway they were normally painted white with black patches (normal artic camouflage). Because of their extremely low gound pressure they were brought into use in many other areas: wet and swampy conditions and more recently in the desert in soft sand. Because of this they can now be found in almost any part of the world and in any camouflage scheme.