On 27 August 2022, Czech Defence Minister Jana Černochová and her Slovak counterpart Jaroslav Naď signed an agreement on the joint procurement and operation of the CV90 MkIV during the SIAF 2022 Airshow in Malacky, Slovakia. The agreement follows both countries’ independent selection of the vehicle in June and July of 2022 for their future Infantry Fighting Vehicle (IFV) requirement to replace their in-service BMP-2 derivatives.
Slovakia has a total requirement for 223 vehicles, with purchases split into a first phase comprising 152 vehicles and a second comprising 71. The country has opted for the CV90 MkIV in seven variants, including the CV9035 armed with a 35 mm automatic cannon as the IFV variant and a 120 mm Mortar Carrier variant. The Czech Republic’s requirement is for 210 vehicles, and includes a requirement for an IFV variant with a 30 mm automatic cannon.
According to the agreement, discussions will be held withlocal industry in both countries, to find ways to involve them in the production of the vehicles. The cooperative agreementalso provides for a common spare parts, logistics, and maintenance programme, and as such the two countries will coordinate on their vehicles’ technical requirements in order to achieve high commonality. The two countries also intend to conduct joint training for their CV90-equipped units, allowing both armed forces to benefit from each other’s experience with the vehicle.
GWH
