On 12-13 December, the first ever meeting of the CV90 Joint Steering Committee took place. It is scheduled to meet twice a year and is part of the trilateral contract for CV90 tracked infantry fighting vehicles, which was signed on 24 May this year. The committee's role is to monitor the project's milestones and the project teams of the contracting authority, the Ministry of Defence, and the manufacturer, BAE Systems Hägglunds.

The home of BAE Systems Hägglunds, which was originally founded in the 19th century as a furniture manufacturer, is Örnsköldsvik, Sweden. However, the factory soon began producing transport vehicles and after World War II received its first orders from the army for armoured and special vehicles, which it designed based on the chassis of one of the Czechoslovak tanks.

"We have more than 60 years of experience in the production of combat vehicles and are continuously improving our products to meet the demands of our growing number of customers," says BAE Systems Hägglund President Tommy Gustaffson-Rask. He described the steering committee meeting as very constructive and said the company is ready to deliver the best infantry fighting vehicles to the Army.

The contract for the new BVPs was signed several years late, so the Czech Army will receive the vehicles later than planned. The first one should take over in 2026, so the schedule is quite tight from the beginning. All parties to the contract, i.e. the Ministry of Defence of the Czech Republic, the Swedish government represented by the FMV agency and BAE Systems Hägglunds are well aware of this.

"The meeting of the Joint Steering Committee provides an opportunity to discuss at the highest level the challenges we face in the infantry fighting vehicle acquisition project," explains Filip Gantner, Deputy Chief Director of the Armaments and Acquisition Section of the MoD, who chairs the committee. "With the Swedish contractor, we can avoid some of the problems and at the same time share information important for the smooth running of the project."

The committee has seven members and at its first meeting addressed issues such as the planned testing and certification of the vehicles, the delivery schedule, industrial cooperation and the creation of individual project teams, which focus on different areas from acquisition, design and industrial cooperation. In addition to discussing the details of the project, its milestones and risks, the committee members had the opportunity to visit a combat vehicle factory and test the vehicles in winter conditions. There was also a demonstration of the CV90 vehicle being procured by the Ministry of Defence.

"The construction of a heavy brigade task force is a critical capability for the Czech Armed Forces. Its achievement has been long delayed, but now we know that the first ten CV90 vehicles will be garaged at the Práslavice garrison in 2026," says Brigadier General Petr Milčický, member of the committee and director of the MoD's Force Development Section. "Underestimating the control of the production process from our side, as a future user, could lead to shortcomings in the final quality of the CV90 comprehensive weapon system capability or to further time delays. We do not want to admit either risk, which is why such actions are very important."

"Integrated logistics support for the CV90 is not everything, but without it the vehicle would be nothing. The negotiations confirmed to us that the integrated logistics support is well planned on both sides to meet the user's requirements for the operational readiness of the vehicle," said committee member and director of the MoD Logistics Section, Major General Robert Bielený.

Even before signing the trilateral contract, the Swedish company BAE was obliged to sign contracts with five major Czech subcontractors, as industrial cooperation is one of the key aspects of the entire project. Not only because of the support for the defence industry and the contribution to the Czech economy, but also because of the security of supply. After all, the army must be assured that it will be able to use the combat vehicles at any time, especially in times of crisis, and it will be impossible to do this without the ability of domestic industry to repair them.

"The Infantry Fighting Vehicle is another in a series of armaments projects where we are seeking maximum involvement of industry in the development, production and life cycle assurance of the acquired equipment," says Ondřej Vodička from the MoD's industrial cooperation section. "The meeting in Örnsköldsvik, Sweden, focused on the timetable for concluding further contracts with Czech industry and the control mechanism of the industrial cooperation programme. Supporting the domestic defence industry is one of the strategic security interests of the state."

The next meeting of the Committee will take place in the Czech Republic in the middle of the year. The agenda will be quite extensive, and it is already clear that it will follow on from the Committee's meeting in Sweden. The use of time is absolutely crucial, because in less than three years the first CV90s must be produced, production transferred to the Czech Republic, all tests including ballistic tests carried out, and some platforms required by the Czech Army but not yet produced developed.

"This is a truly complex project and any mistakes will be compounded in the future. Therefore, it is necessary to continuously evaluate every aspect to minimise risks," said František Šulc, a member of the committee and First Deputy Defence Minister. "What is more, this project, thanks to coordination with Slovakia, which has acquired the same combat vehicles, has an international dimension. So close cooperation in finding synergies with the manufacturer is essential."