Editing Bofors

{{short description|Swedish (and later British) arms manufacturer}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2016}}
{{About|the former arms manufacturer|the ice hockey team formerly named IFK Bofors|BIK Karlskoga}}
{{Infobox company
| name = AB Bofors
| logo = Bofors old logotype.png
| logo_size = 100px
| logo_caption = Bofors older [[heraldic]] logotype, featuring two lions upholding two circles containing the "Bofors arrow" (B-arrow), crowned by a lit grenade
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| native_name = Aktiebolaget Bofors
| native_name_lang = sv
| former_name = Bofors-Gullspång Company Ltd.
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| industry = {{Unbulleted list
|[[Arms industry]]
}}
| founded = {{Start year|1646}} in [[Karlskoga]], Sweden
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| hq_location_city = Karlskoga, Sweden
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'''AB Bofors''' ({{IPAc-en|UK|ˈ|b|oʊ|f|ər|z}} {{respell|BOH|fərz}}, {{IPAc-en|US|ˈ|b|oʊ|f|ɔːr|z}} {{respell|BOH|forz}},<ref>{{cite LPD|3}}</ref><ref>{{cite EPD|18}}</ref> {{IPA|sv|buːˈfɔʂː|lang}}){{fix|text=check vowel length}} is a former [[Sweden|Swedish]] [[arms manufacturer]] which today is part of the British arms manufacturer [[BAE Systems]]. The name has been associated with the [[iron industry]] and [[artillery]] manufacturing for more than 350 years.<ref>{{cite book|last=Oza|first=B.M|title=Bofors : The Ambassador's Evidence|date=1997|publisher=Konark Publishers|location=India}}</ref>

==History==
Located in [[Karlskoga]] neighborhood of Bofors, [[Sweden]], the company originates from the [[hammer mill]] "Boofors", which was founded as a [[royal family|royal]] state-owned company in 1646 when P. L. Hosman was permitted to erect a [[forge]] at the site.''{{Sfn|Jernkontoret|1920|p=18}}'' [[Sigrid Ekehielm]], also known as Boås-Beata,<ref name="Name:0">{{Cite book |last=Bande |first=Alf |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=v7PNuAAACAAJ |title=Bofors och boforsare |date=1996 |publisher=Probus |isbn=978-91-87184-36-9 |page=13 |language=sv}}</ref> who lived from the 1640s to 1700, at one point owned it.<ref name="Sigrid">"Sigrid Ekehielm", https://skbl.se/en/article/SigridEkehielm, [[Svenskt kvinnobiografiskt lexikon|Svenskt kvinnobiografiskt lexikon (SKBL)]] [Biographical Dictionary of Swedish Women] (article by Sofia Danielsson, translated by Alexia Grosjean), retrieved 2023-09-3.</ref>

The Bofors Works was acquired by [[Johan Eberhard Geijer]] (1733–1796) in 1762. It was then acquired by the latter's brother, [[Emanuel af Geijerstam]].{{sfn|Steckzén|1946|p=28}}
[[File:Bofors hotell.jpg|left|thumb|The [[Bofors Hotel]], which was designed by Wilhelm von Eick and built in an [[Italianate Style|Italianate style]], was initially intended to exclusively serve the guests of Bofors.]] The modern corporate structure was created in 1873 with the foundation of [[Aktiebolag]]et (AB) Bofors-Gullspång.
A leading Swedish steel producer by the early 1870s, when steel began to be used for gun manufacture in Sweden, Bofors initially sold cast and forged steel produced by the [[Siemens-Martin process]] to [[Finspång]] gun works, but soon started to expand into weapons manufacture. The company's first [[cannon]] workshop was opened in 1884. Bofors' most famous owner was [[Alfred Nobel]], who owned the company from 1894 until his death in December 1896.<ref>{{cite book|last=Bergengren|first=Erik|title=Alfred Nobel: The Man and His Work|date=1962|publisher=Thomas Nelson & Sons Ltd|location=Edinburgh}}</ref>''{{Sfn|Jernkontoret|1920|p=19}}'' Nobel played a key role in reshaping the former iron and steel producer to a modern cannon manufacturer and [[chemical industry]] participant.<ref>{{cite book|last=Schück|first=H|title=Nobel - The Man and His Prizes|date=1950|publisher=Solhmans Förlag|location=Stockholm|isbn=0444001174|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/nobelmanhisprize0000nobe}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Latter life|url=https://www.nobelprize.org/alfred_nobel/biographical/articles/sanremo/|work=Alfred Nobel : Biography|publisher=Nobel Prize : Official website|access-date=4 March 2014}}</ref> The powder manufacturer AB Bofors Nobelkrut, later an explosives and general organic-chemical producer, was created in 1898 as a wholly owned subsidiary.[[File:Bofors - huvudkontor.jpg|thumb|The Bofors Headquarters completed in 1930]]By 1911, AB Bofors-Gullspång had outcompeted, bought and closed down its Finspång Swedish competitor in cannon manufacture. The company's name was shortened to AB Bofors in 1919.<ref>{{cite book|last=Subramaniam|first=Chitra|title=Bofors: the story behind the news|date=1993|publisher=Viking|location=India|isbn=0670845256|url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6945943-bofors}}</ref> 

When the [[Treaty of Versailles]] [[German disarmament|severely limited]] Germany from developing new artillery and banned its exports, German military companies started to offshore their R&D abroad, and [[Krupp]], prohibited to develop guns under 17 cm in caliber, started to co-operate with Bofors already in 1919 in order to secretly engage in arms design and manufacture:
<blockquote>When, after the end of the war, it became a certainty that, for Krupp, gun production would come to a complete standstill, Krupp concluded an agreement with Aktiebolaget Bofors, a Swedish firm, which made available to Bofors information on Krupp's experiences relative to the production of steel in certain fields, and especially of steel for the manufacture of guns, also a license agreement on the basis of which Bofors was authorized to duplicate some types of Krupp's artillery designs, insofar as they were not classed as secret by the Reich. Krupp combined with this the intention of benefiting by the experience gathered at that end. Bofors pledged itself at Krupp's request to permit Krupp employees admission to its works at all times and to supply them with all desired information.<ref>{{cite book |title=Trials of War Criminals Before the Nuremberg Military Tribunals Under Control Council Law No. 10, Nuernberg, October 1946-April 1949 |date=1950 |publisher=U.S. Government Printing Office |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NF8TAQAAMAAJ |language=en}}</ref></blockquote>
Bofors was also able to take over pre-war Dutch and Danish contracts of Krupp in September 1919. Under a 1921 agreement the company agreed not to export any Krupp-derived materiel to the victors of WWI: the UK, US, France, Italy and Japan. The Swedish government fully endorsed all that activity.<ref>{{cite book |title=German Yearbook on Business History 1982 | isbn=9783642687921 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IRvrCAAAQBAJ&pg=PA131 | last1=Engels | first1=W. | last2=Pohl | first2=H. | date=6 December 2012 | publisher=Springer }}</ref> Also, since 1920 Krupp held 31.8% of Bofors stock through its Swedish subsidiary AB Boforsintressenter despite a 1916 law prohibiting foreigners from having over 20% stock of a Swedish business. As a result of such a collaboration, Bofors prospered, and by the early 1930s it employed ~2800 people (not counting the supply subsidiaries).<ref>{{cite book |last1=Lorenz-Meyer |first1=Martin |title=Safehaven: The Allied Pursuit of Nazi Assets Abroad |date=2007 |publisher=University of Missouri Press |isbn=978-0-8262-6586-9 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4uQkGYKHWeIC&pg=PA10 |language=en}}</ref>

After [[Adolf Hitler's rise to power]], the [[German rearmament]] became public and increased in scale so there was no more need in using front companies abroad, hence German armaments firms returned their R&D to the home turf. The Swedish parliament also banned foreign ownership of military industries in 1935, so Krupp had to liquidate Boforsintressenter and sell off its Bofors shares to Swedish entrepreneur [[Axel Wenner-Gren]], who long had good connections with Krupp.

Karlskoga grew around the Bofors Works, which employed almost 10,000 people by 1970.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Fransson |first=Stig A |year=2001 |title=BOFORS – förändringsvindar i gammal tid och nutid |url=http://www.boflv.se/arkiv/150117_Boforshistoria.pdf |access-date=29 November 2022 |language=sv |quote=Bofors är nu som störst och har nästan 10 000 anställda i Karlskoga.}}</ref> The arms industry created numerous job opportunities in the 1900s, contributing to the population boom of the city.

Throughout its history, the works has been linked to several influential Swedish families such as Robsahm, Liljeström, Flygge, and Ekehjelm.''{{Sfn|Jernkontoret|1920|p=18}}''

==Present ownership==

In 1999, [[Saab AB]]<ref>AB, aktiebolag, is a [[joint stock company]]</ref>  purchased the '''Celsius Group''', the then parent company of Bofors.<ref>{{cite news|title=Press release|url=http://news.cision.com/celsius|access-date=4 March 2014|newspaper=Celsius group|date=12 September 2000}}</ref> In September 2000, [[United Defense|United Defense Industries]] (UDI) of the United States acquired Bofors Weapons Systems (the heavy weapons division), while Saab retained the missile interests.

The British company [[BAE Systems]] acquired UDI and its Bofors subsidiary in 2005, and ''BAE Systems Bofors'' is now a business unit of the Swedish subdivision [[BAE Systems AB]], while the Swedish unit [[Saab Bofors Dynamics]] is part of Saab AB.<ref>{{cite book|last=Professor Øyvind Østerud|first=Professor Janne Haaland Matlary|title=Denationalisation of Defence: Convergence and Diversity|date=March 2013|publisher=Ashgate Publishing, Ltd.|page=152}}</ref>

== Products ==
 [[File:Bofors family.jpg|thumb|Various cannon cartridges manufactured by Bofors, including proprietary ammunition for the m/40 anti-aircraft gun (20×145mmR, second from the left), m/32 AA gun (25×205mmSR), both 40mm AA gun families (40×311mmR & 40×365mmR), m/47 aircraft gun (57×230mmR), and 57mm naval gun family (57×438mmR), respectively]]
[[File:HMS Gustav V.jpg|thumb|[[Bofors 283 mm gun]] on the Swedish {{HSwMS|Gustav V}}|left]]
The name Bofors is strongly associated with the [[Bofors 40 mm L/60 gun]] used by both sides during [[World War II]]. This automatic cannon is often simply called the ''Bofors gun'' and saw service on both land and sea. It became so widely known that anti-aircraft guns in general were often referred to as Bofors guns.<ref>{{cite book|last=Gander|first=Terry|title=The Bofors 40mm Gun|date=January 1, 1986|publisher=Patrick Stephens Ltd|isbn=0850598400|page=12}}</ref> Another well-known gun made by the company was the [[Bofors 37 mm|Bofors 37 mm Anti-Tank Gun L/45]],<ref name="Bofors 36">{{Cite book |title=Bofors |publisher=AB Bofors, Karlskoga (Boforskoncernen) |year=1936 |pages=30, 31, 32 |location=Karlskoga, Sweden |language=German }}</ref> a standard anti-tank weapon used by a variety of armies from the mid 1930s throughout World War II. It was built under licence in a variety of nations such as Finland, The Netherlands and Poland<ref>{{Cite web |last=T Persson |first=Mats |title=37 mm Pansarvärnskanon m/34 & m/38 |url=http://www.tfd.chalmers.se/~m95perm/vapen/kanon/div/37mm_pvkan.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070701070838/http://www.tfd.chalmers.se/~m95perm/vapen/kanon/div/37mm_pvkan.html |archive-date=2007-07-01 |access-date=2022-02-02 |website=tfd.chalmers.se }}</ref> and used in a variety of tanks and armored vehicles, such as the [[Vickers 6-ton]], [[M39 Pantserwagen]] and [[7TP]], among others.

=== Guns ===
(incomplete list)
*[[M/40 Automatic cannon|Bofors 20&nbsp;mm Automatic Anti-Aircraft Gun L/70]]
*[[Bofors 25 mm M/32|Bofors 25&nbsp;mm Automatic Gun L/64]]
*[[Bofors 37 mm|Bofors 37&nbsp;mm Anti-Tank Gun L/45]]
*[[Bofors 40 mm Automatic Gun L/43]]
*[[Bofors 40 mm Automatic Gun L/60]]
*[[Bofors 40 mm Automatic Gun L/70]]
*[[Bofors 57 mm m/47 aircraft gun|Bofors 57&nbsp;mm Automatic Aircraft Gun L/50]]
*[[Bofors 57 mm Naval Automatic Gun L/60]]
*[[Bofors 57 mm Naval Automatic Gun L/70]]
*[[Bofors 75 mm Model 1929]]
*[[Bofors 75 mm Model 1934]]
*[[Bofors 105 mm Coastal Automatic Gun L/54]]
*[[Bofors 120 mm Automatic Anti-Aircraft Gun L/46]]
*[[Bofors 120 mm Naval Automatic Gun L/50]]
*[[Bofors 152 mm gun|Bofors 152&nbsp;mm Naval Automatic Gun L/53]]
*[[Bandkanon 1|Bofors Tracked Automotive Gun 155 mm L/50]]
*[[Haubits FH77|Bofors 155&nbsp;mm Field Howitzer 77 A L/38]]
*[[Haubits FH77|Bofors 155&nbsp;mm Field Howitzer 77 B L/39]]
*[[Archer Artillery System|Bofors 155&nbsp;mm Field Howitzer 77 BW L/39 L/52 (Archer)]]
*[[Bofors 283 mm gun|Bofors 283&nbsp;mm Naval Gun L/45]]

=== Missiles ===
(incomplete list)
* [[Bantam (missile)|BANTAM (Bofors Anti Tank Missile)]]
* [[RBS 56 BILL|BILL (Bofors Infantry Light and Lethal anti-tank missile)]]
* [[RBS 23]]
* [[RBS 70]]

=== Other weapons ===
(incomplete list)
* [[:sv:37,5 cm aurakpjäs M/50|Bofors 375&nbsp;mm]] multi-barrel ASW rocket launcher
* [[Bofors HPM Blackout]] high-powered microwave weapon system

== Scandal in India ==
[[File:Finnish_Bofors.jpg|right|thumb|Finnish soldiers operating a Bofors gun during WWII.]]
{{main ||Bofors scandal}}

In 1986, the [[Government of India]] and Bofors signed a US$285 million contract for the supply of 410 [[Haubits FH77|155 mm field howitzers]].<ref name=bofors>{{cite news |title=25 years of India's 'Watergate': The Bofors scandal |url=http://in.news.yahoo.com/25-years-indias-watergate-bofors-scandal-135113721.html;_ylt=Alj5KdzFteYFGnJnR7t2kny6scB_;_ylu=X3oDMTFxbGs3Y3Z1BG1pdANJbmZpbml0ZSBCcm93c2UgVGV4dARwb3MDMQRzZWMDTWVkaWFJbmZpbml0ZUJyb3dzZUxpc3Q-;_ylg=X3oDMTNpbHR1dmhuBGludGwDaW4EbGFuZwNlbi1pbgRwc3RhaWQDODc2ZTBhMWEtMDRhMi0zMGUyLTllYmQtMDNkZjFmZDEyZDQ0BHBzdGNhdANob21lfGdvdmVybm1lbnR2c3RlYW1hbm5hBHB0A3N0b3J5cGFnZQR0ZXN0Aw--;_ylv=3 |newspaper=Yahoo! News |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160105221147/https://in.news.yahoo.com/25-years-indias-watergate-bofors-scandal-135113721.html%3B_ylt%3DAlj5KdzFteYFGnJnR7t2kny6scB_%3B_ylu%3DX3oDMTFxbGs3Y3Z1BG1pdANJbmZpbml0ZSBCcm93c2UgVGV4dARwb3MDMQRzZWMDTWVkaWFJbmZpbml0ZUJyb3dzZUxpc3Q-%3B_ylg%3DX3oDMTNpbHR1dmhuBGludGwDaW4EbGFuZwNlbi1pbgRwc3RhaWQDODc2ZTBhMWEtMDRhMi0zMGUyLTllYmQtMDNkZjFmZDEyZDQ0BHBzdGNhdANob21lfGdvdmVybm1lbnR2c3RlYW1hbm5hBHB0A3N0b3J5cGFnZQR0ZXN0Aw--%3B_ylv%3D3 |archive-date=5 January 2016 |df=dmy-all }}</ref> In 1987, Swedish Radio alleged that Bofors paid [[Kickback (bribery)|illegal commissions]] of {{INRConvert|600|m|year=1987|lk=r}} to top Indian politicians, members of senior [[Congress Party (India)|Congress party]] and key defence officials to seal the deal.<ref name= bofors/> The scandal contributed to the defeat of [[Second Rajiv Gandhi ministry|Rajiv Gandhi's government]] in the [[1989 Indian general election|elections three years later]].<ref>{{cite book|last=Mukherjee |first= A.P |title=Unknown Facets of Rajiv Gandhi, Jyoti Basu and Indrajit Gupta|date=2012|publisher= Pragun Publications |location=India|isbn=978-81-7049470-6 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last= Subramaniam |first=Chitra|title=Bofors: The Story Behind The News|date=1993|publisher=Viking |isbn= 0-67084525-6 |url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6945943-bofors}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[Bofors Hotel]]
* ''[[The Bofors Gun]]'' – 1968 British drama film directed by [[Jack Gold]], based on the play "Events While Guarding the Bofors Gun" by [[John McGrath (playwright)|John McGrath]]
* [[List of modern armament manufacturers]]
* [[List of oldest companies]]

==References==
=== Citations ===
{{Reflist}}

=== Works cited ===

* {{cite book |last=Jernkontoret |url=https://runeberg.org/steelswe/ |title=Iron and Steel in Sweden |publisher=Jernkontoret |year=1920 |isbn= |location= |pages=17–36 |language=en |chapter=Aktiebolaget Bofors |issn= |chapter-url=https://runeberg.org/steelswe/0085.html}}
* {{cite book |last=Steckzén |first=Birger |url= |title=Bofors historia 1646–1946|publisher= |year=1946 |isbn= |location=Stockholm |pages= |language=sv |issn=}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Bofors}}
* [http://www.baesystems.com/ BAE Systems Bofors]
* [http://www.saabgroup.com/ Saab Bofors Dynamics]
* http://nobelkarlskoga.se/welcome-2/bofors-industrial-museum/
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Bofors| ]]
[[Category:Companies established in 1646]]
[[Category:Companies established in 1873]]
[[Category:Defence companies of Sweden]]
[[Category:Defunct companies of Sweden]]
[[Category:Karlskoga Municipality]]
[[Category:BAE Systems subsidiaries and divisions]]
[[Category:1646 establishments in Sweden]]
[[Category:Alfred Nobel]]