BAE showcases CCV contender
The RFP for a close-combat vehicle (CCV) may still be pending, but BAE Systems has partnered with DEW Engineering to advance its Hagglunds CV90 as a prime candidate for the program.
The vehicle was on display at CANSEC, and available to media earlier in the week.
Though LGen Andrew Leslie, chief of the land staff, has made it clear the Army will be LAV-based through it’s 2021 planning cycle, the Army is seeking a combat vehicle to support the Army's Leopard 2 tanks.
A proposal currently being pushed through DND – with the hope of cabinet approval before the summer recess – would see the CCV as part of a $5 billion package that would include a new armoured tactical patrol vehicle and upgrades to the existing LAV-3 fleet.
As with any combat vehicle, mobility and survivability are key. BAE believes the CV90 offers the best of both. According to Håkan Karlsson, BAE Systems Hägglunds’ vice-president of marketing, the CV90 is “big on the inside and small on the outside,” minimizing its radar and infrared signatures. It offers protection against RPG-7, advanced antitank mines and IEDs. The 35-tonne vehicle also offers a range of firepower options, including the latest 35mm Bushmaster cannon.
Wheeled or tracked?
Not quite a tank but more than an APC, the infantry fighting vehicle must be able to provide armoured troop-carrying capability while keeping pace with the Leopards, regardless of terrain. Though there has long been debate in the Canadian Army over the advantages of wheeled or tracked vehicles, Captain Mogens Mogensen, chief of the Danish army’s infantry fighting vehicle and armoured personnel carrier branch, says in this case there is no debate – a wheeled vehicle would not be sufficient to follow a tank through war debris. “Since you are LAV based, wheeled is more of the same,” rather than an additional capability, he said. “If you want full spectrum, track is the only option from our perspective.”
The CV90 is currently deployed by Sweden and Norway in Afghanistan, where Canada’s LAV 3s have at times struggled with the terrain, and is a contender for British FRES (Future Rapid Effects System) SV program.
As with previous customers, BAE would build the turret locally with Canadian industry (the chassis would be built in Sweden, with support from industry). Karlsson said over 80 Canadian firms from across the country had been identified – and visited – as possible contributors, many during a Swedish industry day hosted by the embassy in Ottawa last fall. The contract would include in-theatre support for the vehicle and military technicians.
In January, BAE turned over its 1000th vehicle to the Netherlands, part of a contract for 184 CV9035 MkIII.
