Munitions

40 mm APFSDS-T round

Also known as
  • 40 mm APFSDS-T Mk I
  • 40 mm APFSDS-T Mk II
  • 40 mm APFSDS-T Mk II IM
  • 40 APFSDS-T Mk II IM
  • Bofors 40 mm APFSDS-T Mk II IM
  • 40/48B SLPPRJ 90
  • 40/48 B slpprj 90
  • 40/48B SLPPRJ 90 LK
  • 40/48B SLPPRJ 90LK
  • 40/48B SLPPRJ 01 LK

The 40 mm APFSDS-T round is a Swedish Bofors Defence AB kinetic-energy cartridge for 40 mm L/70 gun systems, using an armour-piercing fin-stabilized discarding-sabot projectile with tracer. Bofors material places it in the 40 mm ammunition family beside 3P and training rounds, identifies Mk I and Mk II development, and Swedish Armed Forces safety regulations list SLPPRJ 90 and SLPPRJ 01 LK designations for Strf 90 and Lvkv 90 firing contexts.

40 mm APFSDS-T round, 40 mm APFSDS-T round, Munitions
Image source: Abhay IFV FCU and autocannon with ammunition.png
Profile / Specs

Profile

Origin
Sweden
Type
40 mm APFSDS-T round
Service note
1990s-present Swedish 40 mm APFSDS family
Produced
1990s-present

Specifications

Caliber
40 mm
Type
Armour-piercing fin-stabilized discarding-sabot tracer
Gun fit
40 mm L/70 family; Swedish Strf 90 and Lvkv 90 service
Mk I penetration
More than 120 mm RHA
Mk II penetration
Well in excess of 150 mm armour in the Bofors 2002 summary
Insensitive munition
APFSDS-T Mk II described by Bofors as qualified to Swedish requirements / MIL-STD-2105B
Development note
Bofors and QinetiQ studied a 25 percent L/70 penetration improvement and up to 50 percent if optimized for Bushmaster IV
Variants

Bofors material separates the 40 mm APFSDS-T family into the in-service Mk I round and the improved Mk II / Mk II IM path. Swedish service documents use SLPPRJ designations for 40/48B armour-piercing tracer projectile rounds used with Strf 90 and Lvkv 90 40 mm gun systems.

VariantConfigurationDesignation notes
40 mm APFSDS-T Mk IIn-service L/70 APFSDS-T round

Bofors listed Mk I as the in-service 40 mm APFSDS-T round and gave its penetration as more than 120 mm RHA.

Sources: Bofors Defence AB 40 mm APFSDS-T

40 mm APFSDS-T Mk II IMImproved insensitive-munition variant

Bofors described Mk II work after a Bofors-QinetiQ study found a 25 percent penetration increase possible in the L/70 gun system, and summarized Mk II as exceeding 150 mm armour with insensitive-munition qualification.

Sources: Bofors Defence AB 40 mm APFSDS-T

40/48B SLPPRJ 90Swedish service designation

Swedish Armed Forces Strf safety regulations list SLPPRJ 90 for the 40 mm akan 40/70 B on Strf 90 and Lvkv 90.

Sources: Säkerhetsföreskrift Strf 90

40/48B SLPPRJ 90 LKSwedish service designation

Bofors cover material identifies 40/48B SLPPRJ 90 LK; Swedish regulations separately list the SLPPRJ 90 and SLPPRJ 01 LK firing context.

Sources: Bofors Defence AB 40 mm APFSDS-T, Säkerhetsföreskrift Strf 90

40/48B SLPPRJ 01 LKSwedish service designation

The same Swedish Armed Forces regulation lists 40/48B SLPPRJ 01 LK and SLPPRJ 01 LK alongside SLPPRJ 90 in 40 mm firing-safety tables.

Sources: Säkerhetsföreskrift Strf 90

Carrier Vehicles

The Swedish Army CV9040 carries 24 ready-use 40 mm rounds, including APFSDS-T.

CarrierCarrier typeCarriage evidence
CV90, Tracked infantry fighting vehicle, Armored VehiclesCV90Tracked infantry fighting vehicle

Euro-SD reported that the Swedish Army CV9040 variant carries 24 ready-use 40 mm rounds, including APFSDS-T.

Sources: European Infantry Fighting Vehicle Armament

Ammunition Family Context

Bofors presented APFSDS-T as the armour-piercing member of a broader 40 mm family for L/70-class systems, while Swedish regulations preserve the service designations used in Strf 90 and Lvkv 90 firing tables.

Kinetic role

APFSDS-T is the armour-piercing tracer cartridge in the Bofors 40 mm set, separate from programmable 40 mm 3P ammunition and training rounds.

Source: Bofors Defence AB 40 mm APFSDS-T.

Service labels

Swedish safety tables list SLPPRJ 90 and SLPPRJ 01 LK designations for 40 mm Strf 90 and Lvkv 90 firing contexts.

Source: Säkerhetsföreskrift Strf 90.

CV9040 load context

Euro-SD identifies APFSDS-T and Multi-purpose Tracer among the Swedish Army CV9040 ready-use 40 mm rounds.

Source: European Infantry Fighting Vehicle Armament.

Timeline

40 mm APFSDS-T round Key Events

  1. Bushmaster IV first firings

    Bofors reported that the first Bushmaster IV firings took place in May 2001 after a Swedish FMV assignment studied a 40 mm Bushmaster built around the 40 mm L/70 ammunition family.

    Sources: Bofors Defence AB 40 mm APFSDS-T

  2. L/70 performance demonstrated for Swedish Army

    Bofors said the 40 mm APFSDS-T performance increase study was demonstrated for the Swedish Army with the L/70 gun system in November 2001.

    Sources: Bofors Defence AB 40 mm APFSDS-T

  3. Bofors presents 40 mm ammunition family

    Bofors Defence AB presented the 40 mm family with APFSDS-T, 3P, insensitive-munition, TPDS-T, and TP-T members, and stated that APFSDS-T Mk I was in service.

    Sources: Bofors Defence AB 40 mm APFSDS-T

Media

40 mm APFSDS-T round Images

40 mm APFSDS-T round, 40 mm APFSDS-T round, Munitions - view 1
Source: Bofors-060323-F-9044H-001.JPG
Related Weapon Systems
40 mm Bofors projectile, 40 mm anti-aircraft gun projectile, MunitionsMunitions40 mm Bofors projectile40 mm anti-aircraft gun projectileThe 40 mm Bofors projectile covers the shell/projectile component used in Bofors 40 mm anti-aircraft ammunition, with sourced coverage centered on wartime high-explosive tracer projectile construction and U.S. Hoffman Machinery Corporation's World War II production. Marist University Archives says Hoffman's Poughkeepsie plant converted to 40 mm anti-aircraft projectile production around June 1942 and shipped almost 15 million projectiles by August 1945.
Bofors 40 mm L/70, 40 mm towed anti-aircraft autocannon, Air DefenseAir DefenseBofors 40 mm L/7040 mm towed anti-aircraft autocannonThe Bofors 40 mm L/70 is a Swedish postwar anti-aircraft autocannon developed by AB Bofors as a higher-velocity, faster-firing successor to the wartime 40 mm L/60 family. Its towed and naval variants remained in service through upgrades, with source-backed modern use including Lithuanian-supplied guns in Ukrainian air defense and Indian upgraded L/70 guns used as a short-range counter-drone layer during the 2025 India-Pakistan Conflict.
M322 or M338 120 mm APFSDS-T tank projectile, 120 mm APFSDS-T tank-gun cartridge, MunitionsMunitionsM322 or M338 120 mm APFSDS-T tank projectile120 mm APFSDS-T tank-gun cartridgeThe M322 and M338 are Israeli 120 mm APFSDS-T tank-gun cartridges in Elbit Systems' NATO-standard smoothbore ammunition line. Elbit separates M322 as a second-generation NC-NG-propellant round and M338 as a third-generation LOVA-propellant round, both using tungsten-alloy penetrators for L44/L55 120 mm guns; OSMP identified one Israeli APFSDS-T round in the Israel and Gaza 2023-2026 collection as either M322 or M338.
Strv 122, Main battle tank, TanksTanksStrv 122Main battle tankThe Strv 122, formally Stridsvagn 122, is Sweden's Leopard 2-based main battle tank, adapted for Swedish service with a four-person crew, a 120 mm smoothbore gun, 7.62 mm machine guns, smoke launchers, reinforced protection, and a digital command-support system. Sweden donated about ten tanks to Ukraine in 2023, trained Ukrainian crews in Sweden, and later contracted to modernize its remaining Strv 122 fleet into the Strv 123A standard while buying new Leopard 2A8-based Strv 123B tanks.

Sources

Bofors Defence AB 40 mm APFSDS-TPublisher: Bofors Defence AB | Note: Supports manufacturer background and technical context for the 40 mm APFSDS-T family, including Mk I, Mk II / Mk II IM, L/70 and Bushmaster IV context, penetration claims, and insensitive-munition qualification. | Accessed: 2026-07-01Säkerhetsföreskrift Strf 90Publisher: Swedish Armed Forces | Note: Supports Swedish Strf 90 and Lvkv 90 firing-context designations for the 40 mm APFSDS-T round, including SLPPRJ 90 and SLPPRJ 01 LK ammunition references. | Accessed: 2026-07-01European Infantry Fighting Vehicle ArmamentPublisher: European Security & Defence | Note: Supports the Swedish Army CV9040 carriage of 24 ready-use 40 mm rounds, including APFSDS-T, for relationship context with the CV90 platform. | Accessed: 2026-07-01Abhay IFV FCU and autocannon with ammunition.pngPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Image provenance for a DRDO/Abhay Bofors L/70 autocannon graphic showing a 40 mm APFSDS/FSAPDS-style shell; useful as type-context imagery, but not confirmed as the Swedish Strf 90 service round. | Accessed: 2026-07-01Bofors-060323-F-9044H-001.JPGPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Image provenance for a U.S. military public-domain photograph showing Bofors 40 mm ammunition handling context; useful as Bofors 40 mm context, but not APFSDS-T or CV9040-specific. | Accessed: 2026-07-01