First Czech CV90 IFV to be rolled out end of August

The first Czech CV90 IFV is to be rolled out on 28 August at BAE Systems Hägglunds in Örnsköldsvik, Sweden. (Czech MoD)

The first Czech CV90 infantry fighting vehicle (IFV) is to be rolled out on 28 August, an industry source told Janes on 11 August. The roll-out ceremony is to take place at BAE Systems Hägglunds in Örnsköldsvik, Sweden, in the presence of Czech Defence Minister Jana Černochová and her Swedish counterpart, Pål Jonson, as well as BAE Systems Hägglunds project and production teams.

On 24 May 2023, the Czech government announced it had awarded BAE Systems a SEK49.3 billion (USD5.1 billion) contract for 246 CV90 IFVs. The vehicles will be the main platform of the Czech Army's 7th Mechanised Brigade, which currently operates obsolete BMP-2 IFVs. The order also includes 29 workshop vehicles, training, spare parts, and other accessories.

The contract ensures at least a 40% share for the Czech defence industry in the order, according to the Czech Ministry of Defence (MoD). BAE Systems Hägglunds has signed contracts with Czech state-owned companies VOP CZ and LOM Praha's VR Group and the companies Excalibur Army, Meopta, and Ray Service.

The first few vehicles will be built by BAE Systems Hägglunds in Örnsköldsvik, after which VOP CZ will assemble the CV90s, with production running until 2030. VR Group is developing and producing the IFV's simulation and training system. Meopta is producing more than 500 Saab Universal Tank and Anti-Aircraft System (UTAAS) sighting and fire-control systems for the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Sweden, and Denmark. The Czech MoD announced on 29 April 2025 that Meopta had delivered the first UTAAS for the Czech Army.