On Thursday, March 21st, BAE Systems announced that it had signed a contract with the Danish defense procurement agency FMI (Forsvarsministeriets Materiel- og Indkøbsstyrelse; also known by the English acronym DALO, Defence Acquisition and Logistics Organization) under the Ministry of Defence of Denmark for the Mid-Life Update (MLU) modernization of the tracked infantry fighting vehicles CV9035DK, 45 of which are in service.
Photo: BAE Systems
The anticipated upgrades will ensure the vehicles’ usefulness for many years to come. The MLU contract aligns with a previously signed framework agreement regarding repairs and maintenance of CV9035DK vehicles. Previously, MLU modernization contracts were also signed by other users of the CV90 family of infantry fighting vehicles: Finland, Sweden, Switzerland, and the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
According to the agreement, Danish infantry fighting vehicles CV9035DK will receive new D-series turrets, providing significant improvements in vehicle balance and enabling the integration of new weapon types to enhance combat effectiveness. The modernization of the CV90 will also ensure significant improvements in crew ergonomics, leveraging years of operational experience, development, and analysis shared by the CV90 User Club, comprising all countries with CV90 vehicles.
I am very pleased to sign this contract for Mid-Life Update of the Danish CV90 fleet. It is an important upgrade of one of the Army’s most important weapon systems. As the manufacturer of the vehicles, BAE Systems Hägglunds has a great knowledge of the capability, and the upcoming upgrade will bring the vehicles back to a state-of-the-art platform that will ensure it is equipped for future operations, said Lieutenant General Kim Jesper Jørgensen, director of DALO.
These upgrades will provide Danish CV90 crews with improved protection and increased combat efficiency, all while securing the functionality of the Royal Danish Army’s existing fleet of CV90s, said Tommy Gustafsson-Rask, managing director of BAE Systems Hägglunds, which designs and produces the CV90 family of vehicles.
The upgrades commissioned by FMI/DALO include equipping the CV90 with rubber tracks, which decrease the vehicle’s weight (allowing for the addition of new weapon/equipment systems) and also reduce noise and vibrations, thereby minimizing crew fatigue. The modernized IFVs will receive anti-tank guided missile launchers and a Defensive Aid Suite (DAS), enhancing both combat effectiveness and soldier protection. The program’s implementation is planned for the years 2026–2029, in close cooperation with Danish industries and partners.
The CV90 infantry fighting vehicle by BAE Systems Hägglunds, belonging to vehicles with a weight range of 20–38 tons, offers globally recognized and proven combat capabilities. Its design incorporates a wide range of weapon systems, allowing for effective engagement of all typical targets encountered on the land battlefield. Customers have ordered a total of 1700 vehicles in 17 different variants so far. The CV90s produced to date have traveled over eight million kilometers. The vehicle has been chosen by the armed forces of 10 European countries, including 8 NATO members, with the Czech Republic and Slovakia soon to join the list. It has seen combat use in Liberia, Afghanistan, and Ukraine (in the case of Ukraine, Sweden provided 50 units of the Strf9040C as military aid).
Based on a press release.