Cold War Special Report

While generally not talked about these days, the Cold War era was a time of rapid technological research and development. As the two military blocks vied for geopolitical dominance over each other, several countries found themselves in the unenviable position of being either centre stage of a possible armed conflict on a massive scale, or locales of strategic importance likely to be quickly subdued within the early stages of a military escalation.


Humble beginnings

Research into the combat suit program is believed to have started sometime in the mid- to late 1960s. While not many details are known of the early development process we do know that the original concepts called for machines of much larger size than what was eventually realized. We also know that the initial requirements called for machines to be operated on land only, but as we know the rapid evolution of technology saw a rapid expanse into multiple roles for all military branches and even civilian use.

As if to illustrate this point one of the first suits to enter limited production was in fact ordered by Marinen, the Swedish Navy. Undervattensdräktpansar 3 (submarine armored suit type 3) was prototyped in the late 1970s and about half a dozen units were actually deployed and used in small capacity by active navy units in a bid to shape future doctrine and allow the suit teams to work together with surface units to develop deployment principles.

The Udrp-3 is more of a utility machine and carries no offensive or defensive weapons. However, the suit can equip a portable mine dispenser (capable of carrying types F24 or M/F:11). An experimental single shot torpedo launcher (Type 45) was also devised but it never reached operational use.

The type 3 features two steel claws (called hand manipulators) that can be controlled by the pilot to conduct simple submarine engineering tasks. Using its manipulators the suit is able to interact with objects on the seabed (or recover stray training torpedoes) and it is also able to engage in both mine placement and removal. The suit is equipped with three floodlights; two forward facing worklights in the center torso as well as a more powerful searchlight placed in the upper body which can be rotated by the pilot. The suit is also capable of carrying additional floodlights on a special type of back-mounted assembly.


The suit uses a diesel-electric power system with waterjets for propulsion in water. While the suit is primarily designed for underwater use it can also enter and exit water by its own motor as long as the decline is not too steep. Endurance is however rather limited and the suit is not intended to operate for more than an hour or two at most. The suit has a max depth rating of 80 meters.

Continued submarine incursions into territorial waters and especially around sensitive military installations continued to capture the imagination of the population and several spectacular ASW operations were conducted especially during the 1980s. Here we see one of the Udrp-3's participating in a search operation together with elements from the Navy Air Arm.

The type 3 was primarily used in these operations to evaluate results of operations where live munitions were used, searching for any debris, possible underwater tracks as well as deploying mine barriers in coastal areas.

The first production batch of 22 units (out of which four received the 3B designation as trainers) was delivered to Marinen between 1983 and 1985. A second planned batch was cancelled due to budget cuts but the existing machines were upgraded to 3C/3D standard over the following years. The main improvements were changes to the suit operator's pilot compartment, following crew feedback. The suit now features a significantly upgraded climate control system that makes prolonged deployment in the "coffin" more agreeable.

One of the most peculiar design features of the Udrp-3 is how the machine can be piloted by an operator wearing diver's gear. The operator's compartment can be flooded and opened underwater (special preparations must be completed before take-off) and the pilot is actually able to enter and exit the suit under such circumstances. It is even possible to carry a second diver within the compartment for a limited time. While this would not be a practical way of operating the suit it opens up the possibility to recover crew from a damaged suit or similar.

The Type 3 is designed as a cooperative effort between Kockums and SAAB and is known to feature electronics developed in the UK and Germany. While NATO is known to have conducted secret wargames together with Marinen the suit concept was generally considered unsuitable for NATO doctrine by most third party observers. Likewise, no export models have been put forward by the manufacturers.

While it is considered obsolete today, the Udrp-3 still soldiers on in limited capacity. Its primary mission remains the same although it mostly sees use in day to day operations involving submarine engineering or torpedo recovery during training.


Taking flight

Stridsdräkt 2 (combat suit type 2) garnered a whole lot of controversy when plans were made to marry the already outlandish man-mobile combat suit concept with jump-jets. The idea was to allow the suit to negotiate difficult terrain such as ravines or steep cliffs (additional experimentation with detachable glider wings were also considered for possible airdrop operations, although this concept was later abandoned for possible future development). Once the suit was hitting the prototype stage improved designs were already on the drawing board, however the type survives to this day as an instructor and flight training machine.

Utbildningsdräkt 2 (Udr-2) retains the capabilities of the original Sdr-2 prototypes and is used for basic suit training for all branches of the military. The high-visibility colour scheme is also accompanied by a handful of units painted in olive drab used by instructors or the home guard. During the late 1980s the suit saw garrison duty and Flygvapnet also deployed several suits as part of local airstrip defense teams.

Stridsdräkt 2 was originally intended to support defending infantry units against assaults conducted with mechanized infantry and light armor. Its excellent mobility made it ideal for Hunter-Killer and flanking maneuvers. The combat suit was paired with a newly developed grenade launcher, the Grsp-84, which was a custom version of the well known Mk 19 Grenade Launcher with a drum magazine. The weapon was built to specification as requested by Försvarets Materielverk. The magazine holds twentyfour 40 mm grenades of either high-explosive or armor-piercing ordnance. A locally produced type of smoke grenade was also adopted. The drum magazine would typically be loaded with an ammunition mix and through a system of selection switches the pilot could change ammunition type on the fly. Two additional drums could be carried on the suit's back-skirt but would typically be carried by a nearby supply vehicle.

Stridsdräkt 2 also features a novel type of weapon; a combat shield. Developed primarily as a limited defense against incoming projectiles the shield was also tested as a possible defense against possible hostile combat suits. These weapons are still used in basic pilot training.

The much lauded jump jet or vectored thrust technology incorporated to the suit is for all intents and purposes rather underdimensioned for the role the suit was intended to play. A skilled suit operator can, if balancing the suit correctly, use the jets to dampen a fall of 8-10 meters. However, care must be taken to find a suitable landing spot to avoid damage to suspension (or simply toppling over forward). While the suit is able to rise up from a prone position, such a fall is likely to damage any weapons or external equipment carried by the suit. Training is usually reduced to hovering and landing onto tarmac or other flat surfaces although pilots who go on into more advanced suits will receive additional training.

Both the Sdr-2 and the Udr-2 variant carry camera equipment in what is usually referred to as the eye. This allows the suit to conduct limited reconnaissance operations. The grenade launcher has sights of its own that can be connected to the suit's onboard targetting cameras although this requires that the suit and the weapon is linked together by cable. Severing this connection means that the pilot will have to resort to manual targetting.

In this photograph two Udr-2 trainers belonging to the Flygvapnet can be seen at a makeshift highway strip on E18 near the city of Västerås. The suits could be operated from most of the nodes in the Bas 60 system and were often intended to aid the local defense teams for the bases themselves.


Frontline deployment

"Hulken", "Ninjan", "Bulan"... many are the names that have been used - more or less affectionately - to describe Stridsdräkt 5 (combat suit type 5). This is arguably the most well known among the second generation combat suits that began appearing near the end of the 1980s and the early 1990s. Stridsdräkt 5 also has a naval cousin as seen below, Amfibiestridsdräkt 6 (amphibious assault combat suit type 6), operated by Marinen in the coastal defence role.

Combat suit types 5 and 6 share many of the same components but are used in different roles. While the Sdr-5 has found its duty on terra firma as a defense in depth and as a highly mobile infantry fire support craft, the amphibious version is primarily tasked with battlefield reconnaissance and as a forward observer. It can also take on various roles in anti-submarine warfare as well as support amphibious landing operations.

The Asdr-6 is equipped with powerful jets which enable it to dash across level surfaces in short sprints for a couple of minutes at a time. The type 5 uses this to rapidly cross flat terrain while the Asdr-6 can use it to quickly dash from island to island in an archipelagic environment. The suit is also fully amphibious and can safely submerge after a landing on water. Underwater propulsion is provided by water jets and the suit is also able to walk relatively unaided into and out of water.

While the type 6 was initially designed with the intention of creating a fast attack craft that could engage enemy shipping, using its amphibious capability to stay concealed for as long as possible its versatile design led to a variety of equipment being developed. While versions exist that can fire various types of grenades, unguided rockets and even missiles (RB15, RB17) the suit is commonly deployed with an extensive external sensor package. Resembling a futuristic weapon of sorts, this high power targeting system includes camera, laser and forward looking infra-red systems and can also be augmented by both passive and active sonar. The suit can also deploy sonobuoys and magnetic anomaly detectors.

The type 6 carries an adaptor assembly on its back which enables it to deploy towed equipment and it also contains a power cable which can be floated to the surface and thus allow the suit's batteries to be replenished by friendly units while staying concealed. The coastal ranger teams are trained to set up portable charging stations that can be used to extend operational time of the suit during wartime deployment.

While generally not intended to be deployed from Marinens vessels it is possible to launch and recover the type 6 suits from larger ships equipped with helipads. Here an Asdr-6 can be seen onboard the auxiliary HMS Visborg.

Apart from the sensor pack the combat suit itself uses a targeting system mounted in the head. The system combines optical as well as thermal imaging systems and can be fed directly into the suit's targeting computer. The external sensor pack is also directly connected to the suit at all times, since the sensor pack is permanently attached to the right arm of the suit. To re-equip the suit with a strike package the entire arm is removed from the suit and replaced with an arm that as the required equipment permanently attached to it. This makes it difficult to change mission profiles in the field although the suit can still operate an offensive weapon system using its left arm.

Based on successful trials with Stridsdräkt 5, the Amfibiestridsdräkt 6 was ordered by Marinen in 1987 and the first units began appearing in frontline deployments in 1989/90. Suits are spread out among various naval and coastal defence units and strengths vary locally depending on the immediate area of operations. Most suits however were incorporated into two newly created units attached to the amphibious battalion.


The pilots of the type 6 spend much of their time practicing and refining strategies involving other land and sea units. While generally not equipped to keep up with fast surface combatants the sensor laden combat suits often direct fire or paint targets for surface vessel artillery or missile barrages. Here one suit escorts the coastal corvette HMS Stockholm.

While Amfibiestridsdräkt 6 would usually not take part in landing operations the scenario is commonly practiced together with elements of the coastal ranger company. The combat suit will normally be concealed nearby, painting targets for artillery or long range missiles launched from nearby islands, ships or even aircraft. Combat suits also frequently pose as opposing forces for defending ranger teams or units comprised of frogmen and infiltrators.