BAE Systems Hägglunds’ partnership with Ritek AS also creates opportunities for international cooperation with local industry
BAE Systems has signed a contract with the Norwegian company Ritek AS, a leading supplier and upgrader of vehicle systems for military and civilian applications, to produce two new variants of the CV90 for the Swedish Armed Forces. The work will be carried out in cooperation with BAE Systems Hägglunds, the division that is responsible for the design and production of the CV90 family of vehicles.
Ritek, a maintenance and development company for heavy defense vehicles, is one of BAE Systems Hägglunds’ main industrial partners in the Norwegian CV90 program and also an integral part of its international supply chain. The two companies have worked together on the Norwegian IFV modernization project (MEP/OPV) to extensively upgrade 144 Norwegian CV90s and have just completed the final delivery of 20 additional CV90 combat support vehicles to the Norwegian Armed Forces.
“The industrial cooperation with BAE Systems Hägglunds has increased our competence and expanded our market. Due to this partnership, we have also been able to invest more in our business, including a new production hall and investment in our employees. It really was a game-changer for us,” said Jan Marius Reppe, CEO of Ritek. “This new contract, therefore, is proof of the potential opportunities of this partnership.”
“Ritek has demonstrated that it has the industrial capabilities required for the CV90 program,” said Peter Sedin, Director of Operations at BAE Systems Hägglunds. “Since the company is already our production partner for a similar Norwegian Army program, it made sense to turn to Ritek when we were looking for the ideal industrial configuration for this important contract.”
The new variations of the CV90 are the advanced maintenance vehicle and the combat engineering variant. The advanced maintenance vehicle will provide critical front-line support, repair and recovery for other vehicles, ensuring an overall improvement in combat vehicle availability. The combat engineering variant will significantly increase the ability to ensure route clearance and the ability to prevent enemy forces from moving at critical times during missions. The two new variants will join the Swedish Army’s mechanized formations with deliveries scheduled between 2023 and 2027.
“We are proud to be producing these two new variants for the Swedish Army,” said Tommy Gustafsson-Rask, managing director of BAE Systems Hägglunds. “The collaborative approach involved in the Swedish CV90 RENO program was a key success factor in achieving a timely, balanced and cost-effective solution that provides increased combat efficiency to meet customer capability requirements.”
BAE Systems Hägglunds’ proven approach to industrial cooperation strengthens the local defense industrial base and ensures long-term security of supply and support. It also creates important employment opportunities and offers a variety of economic benefits from technology transfer.
There are currently about 1300 CV90s in service in Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland and the Netherlands. The vehicle has a proven combat record and is designed to develop further in the future as required to meet evolving missions. Recently, a contract was signed with Slovakia for 152 vehicles, and the Czech Republic selected the CV90 to replace its fleet of infantry fighting vehicles.
With the production of the two new variants, the CV90 will be available in 17 different models. The vehicle is designed to provide optimal mobility with the highest level of protection in any terrain or tactical environment. The latest version, the CV90 MkIV, combines enhanced speeds and battlefield handling with an updated electronic architecture that supports future growth capabilities as the complexity of battlefields evolves.