4×4S.ORGTHE REGISTRY VOLVO · HISTORY · MILITARY

History · Military · 1953 → 2000

Military Volvos

Volvo’s terrain vehicles in service: the TP21 radio car of 1953, the Laplander as the Swedish Army’s Pltgb 903 from 1959 and the Norwegian Army’s L3314N from 1963 (about 2,000), the Saudi Öken, and the C303, C304 and C306 as the Tgb 11, 13 and 20 of 1974–2000 with the Malaysian Army’s C303s — every Volvo four-wheel drive was built to a Swedish Army order.

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Sweden’s conscript army of the Cold War needed light vehicles for the forest and the mountains and ordered them from Volvo: the TP21 for its radio sets in 1953, the Laplander in 1959 for the infantry, home guard and signals (with the L3315 radio car), and the C300 series in 1974 for the same roles with a six-cylinder engine and six-wheeled ambulances and command trucks. Norway assembled the Laplander to NATO standard at Raufoss and Saudi Arabia took a desert version.

Malaysia’s army ran the C303 in the jungle; the Swedish Army retired its C300s around 2000 in favour of the Mercedes-Benz G and Toyota, and the surplus Laplanders and C303s of Sweden and Norway supply the civilian, expedition and collector markets of Europe and North America.

2 chapters, 1948 → today

1TP21 and the Laplander (1953–1970s)1953 – 1970s2C300 series (1974–2000)1974 – 2000
194819601975199020052025
11953 – 1970s

TP21 and the Laplander (1953–1970s)

4 VEHICLES IN THIS CHAPTER

The Sugga radio car; the Pltgb 903 and L3315 with the Swedish Army and home guard; Norway’s L3314N; Saudi Arabia’s Öken.

Registry records · chapter 1

TP21 Sugga (1953–58)1953–58L3314 Laplander (1961–70)1961–70L3314 Pltgb 903 (Swedish Army)1961–90L3314N (Norwegian Army, Raufoss)1963–90
21974 – 2000

C300 series (1974–2000)

6 VEHICLES IN THIS CHAPTER

The Tgb 11, 13 and 20 as personnel carrier, radio, command and ambulance vehicles; Malaysia; retirement around 2000.

Registry records · chapter 2

C303 (1974–84)1974–84C304 6x6 (1974–84)1974–84C306 6x6 (1974–84)1974–84C303 Tgb 11 (Swedish Army)1974–2000C303 (Malaysian Army and Telekom Malaysia)1975–90C306 Tgb 20 ambulance (Swedish Army)1975–2000

Sources

  1. Volvo TP21 — Wikipedia
  2. Volvo Laplander — Wikipedia
  3. Volvo C303 — Wikipedia

Military vehicles in the registry

10 records, oldest first.
TP21 Sugga (1953–58)1953–58 · SwedenL3314 Laplander (1961–70)1961–70 · SwedenL3314 Pltgb 903 (Swedish Army)1961–90 · SwedenL3314N (Norwegian Army, Raufoss)1963–90 · NorwayC303 (1974–84)1974–84 · SwedenC303 Tgb 11 (Swedish Army)1974–2000 · SwedenC304 6x6 (1974–84)1974–84 · SwedenC306 6x6 (1974–84)1974–84 · SwedenC303 (Malaysian Army and Telekom Malaysia)1975–90 · SwedenC306 Tgb 20 ambulance (Swedish Army)1975–2000 · Sweden