Editing Stridsvagn 103 (section)

===Concept development===
In the early 1950s, the [[Royal Swedish Army Materiel Administration]]'s Ordnance Department began development of a new tank known as kranvagn, or [[Emil (tank)|KRV]]. The desired features were a weight around 30 tonnes with high gun performance, protection and mobility. The new design emerged with a very low-profile hull with a tall and highly angled turret mounting a large-calibre main gun and [[autoloader]] system, reducing the crew to three. 105 to 120&nbsp;mm guns were initially considered, with the 120 being favoured, and later a 155&nbsp;mm design was also considered. The overall design is very similar to the French [[AMX-50]].<ref name="Lindström"/>

Around this same time, they also approached the [[United Kingdom]] about purchasing the [[Centurion tank]]. The Centurion included a [[gun stabilizer]], much better mobility, and a number of other features that made it much more advanced than the KRV. Although the British proved interested, they stated that deliveries could not begin until the 1955 or 56 time-frame, after their own needs were filled. Then, in 1953, due in part to a need for increased [[foreign currency]], the UK offered to deliver the Centurion immediately. This offer was taken up, and KRV work continued only to produce two hulls for study.<ref name="Lindström"/>

While the Centurion was a great advance on the KRV, it was still considered much heavier than ideal given its firepower. In the mid-1950s, the [[Royal Swedish Army Materiel Administration]]'s Ordnance Department put out a contract to find a replacement. Two working groups were formed to consider different approaches. "Alternative A" (for "Anglo-American") was to purchase a design from either the British or Americans of roughly 50 tons but mounting a more powerful gun than the [[Ordnance QF 20-pounder]] of the existing Centurions. "Alternative T" ("''Tysk-Fransk''", or "German-French") was for a lighter tank of around 30 tons with less protection but better mobility. In 1956, [[Sven Berge]] of the Swedish Arms Administration proposed "Alternative S" ("S" standing for "Swedish"), a radically different solution.<ref name="Lindström"/>