“This is an important moment for the security of the Czech Republic,” the Czech defense minister added. “Behind the CV90 project stand months of negotiations, hundreds of people, and thousands of hours of work. I am convinced that thanks to this joint effort, Czech soldiers will receive the best that the European defense industry offers.”

The first units will be used for testing in Sweden before being transferred to the Czech Republic next year. 

Modernizing the Czech Republic’s Army

The full order of 246 vehicles will be completed by 2030, while the phased delivery is meant to allow Prague to transition from its former Soviet-era armored IFVs and for the Czech Army to train on the new platform. The CV90 will be integrated into newly formed NATO-styled mechanized brigades, including the 7th Mechanized Brigade, which currently operates the BMP-2 IFV. Those aging vehicles could likely be transferred to Ukraine.

“This is just the beginning—by joining the CV90 user club, the Czech Republic also gains access to a community of experienced operators across Europe, enabling the exchange of operational insights, joint training opportunities, and accelerated introduction of future upgrades,” said Tommy Gustafsson-Rask, managing director of BAE Systems Hägglunds.

The program will further engage more than 20 Czech companies, which could include VOP CZ, Excalibur Army, VR Group, Ray Service, and Meopta, according to Defence Blog, as the contract required Czech firms to contribute at least 40 percent of the production.

Prague has committed to reaching NATO’s Capability Targets 2025, which calls for alliance members to expand and modernize their respective ground combat capabilities. 

The Czech Republic has a long history of producing military hardware. More than a century ago, the region was the industrial heart of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, playing a significant role in arms manufacturing during World War I. Moreover, much of interwar Czechoslovakia’s industry was based in the German-speaking “Sudetenland” region, giving Adolf Hitler an additional reason to demand those territories’ annexation by Nazi Germany in 1938—and leaving the rest of the country powerless to stop the full-scale German invasion the following year.

About the CV90

The CV90 (Combat Vehicle 90) is a family of Swedish tracked combat vehicles designed by Sweden’s Defence Materiel Administration (Försvarets Materielverk, FMV), Hägglunds, and Bofors between the mid-1980s and early 1990s. The initial version entered service in 1993, and the platform has been continuously updated with technological improvements to meet changing battlefield requirements.

The CV90 was designed to be easily configured to accommodate various situations and missions, ranging from patrol to combat. The tracked, three-crew CV90 can carry up to eight infantry soldiers. Its welded steel armor hull can reportedly withstand hits from 30mm armored-piercing rounds, including the type used by many Russian IFVs and armored combat vehicles (ACVs).

The Czech CV90 MkIV models will be equipped with a 30mm Bushmaster II cannon and feature advanced fire control systems.

The CV90 is considered a significant upgrade from the BMP-2 IFVs that were produced in the former Czechoslovakia in the 1980s and inherited by the Czech Republic following the “Velvet Divorce” in 1993.