The Swedish government has awarded BAE Systems a contract to refurbish 262 Combat Vehicles 90 (CV90) for the Swedish Army. The company’s work will include refurbishing the chassis and upgrading the vehicle’s survivability and turrets, as well as enhancing combat system performance. Together, these efforts will help increase the vehicles’ lifespan in support of Army capabilities.

«This is a very important program for BAE Systems and the Swedish Army», said Lena Gillström, managing director of BAE Systems Weapons Systems in Karlskoga, which builds the turrets. «With this refurbishment and the introduction of the new Battlefield Management System, these vehicles will take a step into the era of digitized defense to strengthen the Army’s capability to meet future threats».

BAE Systems will work closely with the customer throughout the program. Work starts immediately with deliveries beginning in 2018 and running through 2020.

«For the Swedish Army, CV90 has proven its value and capability over the years», said Tommy Gustafsson-Rask, president of BAE Systems Hägglunds AB in Örnsköldsvik. «CV90 is already in service in seven countries and now, with this refurbishment program, we’ll further extend the CV90’s contribution to Sweden’s defense».

CV90 is a family of Swedish tracked combat vehicles designed by FMV, BAE Systems Hägglunds, and BAE Systems Weapons Systems, with more than 4 million engineering hours contributing to the development of this advanced Infantry Fighting Vehicle (IFV). The Swedish version of the IFV is outfitted with a turret equipped with a 40-mm autocannon.

The Swedish Army has a fleet of 509 CV90s. Other countries currently using the vehicle are Norway, Denmark, Finland, Estonia, the Netherlands, and Switzerland.

The contract was awarded to HB Utveckling AB, a joint venture between BAE Systems Bofors AB, part of BAE Systems Weapons Systems, and BAE Systems Hägglunds AB.

 

Specifications

Top speed	43.5 mph/70 km/h
Range	559 miles/900 km
Payload	16 tonnes
Ballistic	> 5
Mine	> 4a/4b
Trench crossing	2.6 m/8.5 feet
Step climbing	1.1 m/3.6 feet
Fording	1.5 m/4.9 feet
Remote Weapon Station (RWS)	7.62 – 40-mm Automatic Grenade Launcher (AGL)
Turret	40-mm autocannon
No. of operators	3 + 7
Gradient	60 %
Power to weight ratio	17.1-24.2 kW/ton
Electrical power	570 A
Engine	Scania V8
Operating temperature	C2-A1
Driveline
Steel or rubber tracks	≤ 28 tonnes
Steel	> 28 tonnes
Semi active dampening

 

Engineers at BAE Systems have applied the new upgrade «Active Damping» system to current variants of the CV90 combat vehicle family; breaking speed records in rough terrain and increasing the CV90’s agility by reducing the vehicle’s pitch acceleration by approximately 40 per cent – taking a world class system to the next level, and leaving competitors behind.

First introduced into Formula One in the 1990s, the «Active Damping» system works by sensing the speed of the vehicle and lay-out of the terrain ahead and responding by pressurising the suspension to keep the vehicle on a level plane at all times.

This increased stability across all terrain is helping to reduce the wear and tear on the armoured vehicles and subsequently reduce through-life repair costs for each vehicle, despite seeing each able to travel 30 – 40 per cent faster on rough terrain.

For the crew of a CV90, the technology means a smoother ride and a reduction in fatigue; an important factor on the battlefield. The reduced vertical motion also increases the gunner’s probability of finding and hitting targets.

The suspension system usually operates on carbon fibre racing cars weighing no more than 700 kg, but engineers at BAE Systems have cleverly adapted it to use on heavy tracked vehicles, some weighing as much as 35 tonnes. In recent trials a CV90 fitted with active damping set a new speed record on a rough terrain course, beating the Main Battle Tanks (MBTs).

Dan Lindell, CV90 Platform Manager at BAE Systems, said: «Adapting the Active Damping system for the first time from a light weight car to a heavy tracked vehicle such as CV90 was a unique challenge for us, but this advanced technology will deliver results to our customers in terms of vehicle performance and savings on the through life costs, as well as providing real benefits to the front line solider».

The CV90 is designed and built by BAE Systems in Sweden and is one of the largest families of armoured combat vehicles. CV90 is currently used in countries such as Norway, Finland and Denmark and has successfully performed in global operations including UN and NATO collaborations.

 

Specifications

Top speed:                                           43.5 mph/70 km/h

Range:                                                    559 miles/900 km

Payload:                                                16 tonnes

Ballistic:                                                 > 5

Mine:                                                        > 4a/4b

Trench crossing:                                 2.6 m/8.5 feet

Step climbing:                                      1.1 m/3.6 feet

Fording:                                                   1.5 m/4.9 feet

Remote Weapon Station (RWS):      7.62 – 40 mm Automatic Grenade Launcher (AGL)

Turret:                                                        25-120 mm/0.98-4.72 inch

No. of operators:                                   3 + 7

Gradient:                                                    60 %

Power to weight ratio:                        17.1-24.2 kW/ton

Electrical power:                                     570 A

Engine:                                                           Scania V8

Operating temperature:                      C2-A1

Driveline

Steel or rubber tracks:      ≤ 28 tonnes

Steel:                                            > 28 tonnes

Semi active dampening