BAE Systems Corporation on January 14, 2021 announced that it received a contract worth more than $ 500 million from the Dutch Defense procurement organization Dutch Defense Materiel Organization (DMO) for the repair and modernization of 122 CV9035NL Mk III infantry fighting vehicles of the Dutch Army (with an option for another 19 vehicles). The work will be carried out by the Swedish branch of BAE Systems (BAE Systems Hägglunds), which is the developer and manufacturer of these machines.
The appearance of the upgraded infantry fighting vehicle CV9035NL Mk III of the Netherlands Army with a new tower (c) BAE Systems
It is reported that the basis of the modernization will be the equipping of the CV9035NL Mk III BMP with new turrets with enhanced protection, a new fire control system and installed launchers of the Israeli ATGM Rafael Spike-LR developed and manufactured by BAE Systems Hägglunds. The new armament in the form of a 35-mm automatic gun will remain. During the modernization, the vehicles will also receive the Israeli Elbit Systems Iron Fist active protection system, for the integration of which BAE Systems received a separate DMO contract earlier in September 2019 [...] .
Recall that the Dutch army under contracts in 2004 and 2008 with a total value of 1.0752 billion euros in 2007-2010 received 193 CV9035NL Mk III infantry fighting vehicles produced by BAE Systems Hägglunds, including 150 linear PRI, 34 commander PRCO and nine training vehicles. These IFVs were equipped with four motorized infantry battalions (normally 44 vehicles - 36 line and 8 commander) - two in the 13th and 43rd motorized infantry brigades. However, in 2011, it was decided to re-form the 13th motorized infantry brigade into a "light brigade", in connection with which both its infantry battalions (the 17th and 42nd) were re-equipped with wheeled armored vehicles starting in 2015, and as a result, the number of motorized infantry battalions on IFVs in the Dutch army was reduced to two. In this regard, 44 Dutch IFVs were sold to Estonia in December 2014, and 32 were then transferred to the storage of BAE Systems Hägglunds, and 116 vehicles remained in the Dutch army. As you can see, some of the machines from storage (from six to 25 units) after modernization, it is now decided to put them back into operation.
