TSF Equipment/Scandinavian

JAKT-36/120E
The Jaktplan Automatisk Kanon Taktiska 36mm/120mm Experimentell is the first domestic assault cannon of the kingdom of Sweden, developed by SAAG to further enhance the versatility of their JAS-39 Gripen. Currently in late prototype stages, as many as 500 of them have been made available for field testing as of late 1998, with 200 units reserved for the Swedish Royal Guard. The overall reception of this new weapon system is very favorable so far, with some claiming it significantly improves the combat performance of the Gripen.

Closely following the design philosophy behind the JAS-39, the JAKT-36/120E was first drafted in 1985. Its chaingun component was originally chambered for the proprietary 23x72mm Advanced Multi-Purpose round, itself little more than a concept at the time. At this point in time a conventional box-shaped magazine was considered, though it would hold 3000 rounds while weighing little more than a standard chaingun magazine - though, due to supplying and maintenance concerns over its proprietary ammo, along with the unreliable feeding mechanism on the chaingun having a tendency to cause double feeding, development had stalled by 1988.

The chaingun on the JAKT was redesigned to chamber the very much ubiquitous 36x173mm chaingun rounds by 1992. As there was a desire to create a truly versatile weapon for the Gripen, it was argued that it would need a larger 36mm capacity in order to function as a light support weapon and while SAAG engineers tried a few options to meet this goal, they settled on using a helical magazine system for its chaingun component. The task of designing a functional helical magazine in this scale was in itself a completely different beast, and even after they made working prototypes, they would often not have enough force to propel all of its 1600 rounds all the way into the feeding chute of the magazine or crush stored rounds in a thankfully harmless manner. Development was about to stall once more in 1994 until a team of contracted Swiss engineers became part of the JAKT development team and miraculously, created a nearly perfect helical system for the prototype weapon. Maintenance was and is somewhat severe due to the higher number of moving parts when compared to the GWS-9's chaingun magazine, and the price for each individual helical magazine is nearly three times that of a standard box magazine. Everything points at either a further streamlining of the magazine or a more traditional design being adopted in the future.

The cannon component has no relevant operating or mechanical changes in comparison to other 120mm smoothbore cannons, though it boasts a slightly longer barrel that affords it some extra range. The capacity of its cannon magazine is nowhere near as impressive as the chaingun's, holding a nearly standard 90 rounds - this is to ensure that weapon's weight balance is towards the middle, rather than the front or back.

As the weapon system became fully usable by a TSF, the need for an overhauled targeting system made itself present due to a variety of reasons - the one used by the GWS-9 was aging rather badly in comparison to newer targeting systems such as the American AMWS-21's more sophisticated laser-based system, and the JAKT would also need to be accurate to slightly longer distance than the standard GWS-9. This was solved by making a combination laser/optic targetting system that weighed a mere 270 KG, with most of the weight being dedicated to the protective shell around its guts. The laser-linked part of the targeting system allows efficient target acquisition and marking at closer ranges, while the optic portion assists in making shots out to 3 or 4km depending on the ammo type used. Its internal parts and mechanisms are also of rugged construction and are quick to manufacture and replace in the event of damage. This extends to an exclusive feature of this targeting system: is its ability to be quickly removed if it's somehow damaged beyond repair by way of shaped explosive charges along its mounting point. It would also be replaceable in the field, though this was done more as an experiment than anything and will most likely be omitted from further development in the future as there is no compartment meant to specifically store such a component within any TSF, rendering this feature a moot point in the end.

The overall construction of the weapon system is made almost entirely of supercarbon to specifically reduce its weight to 8.4 tons - compared to the 12 tons of the GWS-9, it's a welcome weight reduction and also an increase in operational time. The lack of a trigger guard on the JAKT was intentional as to increase the pilot's reaction time when being taken from a pylon, while its 36mm magazines were slated to feature a large handle on the side so they could be quickly removed or inserted. This feature was made necessary due to an apparent incompatibility with the reloading sub-arms present on the Gripen, more suited for traditional box magazines - but for now the issue was worked around by having the sub-arm place the magazine in the stock and the TSF manually push it in either with a hand or by pressing it against its hip block. The magazine will then be locked in place automatically by the weapon, with no further input needed from the pilot.

The very first weapon to be used in a successful field test was made in late April of 1997, roughly around the Gripen's adoption aniversary. It fares well as a weapon for general purposes (thinning/light suppression, precision fire and bombardment being the main three roles it can perform), excelling at various roles much like the TSF meant to handle it. The royal guard has certainly become interested in the possibility of adopting this weapon system - even if in very limited quantities - to better suit their modified Gripens.