TSAMTO, July 28. BAE Systems has announced the signing of a contract with the Ministry of Defense of Finland for the modernization of the fleet of CV-90 armored combat vehicles of the Land Forces of this country.
The agreement, the value of which with options is $ 32 million, provides for an extension of the service life and an increase in the combat effectiveness of the vehicles for use in combat operations in the future.
As planned, first of all, several prototypes of the CV-9030FIN and the BBM test series should be upgraded. The modernization of the remaining armored vehicles will be carried out in the period from 2022 to 2026. Under the contract, BAE Systems Hagglunds, which is the developer and manufacturer of the CV-90 BBM, will work closely with the Finnish industry in order to improve the maintainability of equipment, the safety of its operation, and improve technologies and software.
The modernization program should ensure the suitability of the equipment for operation until the 2030s. This will eventually allow for a more extensive modernization of the machines at the last stage of their life cycle.
The Finnish Armed Forces are one of the seven buyers of the CV-90 and the last customer of the BBM data. The number of buyers of armored vehicles of the CV-90 family currently, in addition to Finland, includes six European countries, including Norway, Denmark, Estonia, Switzerland, Sweden and the Netherlands. In total, there are about 1300 vehicles of this type in various versions in service.
Four of the seven countries that are members of the "CV-90 User Club" have recently signed contracts to extend the life of the BBM and expand their capabilities. Sweden, Switzerland and the Netherlands signed agreements on modernization in the middle of the CV-90's service life, and the Norwegian Armed Forces recently completed the renewal of the existing fleet and ordered 20 additional armored vehicles.
