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Two new forward maintenance and combat engineer variants of the Swedish Armed Forces combat vehicle 90 will be produced under a deal between BAE Systems and Norwegian company Ritek AS.
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The contract between the two companies will deliver the two new variants for the Swedish Army’s mechanised formations between 2023 and 2027. Work will be carried out in cooperation with CV90 designer and producer, BAE Systems Hägglunds.
“We are proud to be producing these two new CV90 variants for the Swedish Army,” said BAE Systems Hägglunds managing director Tommy Gustafsson-Rask.
“The collaborative approach involved in the Swedish CV90 RENO program has been recognised 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.”
The forward maintenance vehicle will focus on critical frontline support, repair, and recovery, while the combat engineer variant will provide route clearance and deny enemy mission critical mobility.
Ritek chief executive officer Jan Marius Reppe said the two companies have previously worked together on the Norwegian IFV modernisation project to upgrade 144 Norwegian CV90s.
“Our industrial cooperation partnership with BAE Systems Hägglunds has increased our capabilities as well as broadened our market,” he said.
“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. This new contract to supply Norwegian produced CV90s to the Swedish Armed Forces is proof of the potential opportunities of this partnership.”
Twenty CV90 combat support vehicles have recently been delivered to the Norwegian Armed Forces, a contract was signed with Slovakia for 152 vehicles, and the Czech Republic selected CV90 to replace its legacy infantry fighting vehicle fleet.
More than 1,300 CV90s are in service with Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, and the Netherlands with 17 variants.
BAE Systems Hägglunds’ director of operations Peter Sedin said Ritek has demonstrated it has the industrial capability and skills required for the CV90 program.
“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 set-up for this important contract,” he said.
