BAE Systems and Ritek AS to produce two new CV90 variants for Swedish army.

BAE Systems has signed a contract with Norwegian company Ritek AS to produce two new CV90 variants for the Swedish Armed Forces. The work will be carried out in cooperation with BAE Systems Hägglunds, the designer and producer of the CV90 family of vehicles.
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The new CV90 variants are the Forward Maintenance vehicle and the Combat Engineer vehicle (Picture source: BAE Systems)

Ritek is one of BAE Systems Hägglunds’ key industrial partners in the Norwegian CV90 program and this new program grows the company’s role as an integral part of BAE Systems Hägglunds international supply chain. The two companies worked together on the Norwegian IFV modernization project (MEP/OPV) to extensively upgrade 144 Norwegian CV90s. The team has just delivered 20 additional CV90 combat support vehicles to the Norwegian Armed Forces.

“Our industrial cooperation partnership with BAE Systems Hägglunds has increased our capabilities as well as broadened our market. Thanks to this cooperation we have also been able to invest more in our business, including a new production hall, as well as investing in our employees. It has really been a game changer for us,” said Jan Marius Reppe, CEO of Ritek. “This new contract to supply Norwegian-produced CV90s to the Swedish Armed Forces is proof of the potential opportunities of this partnership.”

“Ritek has demonstrated that it has the industrial capability and skills required for the CV90 program,” said Peter Sedin, BAE Systems Hägglunds’ director of operations. “As our production partner for a similar Norwegian Army program, it made sense to turn to Ritek when we were looking for the optimal industrial setup for this important contract.”

The new variants are the Forward Maintenance vehicle and the Combat Engineer vehicle. The Forward Maintenance vehicle will provide critical frontline support, repair, and recovery for other vehicles, ensuring improved overall combat vehicle availability. The Combat Engineer variant will significantly increase the ability to ensure route clearance and deny enemy forces mission-critical mobility. The two new variants will join the Swedish Army’s mechanized formations with deliveries scheduled between 2023 and 2027.

“We are proud to be producing these two new CV90 variants for the Swedish Army,” said Tommy Gustafsson-Rask, managing director of BAE Systems Hägglunds. “The collaborative approach involved in the Swedish CV90 RENO program has been recognized as a key success factor in achieving a timely, balanced, and cost-effective solution that delivers increased combat efficiency to meet the customer’s capability requirements.”

BAE Systems Hägglunds’ proven industrial cooperation approach strengthens the local defense industrial base and ensures the security of supply and long-term support. It also creates significant employment opportunities and delivers a range of economic benefits along with the transfer of technology.

There are approximately 1,300 CV90s in service with Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, and the Netherlands. The vehicle has a combat-proven track record and is designed to accommodate future growth to meet evolving missions. Recently, a contract was signed with Slovakia for 152 vehicles, and the Czech Republic selected CV90 to replace its legacy infantry fighting vehicle fleet.

The CV90 will now be available in 17 variants and is designed to provide optimum mobility, with the highest level of protection in any terrain or tactical environment. The newest version, the CV90 Mk.IV, combines improved battlefield speeds and handling with an upgraded electronic architecture to support future growth capabilities as the complex battlefield evolves.

Defense News April 2023