The highly anticipated delivery of the CV90 tracked infantry fighting vehicles to the Czech Army is slated for 2026, as per the recent joint steering committee meeting held to oversee the project’s progress. This landmark gathering, occurring twice a year, serves as a pivotal component of the tripartite agreement inked earlier this year between the Czech Ministry of Defense, BAE Systems Hägglunds, and the Swedish government. The committee’s primary mandate lies in vigilantly monitoring project milestones and ensuring coordination between the client and manufacturer teams. BAE Systems Hägglunds has evolved over more than six decades to specialize in combat vehicle production. Tommy Gustaffson-Rask, the President, underscores their commitment to delivering top-tier infantry fighting vehicles and emphasizes their continuous enhancement of products to meet evolving customer needs.
On 24 May 2023 BAE Systems Hägglunds and the Czech military signed a contract worth $2.2 billion for the acquisition of 246 CV90 MkIV infantry fighting vehicles in seven different variants. Negotiations for the new infantry fighting vehicles had been coordinated with Slovakia, which had also recently selected the CV90 Mk IV. The CV90s will be developed and delivered through an industrial partnership with Czech industry to meet the requirements of the Czech Ministry of Defence and the intention of maintaining national sovereignty for the Czech Republic. The Czech industrial partners will be delivering 40% of the acquisition’s value in development, production and assembly contracts, not including VAT. The program also offers future industrial opportunities that represent significant monetary value well beyond the flow down of contracts to Czech industrial partners.
Despite a delay in the contract signing for the new BVP, the Czech Army remains on course to receive the vehicles in 2026, setting a stringent timeline for all involved parties. The joint steering committee, chaired by Deputy Senior Director Filip Gantner, serves as a forum to preempt challenges, fostering smooth collaboration and information sharing crucial for the project’s success. The committee’s inaugural meeting, attended by seven members, delved into comprehensive discussions encompassing planned vehicle tests, delivery schedules, industrial collaboration, and the formation of specialized project teams. Notably, members also had the opportunity to visit production facilities and witness the CV90 vehicle in action under winter conditions.
Brigadier General Petr Mil?ický emphasizes the critical nature of these meetings, citing the significance of meticulous production oversight to avert deficiencies in the CV90 weapon system. Such vigilance is pivotal in avoiding delays and ensuring the vehicle’s complex capability meets stringent quality standards. Major General Robert Bieleny underscores the importance of integrated logistics support, acknowledging its pivotal role in ensuring the operational readiness of the CV90. Ond?ej Vodi?ka from the MoD’s industrial cooperation section highlights the focus on industry involvement in equipment development, production, and lifecycle support, aligning with the state’s strategic security interests.
The integration of Czech subcontractors into the project is a key facet, not only boosting the domestic defense industry and the national economy but also safeguarding a continuous supply chain crucial for the Army’s operational readiness, especially during crises. As the project moves forward, continuous evaluation and risk mitigation remain paramount, who stresses the project’s international dimension due to collaboration with Slovakia in acquiring similar combat vehicles. The forthcoming committee meeting in the Czech Republic aims to build upon the progress made in Sweden, emphasizing the pivotal role of time management in meeting the stringent production, testing, and development deadlines within the stipulated three-year timeframe.
The Combat Vehicle 90 (CV90) is a family of tracked armoured combat vehicles designed by the Swedish Defence Materiel Administration (FMV), Hägglunds and Bofors during the mid-1980s to early 1990s, before entering service in Sweden in the mid-1990s. The CV90 platform design has continuously evolved from the Mk 0 to the current Mk IV with technological advances and changing battlefield requirements. The Swedish version of the main infantry fighting vehicle (IFV) is fitted with a turret from Bofors equipped with a 40 mm Bofors autocannon. Developed specifically for the Nordic subarctic climate, the vehicle has very good mobility in snow and wetlands while carrying and supporting eight, and in later versions six, fully equipped soldiers. Other variants include forward artillery observation, command and control, anti-aircraft, armoured recovery vehicle, electronic warfare versions and so forth. Currently,
