BAE Systems has signed a contract with the Danish Ministry of Defence Acquisition and Logistics Organisation (DALO) for the mid-life upgrade (MLU) of the Royal Danish Army’s fleet of CV90 infantry fighting vehicles (IFVs), the company announced on 21 March 2024.
The MLU contract, which follows a previously signed framework agreement regarding repair and maintenance services, will see the Danish CV90 IFVs integrated with the new D-series turret by BAE Systems Hägglunds, which designs and produces the CV90 family of vehicles.
BAE describes the new turrets as “a leap forward in design and functionality which provides significant improvements in vehicle balance and new ways to introduce a variety of weaponry for increased lethality”.
The upgraded CV90s will also offer considerable ergonomic improvements to their crews built on years of combat-proven experience, continuous vehicle improvements, and data analysis from the CV90 User Club, which consists of all of the user nations operating CV90 fleets.
“I am very pleased to sign this contract for mid-life update of the Danish CV90 fleet. It is an important upgrade of one of the army’s most important weapon systems,” Lieutenant General Kim Jesper Jørgensen, the director of DALO, was quoted as saying in a BAE Systems press release. “As the manufacturer of the vehicles, BAE Systems Hägglunds has a great knowledge of the capability, and the upcoming upgrade will bring the vehicles back to a state-of-the-art platform that will ensure it is equipped for future operations.”
Tommy Gustafsson-Rask, managing director of BAE Systems Hägglunds, added, “These upgrades will provide Danish CV90 crews with improved protection and increased combat efficiency, all while securing the functionality of the Royal Danish Army’s existing fleet of CV90s.”
Upgrades covered by the MLU include equipping the Danish CV90s with rubber tracks that both decrease the vehicle’s weight, freeing up payload for the addition of new systems, as well as reduce noise and vibrations to minimise the long-term bio-mechanical impact on crew and reduce crew fatigue. The upgraded vehicles will receive an anti-tank guided weapon and a defensive aid suite (DAS), increasing both their lethality and protection levels.
The delivery of the programme is planned to occur between 2026 and 2029 and will be executed in close co-operation with Danish industry and partners.
A total of 1,700 CV90 IFVs have been ordered, in 17 different variants, and have covered a total of more than eight million kilometres, according to BAE. The type has been selected by 10 European nations, eight of them NATO members, has been operated in Liberia and has seen combat in Afghanistan and Ukraine.
The Royal Danish Army received 45 CV9035DK IFVs from 2007, of which around 43 are believed to remain in service.
