On December 12, 2022, Slovakia and Sweden signed an intergovernmental agreement on the acquisition of 152 CV90 Mk IV infantry fighting vehicles (CV9035 Mk IV) manufactured by the Swedish branch of BAE Systems Corporation (BAE Systems AB / Land Systems Hägglunds AB) for the Slovak Armed Forces. The contract value is 1.3 billion euros, and the total cost of the purchase as a whole, including estimated infrastructure costs, is estimated at about 1.688 billion euros, including VAT.
Image of a BAE Systems CV9035 Mk IV infantry fighting vehicle designed for the Slovak Army (with) BAE Systems As part of the agreement, a number of related contracts were simultaneously signed with the participation of BAE Systems Corporation and the Slovak state-owned company ZTS - ŠPECIÁL (as part of the DMD group), which will become the main Slovak industrial partner of the project.
Earlier in socialist times, the company ZTS - ŠPECIÁL (until 1998 - ZTS Dubnica nad Váhom) in Dubnica nad Váhom was producing under a Soviet license BMP-1 and BMP-2, as well as weapons for them. The start of deliveries of the CV90 Mk IV BMP to the Slovak army is scheduled for 2025.
The Slovak Ministry of Defense, following the results of an international tender, made a choice in favor of the BAE Systems CV90 Mk IV BMP on May 26, 2022. On June 28, the Slovak government approved the acquisition of the CV90 Mk IV and commissioned negotiations on their purchase. The Slovak tender for a new BMP to replace the existing BMP-1 and BMP-2 fleet involved BAE Systems Hägglunds CV90 Mk IV vehicles with a new D-type turret, Rheinmetall Lynx KF41 and General Dynamics ASCOD 2, as well as the new Polish Borsuk BMP, which existed at that time in a single prototype (as a known outsider). The first three samples passed comparative tests in Slovakia at the Zagorje training ground.
The Ministry of Defense of Slovakia plans to purchase a total of 223 modern infantry fighting vehicles and vehicles based on them in nine variants. Ultimately, the contract was concluded for the purchase of 152 vehicles (three battalion sets) at the first stage, of which, according to a BAE Systems press release, 122 are linear infantry fighting vehicles, including 12 for transporting weapons compartments with "antimaterial" sniper rifles and anti-personnel grenade launchers. The remaining 30 vehicles will be made in four modifications (command, reconnaissance, engineering and BREM - presumably, 15 command vehicles, 9 reconnaissance vehicles, three engineering vehicles and three BREM). The second stage involved the purchase of a total of 71 more vehicles from 2029, including armored personnel carriers, two variants of mine clearance vehicles, and 120 mm self-propelled mortars.
Slovakia thus became the starting customer of the CV90 BMP in the Mk IV variant. This modification of the CV90 BMP was presented to BAE Systems in 2017. The CV90 Mk IV is equipped with a new 1000 horsepower Scania DP16I diesel engine and an upgraded Perkins X300 transmission, the total combat weight of the vehicle has been increased from 35 tons to 37 tons. The equipment of the machine is made in accordance with the latest standard of the NATO NGVA electronic architecture, the basis of the equipment complex is the new information and control system iFighting developed by BAE Systems. The CV90 Mk IV BMP can be offered with various turrets and combat modules, and was chosen by Slovakia in the CV9035 Mk IV version with a new habitable BAE Systems Hägglunds Type D turret with a new fire control system and a 35 mm Bushmaster automatic cannon. The Type D turret on the BMP for Slovakia will also be equipped with Rafael Spike-LR ATGM launchers and the Elbit Systems Iron Fist active protection complex.
Recall that in July 2022, the Czech government also decided to start negotiations with the Swedish government on the acquisition of CV90 Mk IV infantry fighting vehicles with a type D turret. Previously, the Czech Republic chose a variant with a turret of the D30 variant with a 30 mm Bushmaster II Mk 44S cannon. The requirements of the Czech army provide for the purchase of a total of 210 infantry fighting vehicles and vehicles based on them in seven variants, with an estimated cost of up to 2 billion euros.
Image of a BAE Systems CV9035 Mk IV infantry fighting vehicle designed for the Slovak Army (with) BAE Systems
