CANADIAN FORCES LOOKS AT CV90 FOR NEW CLOSE COMBAT VEHICLE
The Defence Department and the Canadian Army are looking at the CV90 as a possible candidate for a new close combat vehicle (aka infantry fighting vehicle).
The close combat vehicle program, which has yet to receive approval, would see the acquisition of new vehicles to accompany Leopard 2 tanks into the field.
Defence sources say the current LAV-3 does not have the mobility needed for the job in off-road conditions. The likely preferred option is to go for a tracked vehicle. The equipment program is one of three new projects that will be presented to Defence Minister Peter MacKay.
The CV90 had been previously looked at by the Army when it was first in development but there were concerns about its cost. But now the vehicle has proven itself and is in service with a number of armies, making it more attractive to the Canadian Forces, according to several sources.
The CV90 family has been developed to meet the requirements in six different countries; Sweden, Norway, Finland, Switzerland, Holland and Denmark, according to officials with BAE, the firm that builds the vehicles. The latest version is called 9035 MkIII and is sold to Holland and Denmark.
There are a number of variants in the CV90 family. CV9030 was originally developed to meet the requirements of the Norwegian army and is outfitted with the Bushmaster II cannon in the 30 mm two man turret. It also carries an add on armour kit.
The CV9030 MkII is a further development of the CV9030 design to meet the Swiss and Finnish armies requirements. It is equipped with the digitized Vehicle Information System (VIS) and also a fully stabilized 30/40 mm Bushmaster II/Mk44 cannon, according to BAE
CV9040 is in service with the Swedish Army; it carries an eight men section and is fitted with a Bofors 40 mm cannon. The CV9040 is primarily deployed with the Main Battle Tank in the Swedish Mechanized Brigades.
The CV90 has been used overseas in Liberia and in Afghanistan. Norwegian troops in Mazar-e-Sharif used the vehicles in a counterattack against insurgents in late 2007. It was also used this May against Taliban in Badghis Province. The Norwegian news media reported as many as 65 insurgents were killed in that battle.
According to globalsecurity.org the 40 mm Bofors auto cannon assures lethality to all other light armored vehicles and even offers a chance to kill enemy tanks from flanking positions with its APFSDS-T ammo.
Courtesy of the CV90 manufacturer BAE here is a photo of a CV90 in Afghanistan can be seen here:
- http://davidpugliesemilitaryphotos.blogspot.com/2008/11/cv90-photo-1-posted-by-david-********.html