Ukraine has announced its intention to purchase 1,000 Sweden-made CV90 infantry fighting vehicles (IFVs) in a joint statement with the Czech Republic and Slovakia in Brussels.
Defense ministers Oleksiy Reznikov (Ukraine), Yana Chernokhova (Slovakia), and Martin Shklenar (Czechia) stated they would collaborate for the acquisition and operation of the Mk. IV version of the Swedish-tracked IFV.
The ministers also said the agreement would mandate the three countries to share critical information on their procurement plans, operational strategies, and production preparations to accommodate the CV90 into their respective armed forces.
The announcement came after Stockholm initially pledged to donate 50 of the vehicles to Kyiv on top of some Archer mobile howitzers in January.
Ukraine ranked the CV90 as one of the best IFVs currently in operation, alongside the US M2 Bradley which they already deployed in combat.
The announcement was part of Kyiv's plan of acquiring more weaponry from Western arms manufacturers to bolster its defense capabilities and strengthen its forces in its ongoing offensive against Russian forces occupying its southeastern regions.
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The CV90 is an infantry fighting vehicle built by Saab Bofors Dynamics, a subsidiary of the Saab Group, which also builds the swing-role fighter jet JAS-39 Gripen, and Hägglunds, currently a subsidiary of BAE Systems.
It was initially developed in the 1980s and 1990s in Sweden, and its domestic models were built as a modular tracked platform for the Swedish Army, which possessed a 500-strong fleet.
The CV90's main armament is its 40mm L/70 autocannon, but export versions of the vehicle can also accommodate a smoothbore 120mm gun in its turret like the light tank application CV90120-T.
To date, countries that operate the CV90 outside of Sweden include its fellow Nordic nations, Norway, Denmark, and Finland. The IFV is also used by the Swiss, Dutch, and Estonian armies.
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