Denmark will make a financial contribution of DKr1.8bn ($264.1m) in funding towards the procurement of Combat Vehicle 90 (CV90) armoured combat vehicles for Ukraine, following the signing of a joint statement of intent with Sweden.
Announced during a visit by Sweden’s Minister for Defence Pål Jonson to Denmark on 18 December 2023, the deal will see Sweden supervise the acquisition of CV90s that will be delivered to Ukraine, within the framework of an agreement concluded between Kyiv and the Swedish Defence Materiel Administration (FMV) and Ukraine in July this year.
The Statement of Intent means that the Denmark and Sweden will promote the acquisition of additional CV90 for Ukraine, stated a Swedish Government release.
“We will use our industrial capability to ensure the delivery of newly produced Combat Vehicle 90s to Ukraine. Combat Vehicle 90 has been – and remains – an important addition to Ukraine’s defence ever since Sweden donated 50 vehicles earlier this year,” said Jonson.
Sweden had previously, in connection with President Zelenskyy’s visit to Sweden in August, signed a joint Letter of Intent with Ukraine on closer cooperation on the CV90 platform.
CV90: a workhorse of European armoured capability
The CV90 is among the most widely operated AFV in Europe, in service with Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Netherlands, Norway, Switzerland, Ukraine, as well as Sweden. The Czech Republic and Slovakia have also agreed deals to acquire the platform.
First entering into service in 1993, the CV90 has since been upgrade over its lifetime and is available in a number of variants. Versions of the CV90 family include the CV9040 with 40mm gun and the export variant, the CV9030 with a 30mm main armament.
The CV9040 has been in service with the Swedish Army since 1993 with nearly 500 systems delivered and is armed with a 40mm Bofors L/70 cannon. Final deliveries were completed in September 2002.
The sighting systems of several Swedish CV9040 vehicles have been upgraded with an LIRC thermal imaging system from FLIR Systems. LIRC is based on QWIP (quantum well infrared photodetector) technology.
BAE Systems also developed several export versions of CV90 for international customers. In July 2010, the company unveiled a new variant of CV90, called Armadillo. Another new variant, CV90 MkIV, was launched in January 2018 and features improved stealth and survivability.
