Saab has received an order from BAE Systems Hägglunds for the supply of sight and fire control capability for the CV90 armored combat vehicles. The order value is approximately SEK 970 million, and the contract period spans from 2023 to 2029. Saab will provide the sight and fire control capability for the BAE Systems’ CV90 ordered by the Czech Republic earlier in 2023 and will carry out the work in Sweden and the Czech Republic. In May 2023, Saab received an order from BAE Systems Hägglunds for similar capabilities for Slovakia’s CV90 combat vehicles. Saab’s sight and fire control capability for tanks and combat vehicles provide high hit probability against ground and air targets, regardless of the vehicle’s movements.
“The new order further underlines our great collaboration with BAE Systems Hägglunds, as well as our ability to scale up production,” says Carl-Johan Bergholm, Head of Saab’s business area Surveillance.
The CV90 (Combat Vehicle 90, Stridsfordon 90) is a family of Swedish tracked armored 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 has continuously evolved from the Mk 0 to the current Mk IV version with technological advancements and changes benefiting reliability, thermal imaging systems, and Generation III image intensification.
The first CV90s delivered were for Sweden and were armed with a Bofors 40/70B cannon in a two-man turret, which was replaced by the 25 mm M242 Bushmaster chain gun during initial prototyping trials. The Mk 0 had a conventional electrical system and was fitted for but not with appliqué armor systems. The Swedish Army ordered five variants of the CV90. The requirements exceeded by the Swedish FMV in subsequent management were extraordinary and led to a lot of new design features inherited by all subsequent generations (Mks 0 to III). The CV90 also carries six 76 mm grenade launchers, which are arranged in two clusters of three launchers; the clusters are positioned on each side of the turret. The grenade launchers are intended for smoke grenade use but can also be loaded with a variety of combat grenades.
