Landsverk company began operations in the mid-19th century as a railcar manufacturer. In the 1920s, the company went bankrupt and was bought by the German firm Gute-Hoffnungs-Hütte. Since the Versailles Treaty prohibited the Germans from developing armored vehicles, the Swedish firm was used to circumvent the terms of the treaty. Therefore, the Landsverk was eagerly engaged in the manufacturing process of a tank for the Swedish army. Two versions were made — the tracked L-10 and the wheel-tracked L-30. Although the tank was developed at a Swedish company by order of the Swedish military, the chief designer was the German named Otto Merker, and a significant part of the units used in the design were of German origin.
Otto Merker tried to solve one of the main problems of wheel-tracked tanks — the difficulty of changing the propulsion type – when he was still working on the first prototype, L-5. The L-30 used the same system. The transition from tracks to wheels took place quickly and without the crew leaving the tank. Another advanced solution was the use of armor welding — most tanks from other countries had riveted armor. A 37 mm Bofors cannon and two machine guns were used as weapons. The tank had bulletproof armor from 6 to 14 millimeters thick. The crew consisted of three people.
The L-30 project was the last embodied in metal attempt of Sweden to create a light tank, the chassis of which could combine all the best aspects of tracks and wheels
The tank turned out to be noticeably larger and heavier than its German prototype L-5. The combat weight of the L-30 vehicle exceeded 11 650 kg
The armored hull was supposed to be welded from sheets of rolled armour plates, but the first (and only) prototype was assembled from ordinary steel
Left side. On tracks the tank moved on the highway at a speed up to 35 km/h, and on wheels it could go up to 75 km/h. The operational range reached 200 kilometers
Right side
Rear deck and left side
Mufflers and the rear tow hook
Lower frontal armor plate
Front tow hook
The frontal armor plate of the hull was 14 mm thick
Top view of the front of the tank
There was only one driver's seat on the L-30 tank, unlike the L-5, and it was located on the left side
Headlight of a Swedish tank with a marking of the German company Bosch
View of the driver's seat. The steering wheel is of an automotive type
View through the driver’s hatch on the interior of the turret
The design of the conical turret made it possible to further change the composition of the tank's armament by installing a suitable weapon or machine gun of a different model on it
Observation device cone
Side turret hatch with an additional vizor
Inside the fighting chamber it was possible to place stowage for 100 shells for the cannon and 3000 rounds for the machine gun
Top view of the gun mantlet
Main gun and machine gun mantlets
The prototype received a 37 mm Bofors rifle gun
All the armament of the L-30 tank was in the turret
A 12-cylinder Maybach petrol engine with a capacity of 150 hp was placed in the rear part of the hull
Top view of the engine compartment
The side of the engine compartment
Tool & spares box on the left side
Base for a tool & spares box on the right side
Air duct of the engine plate
The tracked chassis included two return rollers
On each side of the tank there were four road wheels, they were interlocked in two and equipped with leaf springs
The attachment points for the wheeled propulsor were located on the side of the tank, above the road wheels and under the track run
Steering wheel
Rear driving wheel
When on wheels, only the rear axle was driven
The mechanism for lowering and lifting the wheels, according to some sources, had an electric drive
Landsverk company began operations in the mid-19th century as a railcar manufacturer. In the 1920s, the company went bankrupt and was bought by the German firm Gute-Hoffnungs-Hütte. Since the Versailles Treaty prohibited the Germans from developing armored vehicles, the Swedish firm was used to circumvent the terms of the treaty. Therefore, the Landsverk was eagerly engaged in the manufacturing process of a tank for the Swedish army. Two versions were made — the tracked L-10 and the wheel-tracked L-30. Although the tank was developed at a Swedish company by order of the Swedish military, the chief designer was the German named Otto Merker, and a significant part of the units used in the design were of German origin.
Otto Merker tried to solve one of the main problems of wheel-tracked tanks — the difficulty of changing the propulsion type – when he was still working on the first prototype, L-5. The L-30 used the same system. The transition from tracks to wheels took place quickly and without the crew leaving the tank. Another advanced solution was the use of armor welding — most tanks from other countries had riveted armor. A 37 mm Bofors cannon and two machine guns were used as weapons. The tank had bulletproof armor from 6 to 14 millimeters thick. The crew consisted of three people.
The L-30 project was the last embodied in metal attempt of Sweden to create a light tank, the chassis of which could combine all the best aspects of tracks and wheels
The tank turned out to be noticeably larger and heavier than its German prototype L-5. The combat weight of the L-30 vehicle exceeded 11 650 kg
The armored hull was supposed to be welded from sheets of rolled armour plates, but the first (and only) prototype was assembled from ordinary steel
Left side. On tracks the tank moved on the highway at a speed up to 35 km/h, and on wheels it could go up to 75 km/h. The operational range reached 200 kilometers
Right side
Rear deck and left side
Mufflers and the rear tow hook
Lower frontal armor plate
Front tow hook
The frontal armor plate of the hull was 14 mm thick
Top view of the front of the tank
There was only one driver's seat on the L-30 tank, unlike the L-5, and it was located on the left side
Headlight of a Swedish tank with a marking of the German company Bosch
View of the driver's seat. The steering wheel is of an automotive type
View through the driver’s hatch on the interior of the turret
The design of the conical turret made it possible to further change the composition of the tank's armament by installing a suitable weapon or machine gun of a different model on it
Observation device cone
Side turret hatch with an additional vizor
Inside the fighting chamber it was possible to place stowage for 100 shells for the cannon and 3000 rounds for the machine gun
Top view of the gun mantlet
Main gun and machine gun mantlets
The prototype received a 37 mm Bofors rifle gun
All the armament of the L-30 tank was in the turret
A 12-cylinder Maybach petrol engine with a capacity of 150 hp was placed in the rear part of the hull
Top view of the engine compartment
The side of the engine compartment
Tool & spares box on the left side
Base for a tool & spares box on the right side
Air duct of the engine plate
The tracked chassis included two return rollers
On each side of the tank there were four road wheels, they were interlocked in two and equipped with leaf springs
The attachment points for the wheeled propulsor were located on the side of the tank, above the road wheels and under the track run
Steering wheel
Rear driving wheel
When on wheels, only the rear axle was driven
The mechanism for lowering and lifting the wheels, according to some sources, had an electric drive
