The Swedish infantry fighting vehicle CV90 is highly praised by Ukrainian soldiers. According to them, this armoured machine has many advantages that they have not seen before. In addition, it can become almost invisible to the enemy.
CV90 infantry fighting vehicle in the Ukrainian service. Image credit: АрміяInform via Wikimedia (CC BY 4.0)
“Our CV90 performs well. Armour and armament are the most important features. Its armour is very strong, it withstood a hit from a Lancet drone to the front. It also withstood a 120 mm blow to the rear,” said the commander of the 21st Ukrainian mechanized brigade.
The Swedish “Combat Vehicle 90”, CV90 for short, has been in service since 1994. This tracked infantry fighting vehicle, used by many countries, has been deployed in both Afghanistan and the United Nations Mission in Liberia – this is to say that the service in Ukraine is not the first time CV90 has seen combat.
The CV90 is still in production – the Czech Republic and Slovakia are waiting for their own CV90s, having placed orders in the last couple of years. Depending on the version, the CV90 can be armed with a 40mm Bofors autocannon, a 30mm or 35mm Bushmaster autocannon, a 120mm mortar, or some other weapons. There is always a 7.62mm machine gun there, sometimes grenade launchers or even Spike LR missile launchers are mounted on the CV90 as well.
The defenders of Ukraine are using CV90 with the 40 mm Bofors autocannons. The CV90s used by Ukraine have 407 kW engines and reach a maximum speed of 70 km/h. They are very well equipped. The CV90 has a crew of 3 and can carry 7-8 troops in its passenger compartment.
Only about fifty CV90s are said to have been delivered to Ukraine so far. Ukraine plans to buy a thousand CV90s – they liked these machines that much. They will be at least partially produced in Ukraine. The agreement about the production of the CV90 in Ukraine was signed in June of last year, but no deadlines were publicly stated. Some people were not happy with this decision, because Ukraine has its own new infantry fighting vehicle, but the CV90 will help Ukraine switch to the NATO standards and can be produced in larger numbers sooner.
The early CV90s were criticized a bit for their armour, but the Ukrainians received an improved version of this machine, the protection level of which is not inferior to the M2A2 Bradley in terms of armour. Ukrainians sing high praise for their CV90s. Especially their special camouflage.
The CV90 can be covered in Saab’s Barracuda camouflage, which also hides the machine’s thermal signature. This is important when operating at night or in poor visibility conditions, as it is more difficult for the Russians to see such covered vehicles using thermal imaging cameras. Ukrainian officer said the Barracuda’s camouflage “protects the machine from night vision devices and thermal cameras” and that the CV90 is “about 70% less visible than any other machine”.
In many ways, infantry fighting vehicles are the unsung heroes of the war. They carry infantry into the hardest battles, provide close fire support, perform medevac and other missions. They sometimes even engage tanks and other armoured vehicles.
Written by Povilas M.
Sources: Tech.wp.pl, Wikipedia