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Slovakia Reportedly Decides to Procure Swedish Combat Vehicles for $1.5 Billion in Record Deal

Sputnik News

20220629
Igor Kuznetsov

The Swedish family of tracked combat vehicles known as Stridsfordon 90 or CV90 are known for their high mobility in snow and wetlands while carrying up to eight fully equipped soldiers.

Slovakia has decided to acquire Stridsfordon 90 combat vehicles from BAE Systems Hägglunds to the tune of approximately SEK 15 billion (nearly $1.5 billion), national Swedish broadcaster SVT reported.

The Örnsköldsvik-based company is thus one step closer to receiving the biggest order in its history.

"We are only one trip short of signing the order," BAE Systems Hägglund's CEO Tommy Gustafsson Rask told SVT, describing the deal as "fantastic".

According to Tommy Gustafsson Rask, the deal has progressed very quickly.

"It has been about 1.5 years, and in terms of the market we work in, it is quite fast," he said.

At the same time, the neighboring Czech Republic is also expected to make up its mind on procuring Swedish combat vehicles. In that case, an even larger order may be coming.

In addition, the Swedish Defense Materiel Administration (FMV), is leading a joint procurement of 500-900 new tracked vehicles together with Germany, the UK and the Netherlands.

Following the recent and planned orders, BAE Systems Hägglunds has hired hundreds of new employees and grown from 800 to around 1,170 personnel in just several years. According to Tommy Gustafsson Rask, the staff size may grow by 100 more employees.

The Stridsfordon 90 (also known as CV90) is a family of Swedish tracked combat vehicles designed during the mid-1980s to early 1990s, which entered service in Sweden in the mid-1990s. Developed specifically for the Nordic subarctic climate, the vehicle is credited for having high mobility in snow and wetlands while carrying and supporting between six and eight fully equipped soldiers.

Currently, 1,280 vehicles in 15 variants are in service with seven user nations, four of which are NATO members (Denmark, Norway, Estonia, the Netherlands).

© Sputnik