Czech Republic chooses CV90 infantry fighting vehicle for its armed forces

The Czech government has decided that the CV90 will become the future infantry fighting vehicle of the country’s armed forces.

This was reported by defense24.pl.

The decision was made after the tender program to purchase a new infantry fighting vehicle was frozen.

The cancellation of the procurement tender came after two of the three bidders declined to accept the new terms and conditions.

The legal analysis conducted by the Ministry of Defence of the Czech Republic showed that cancellation was the only option.

The Czech government resolved the situation through direct negotiations with the Swedish government and the purchase of 210 new vehicles.

These infantry fighting vehicles are in service with a number of European armies. They were recently chosen by Slovakia, with whom the Czechs intend to coordinate their negotiations.

Currently, the Ground Forces of the Czech Republic store old infantry fighting vehicles that remain in service. That’s 80 BMP-1 units and about 100-120 BMP-2 units produced in the Czech Republic under license from the USSR.

They also have Pandur II 8×8 wheeled armored vehicles assembled in the Czech Republic under license.

The Czech Republic ordered CV90 configuration remains unknown, but the publication suggests that it may be the identical to the version chosen by Slovakia, i.e. the CV90 Mk IV. This should significantly ease logistical support and improve compatibility for both countries.

The CV90 Mk.IV from BAE Hägglunds is the advanced version of the CV90 BMP, the production of which began back in the early 90s. To date, more than a thousand CV90s have been produced in various variants.

The CV90 Mk.IV variant received a more powerful 1,000-horsepower Scania engine and new suspension increasing capacity by 2 tons. In addition, the Mk.IV was equipped with a new generation of electronics capable of broadcasting data from battlefield control systems in real time. The vehicle can also get towers installed.